Energy efficiency is good for profitability and the planet. What’s more, simple improvements in resource management can produce big benefits Of all the commercial factors that might motivate a firm to play its part in the fight against climate change, the chance to improve its efficiency offers the most potential […]

A warehouse worker using an augmented reality wearable device. By now, it’s well known and widely accepted that the explosive growth of e-commerce over the last five years has seriously disrupted the logistics and supply chain industries. Consumers expect fast, cheap (or even free) shipping, a wide range of choices, […]

There are at least three major unrecognized advantages of instituting lean principles, including better navigating the competitive life cycle. In practice, lean manufacturing is an operating philosophy that yields a number of long-term benefits that aren’t always obvious to those who are considering adopting it. The first thing most manufacturing […]

     Are you in danger of signing up for more than you can resource? Here’s expert advice on how to prevent “death by a thousand initiatives.” Question for Ask the Expert: Lean Leadership: In one of your early columns, you wrote: “This is one of the biggest mistakes that […]

The 7 wastes are activities identified in an organization that do not add value but cost money. It is estimated that only 5% of our time actually adds value to the customer; if this indeed is true, it means that every company can learn from the 7 wastes to cut out wasteful processes and increase the percentage of value […]

At UGN, one of our core operating principles is sustainability. That means minimizing waste to improve efficiency, add value, and refine the manufacturing process for our automotive products when and where we can. Lean manufacturing methodology is still considered a best practice in automotive manufacturing circles, despite increased Industry 4.0 […]