It’s not unusual to find a family-run business in the region. But there are very few that have more family members involved in the day-to-day operation of the company than Hayes Manufacturing in Fife Lake. And three-fourths of the company is owned and operated by three daughters of the founders. […]

(Reuters) – Big investments, lean manufacturing techniques borrowed from the automotive industry, and a more engaged workforce have revamped the Wisconsin shipyard where Italy’s Fincantieri SpA (FCT.MI) builds the Freedom variant of the U.S. Navy’s coastal warships for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). Fincantieri invested $100 million in recent […]

The WFSGI expects an high level international audience, deriving from over twenty countries. This year’s event will not only focus on the more technically orientated topics but also on Corporate Responsibility in its many aspects. During the two-day conference the audience will have the opportunity to interactively participate in workshops […]

After years of making auto parts, John Sapiente says the lessons of Japanese-style lean production are automatic, like a prayer a monk has been repeating since his novitiate days: Drive out costs. Produce high quality. Keep getting better. Otherwise, the customer moves on. The U.S. auto industry figured out it […]

We had a few readers respond to our asking for new questions. Keep’em coming. QUESTION: Given that some companies are already well down the Six Sigma and lean manufacturing path, TQM, JIT, etc., what is next for these companies?” ANSWER: This question is similar to one I read a few […]

July 28 to 31: Sprott-Stansberry Vancouver Natural Resource Investment Conference, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. B. Matthew Hornor, Kaizen’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. David Broughton, Executive Vice President, Exploration, will be presenting on July 30 at 3:45 to 4:15pm to provide a progress update on the company’s activities since […]

Marc Braun, Pcdata USA’s president explained, “Pcdata USA is looking forward to attending the Lean Conference again this year as we thoroughly support world class Lean Management and its Operating Practices. Our Order fulfillment systems play an important role in Lean Management and we are committed to help companies at […]

Over recent years the concept of Lean Manufacturing has received extensive exposure as a way to conserve resources, reduce waste, and improve profitability. There is no doubt that many manufacturers have benefitted in varying degree from implementing Lean Manufacturing processes in their operations, but are the full benefits of a […]

The concept of lean manufacturing is commonplace in the automotive industry. In this article we explore how Dearborn Mid-West Company (DMC), a manufacturer of automotive assembly lines, applied lean principles to their engineering processes. Michigan’s Dearborn Mid-West Company is deeply intertwined with the auto industry. As a tier-1 supplier to […]

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) principles and methods have long been used in manufacturing for reducing waste and removing errors and variations in production all of which improve profitability and customer satisfaction. But the principles apply into almost any organization or function, not just manufacturing. Lean focuses on identifying and eliminating […]