Advertiser Forum: Showing Appreciation with Candy and Corned Beef Anna Stamm The holiday season is upon us (yes, really), and it provides ample opportunities to build camaraderie and team spirit at your business with a little effort and a little food. Making the Effort Many companies have some form of employee appreciation program, but those that don’t have... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 6
Straight Talk About Labor Shortages and Costs Todd Drummond I have had the same conversations with so many executives concerning the tight labor market and rising labor costs. There is good and bad news concerning this subject. First, the good news is that you can be assured that high labor costs and a tight labor market are not only affecting your... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 24
On-Site Homebuilding with an Off-Site View Reflecting on the journey of building my on-site home versus years of off-site manufacturing, several insights have surfaced. While many may hesitate to do it again, I remain optimistic. Why the enthusiasm? Because every challenge I faced was met with a manufacturing mindset honed by the... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 84
Navigating Employee Consolidation After an Acquisition: A Blueprint for Success In the dynamic landscape of corporate growth, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become a common strategy for companies aiming to expand their market presence and enhance their capabilities. While these endeavors hold promises of increased efficiency and amplified market share, the process... Read More February 2024 Issue #16295 Page 72
Mistake-Proof Your Process with Must-Have Communication Features Todd Drummond Last month’s article, Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) for Enhancing Performance to Ensure ROI Retention, is a natural lead-in to Poka-Yoke. In lean terminology, roughly translated from Japanese, Poka-Yoke means to mistake-proof the process. A more accurate translation could be... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 24
Navigating Productivity Improvement Programs: The Vital Role of a Change Agent In manufacturing, continuous process improvement is critical to maintaining profits and quality. Transforming and enhancing operations, however, demands more than good intentions; it requires a dedicated change agent focused on ensuring the program is implemented and ingrained into ongoing plant... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 72
Design Connections: Where Does the Responsibility Lie? Geordie Secord In “Cost-Saving Measures and Memorable Debacles,” I discussed the problems encountered on a site where the owner was acting as general contractor for his new house build and problems that ensued when an inexperienced framer was tasked with installing a complex truss roof. In that... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 80
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) for Enhancing Performance to Ensure ROI Retention Todd Drummond Over twenty years ago, I struck out to help companies improve their operations through best practices based on lean manufacturing and industrial engineering practices. Helping hundreds of companies improve their operations has been an extremely rewarding experience. After all of the 35 years I... Read More December 2023 Issue #15293 Page 24
Better Than 10% Labor Savings Proven Method Endorsement By Scott Arquilla Todd Drummond For years, TDC has promoted the idea of using reliable estimated work minutes (R.E., S.U., Man-Minutes) for scheduling, pricing, and understanding true labor efficiencies. The most important aspect of properly developed work minutes is that you can create a short scheduling time standards... Read More November 2023 Issue #15292 Page 25
TDC’s Educational Session on Component Manufacturing Operations Todd Drummond If you were unable to attend my educational session at BCMC, Component Manufacturing Should Not Be Operated as an LBM Supplier by TDC, or if you attended and still have questions, I invite you to download the presentation, now available as a PDF. During the presentation, we discussed what... Read More October 2023 Issue #15291 Page 27