At its core, Lean means no waste. The original Lean (Six Sigma) concept defines 7 wastes (Muda) that exist in business. All process waste is categorized into one or more of these categories. The rules for these wastes apply in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries. Defining and...

An often repeated statement made by many managers this year has been that they do not have enough time or people to accomplish their stated goals, so in other words, they face time constraints. These time constraints are causing delayed improvements in processes, which negatively affect every...

Part I: The Problem Softright is Designed to Fix Throughout all of my years in this industry, I’ve always been looking for the next solution that I can offer my customers. In considering the ways in which businesses operate today, we at Keymark have focused on an area where we believe...

Smart Manufacturing You have probably read articles, heard this term used by an equipment manufacturer, and even heard it at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or other local group. Smart Manufacturing covers a broad category of manufacturing with the goal of optimizing the process from concept,...

Continuous Improvement  – Success is achieved, not from the program, but from the mindset Theory of Constraints. The Houlihan Labor Method. Quick Response Manufacturing. Six Sigma. Lean. Total Productive Maintenance. Total Quality Management. The lexicon, tools, and methods...

We better learn mono-tasking (and forego multi-tasking) if we are to excel at component design.  Experts tell us that even a 2-3 second interruption can double the number of errors in an assigned task.  Ouch!  Every designer knows the painful personal toll of errors, and every...

Okay, I have finally had it. I have been reading articles for months and finally reached a tipping point. I cannot sit quietly any longer. So, I’ll start by saying I have been in this industry a very long time…..and on all sides of it. I have worked as a carpenter installing...

Did you know that it is possible to achieve greater than $3 million in sales on one build table, even with severe seasonal fluctuations causing winter sales to be nonexistent? I define a build table as one build group of three to four assemblers building roof trusses. Did you know an automated...

The growing attraction of owning attached, close-in housing is a winning trend for componentization. Higher densities shift the labor equation in our favor, both in-plant and out on jobsites. Maximizing the “cube” of structures via open webbed floor and attic room trusses leverages...

In the first part of the Primer for Wall Panels, we discussed the fundamentals of wall panel production and how they may figure into your wood component business. In summary, we asked the reader to remember that wall panels were built for decades with little more than a blueprint,...