A primary goal of the initiative was to bring two of Cohber’s three Heidelberg presses (a 6-color Speedmaster XL 105 and an 8-color Speedmaster CD 102 UV) to peak operational performance. Goals also included identifying potential savings to lower operating costs; standardizing pressroom processes; maintaining the consistency of pressroom performance; […]

It’s no secret that the 10.3 billion dollar fashion industry is the perpetrator of astronomical human rights and environmental disasters. Just utter the words “Rana Plaza,” “Cambodian sweatshop” or “Uzbek cotton” and you’ll see fingers pointing at fast fashion giants like Gap, Forever21 and H&M. Landfills are overflowing with cheaply […]

APPLE VALLEY, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Uponor North America (Uponor) is expanding its manufacturing facility in Apple Valley, Minn. beginning late spring 2015, with completion expected by Dec. 1, 2015. The $18 million investment will be used toward the renovation and expansion of an additional 88,000 square feet to accommodate lean manufacturing and […]

President Barack Obama’s proposal to emulate Tennessee’s free college tuition program on a national scale may have failed to impress Republicans attending his Knoxville speech on Friday. But a separate announcement awarding a $250 million manufacturing innovation hub was a cause for celebration. The Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Advanced Composites […]

The AME 2015 International Conference held October 19-23 in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the largest lean conference in the world. Fifty-four presentations, 40+ tours, 18 special-interest sessions and 40+ workshops provide you with a transformational learning experience like no other. Learning from the insights of world-class, highly successful practitioners who have […]

In the last installment of “Lessons from the Road,” we explored key aspects as you begin your lean journey. Now you are committing to the journey. But how? There are endless options for how to engage an organization, even though if you read most books that preceded our “Hitchhiker’s Guide […]

Activity across China’s manufacturing sector contracted for the second consecutive month, according to a preliminary survey published on Friday. The HSBC/Markit flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was at 49.8 in January, up from 49.6 in December. However, the index was still below the 50-point level that separates growth from contraction […]

FORGING AHEAD ON THE LEAN JOURNEY “We are all trying to transform. That’s what lean thinking and practice are all about: challenging us to reflect deeply on how we can improve this situation, improve my organization, or improve myself (and of course, all three.) Each of us knows from experience […]

Invest more in the machinery and infrastructure we need to do really lean manufacturing.   Brenna Schneider sees customization as the future: when you order a hoodie or a pair of kicks, you should be able to make the design your own. But one of the big limitations, Schneider says, […]

The Stillwater facility will go online in phases, producing aircraft parts from steel, aluminum and eventually, titanium in a highly efficient LEAN manufacturing environment.   ASCO Aerospace USA workers prepare to work on one of the aluminum supports the company manufactures for the Boeing 787. When Belgian aerospace firm ASCO […]