Inventory Could be Costing You More Than You Think Ben Hershey Part 3 in our TIMWOODS Series Our friend, TIM WOODS, has been busy in many LBM and component operations and, as we continue our series, he has been seen sweeping “Inventory” down several operations’ drains. Inventory is another waste word in our TIMWOODS acronym for the... Read More March 2017 Issue #10212 Page 50
Transportation Waste is More Evident Than You Think Ben Hershey Part 2 in our TIMWOODS Series When we last left off in our series, I introduced you to my friend, TIM WOODS. TIM WOODS is actually an acronym for the eight deadly wastes (Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-Processing, Over-Production, Defects, and Skills). While the acronym... Read More February 2017 Issue #10211 Page 44
Establishing Your Lean Strategy Ben Hershey Many of today’s Component Manufacturers are considering some measure of Lean implementations. Most are based on a series of what are essentially isolated Kaizen-based waste reductions projects. In selecting areas in their operations, a CM will look at the perceived... Read More December 2016 Issue #09209 Page 66
Lean Thinking Means No Waste: No “TIM WOODS” Ben Hershey 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... Read More November 2016 Issue #09208 Page 62
The Critical Link Between Lean Thinking and Production Problem-Solving for LBM and Component Manufacturers Ben Hershey Sometimes people give me a variety of answers when I ask them to describe lean: tightening the belt; doing more with less; reducing inventory; cost-savings program; waste elimination; quality program; reducing head count; and turnaround tool. The word has meaning to many different people... Read More August 2016 Issue #09205 Page 58