Articles
Survival of the Fittest
“Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.” – Nolan Ryan Smith Manufacturing is an 40-year-old manufacturing company that is deep into its second generation of ownership. They have a solid product, excellent service and a very loyal long-term workforce. Smith is known as a good place to work, which leads to good customer service, brand loyalty, customer retention, and good long-term profitability. In short, it is one of those quiet, well-run companies that doesn’t make big splashes, but just contributes quietly [...]
The “Soft-Side” of Lean Manufacturing: Ignore it at Your Own Peril!
Attempting to implement lean manufacturing principles without investigating whether the organization's structure, culture and design can and will support them is much like throwing grass seed on hard-pan soil; you may get some growth but the roots will not sink deeply and the lawn will not be lush. Not only that but you will need to pour extensive resources into the process to keep it going thereby reducing much of the benefits gained by the effort. As an organizational consultant with numerous manufacturing clients and no technical background, I quickly discovered that I needed to have a rudimentary understanding of [...]