Lean Manufacturing Essentials

Quite simply, the Ideal Guide to 'Lean' for Small Manufacturers' eager to get on and rapidly apply the techniques used by the best performing businesses.

 

Welcome to Lean Manufacturing Essentials – a straight talking guide written for genuine improvements, aimed at manufacturers who simply want to get things done. By keeping it simple, the information below lays out how your manufacturing business can benefit from lean techniques successfully applied by others.

The focus is very much on results. All information is based on sound theory and practical experience. However what matters to you is actions and improvements – so this is where the emphasis lies. The key sections are briefly introduced below. Click on each one related topic for a more detailed implementation-based full explanation.

Lean Principles 

• Lean Introduction: Why it’s Essential

• Significant Benefits of Lean Manufacturing

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Tools and Techniques 

• Powerful Lean Tools and Techniques

• The 7 Wastes

• 5S - Explained

• How to Apply and Get the Best From 5S: Practical Tips

• Value Stream Mapping - VSM

• Total Productive Maintenance – TPM

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and the 6 Big Losses

• Kaizen: Continuous Improvement

• Kaizen Blitz - Practical Application

• Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) – The Deming Cycle

• 5 Whys Problem Solving

• Reducing Inventory and Work in Progress (WIP)

• Kanban

• Just-In-Time Manufacturing (inc SMED)

• Six Sigma

• Visibility and Lean Manufacturing

• Gemba

• Layout and Lean Manufacturing

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Standards

• Theory of Constraints - TOC

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Lean Culture: People and Behaviours

• Embedding Lean Culture: Getting the best out of your people

• Lean Considerations - Sustaining the Gains: What Lean Leaders do

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Make or Buy Decision Making

• Make or Buy? Outsourcing Considerations for Small Manufacturers

• The 2 Biggest Considerations: Cost and Capacity

• Make or Buy Decision Making: Broader Considerations

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Automation and Robotic Advantages

• How Automation can Dramatically Improve Your Production Processes

• How Robotics is transforming small manufacturing businesses

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Lean Manufacturing Action Plan

• Making it Happen: Lean Manufacturing Action Plan 1

• Making it Happen: Lean Manufacturing Action Plan 2

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Experience principles of Lean Manufacturing in action and witness the transformation of a problematic Door Shop into an extremely efficient operation. Increasing production by 40%, and reducing downtime by 75%! (Lean Manufacturing in Action! (Door Shop) Kim R. Best

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Are you interested in Lean Manufacturing? Well take a trip to the shop floor and see a lean factory tour at FastCap in Ferndale, Washington. At its core, FastCap is a Lean company, determined to continuously improve everything, everyday. Our products reflect the idea that things can be improved and the best ideas come from the shop floor.

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Lean Manufacturing - Lean Improvement Walk - FastCap. In the spirit of Kaizen (Lean continuous improvement) and Lean Manufacturing Paul Akers takes a morning walk around the facility to see how, and what can be improved everyday.

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What Lean Looks Like: Real workplace-based example (by Qualmen)

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Part of SME's award-winning Manufacturing Insights video series, this program introduces the concept of lean manufacturing to everyone in your organization so they can become more involved in the transition from mass production to lean production.

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