Poka-Yoke: A Time-Tested and Simple Way to Mistake-Proof Manufacturing

Often seen as the ideal way to ensure the error-free assembly and production of finished goods, Poka-Yoke has been a mainstay of lean manufacturing since 1960. Shigeo Shingo – a Japanese industrial engineer and expert in lean manufacturing principles and the Toyota Production System – developed a simple failsafe approach with a clear set of … Continued

How to optimise material Flow with a Tugger Cart system?

When companies need to safely move loads, equipment, or machinery from one location to another, they often turn to tuggers. Some tuggers are simple hand-held carts or trolleys that allow operators and employees to drag, pull or tug raw materials, consumables, and finished goods. Other tuggers are heavy-industrial machines capable of pulling upwards of 100-plus metric tons.

How to Sell Continuous Improvement to Senior Management

Regardless of the company – or the industry – senior managers in manufacturing enterprises need to make decisions based on cold, hard, irrefutable facts. They need numbers. They need data. They need to ensure that their decision to move forward has a high probability of success. Senior managers need this critical information to make a … Continued

Critical Steps to Choosing Material Handling Systems

Different types of material handling solutions, equipment, and machinery are used within supply chains to move, store, protect, control, and handle materials. The goal is to ensure that materials are readily available and that parts and finished goods are properly protected during transit to and from warehouses. Material handling is a critical component for manufacturers, … Continued

Standard and Non-Standard Surfaces at Flexpipe

There are several steps to designing a Flexpipe modular structure. One of them includes choosing the material you’ll use. You’ll need this information to determine how many pipes you’ll need, how many connectors and accessories you’ll use, and most importantly, whether you want your structure to have surfaces. This article will outline the four types … Continued

Best tools to cut deckings

Assembling any Flexpipe structure invariably means cutting deckings. Your goal is to have deckings that is clean, safe, and free of sharp edges. So, what type of equipment do you need to cut your deckings? Fortunately, there are multiple solutions you can use. We’ve put together a list of the most common tools Flexpipe and … Continued

Borrowing Lean Manufacturing Concepts from the Automotive Industry

Jerry Collins – a mechanical engineer with 28 years of experience in the automotive industry – uses the pre-production stage as the critical first step to managing future production costs. It’s during this pre-production stage that Jerry uses modular piping systems as a way to layout his production floor and design material handling systems. This … Continued

Four Benefits of Karakuri in Lean Operations

The term Karakuri -or Karakuri Kaizen- is derived from the Japanese word meaning machinery or mechanical device used to assist a process with limited (or no) automated resources. Its origins come from the mechanical dolls in Japan that essentially helped lay the foundations of robotics.   Instead of being controlled by software or a computer, … Continued

How to Establish and Sustain a Continuous Improvement Culture

To many of those who have studied supply chain and the concepts pertaining to lean methodology, you probably view the layout of a warehouse or manufacturing center through a different set of lenses. You are able to visualize how inefficient processes are reducing output, ultimately leading to an uptick in money and time. This only … Continued

How shadow boards help you be more competitive

As a manufacturer, one of your main advantages is to eliminate wastes, in other words, actions that are unnecessary and provide no added value. Shadow boards are an excellent means of implementing continuous improvement principles because their purpose is to eliminate the 8 manufacturing wastes. This article will give you tips on how to sort … Continued