Category Archives: Continuous Improvement
The field of maintenance is in as much flux currently as every other field. It is expecting to see growth as well. As time moves on, the maintenance industry is reaching the point that the more experienced generation of workers is retiring, and the education... Read More
This feature article is a continuation of the "Shift" series of articles - discussing the series of mind-shifts that will radically transform and improve any industrial operation in today's world - a world of constant innovation and change. This is the third part in the... Read More
A previous Continuous Improvement article, Paradigm Shifts to A World-Class Organization: Shift 1, kicked off a discussion on changes or shifts from traditional business standards and perspectives. The second part in the Shift series discusses actions that have radically improved businesses, streamlined expenses and taken... Read More
Organizations talk about change and discuss the kind of actions that will radically improve their operations, streamline expenses and take them to the level of world-class organizations. Companies that excel in their business are constantly re-inventing themselves in the wake of change. To bring about... Read More
As the curtain comes down on 2009, thoughts of bonuses and pay increases and/or promotions may be in the offing for a number of enterprises. Some of these incentives are designed with the expectation of even better performance from the high-flyers whilst others are geared... Read More
Like many other businesses, the industrial distribution business has not been spared the "commoditization" syndrome. This is especially more evident during these bleak economic times. The CEO of one industrial distributor even lamented that "customers are going to drive us to bankruptcy with their insistence... Read More
There is no shortage of articles on customer satisfaction in the process improvement arena. Despite that, truly memorable customer experience is something of a rarity in the marketplace. Memorable or superior customer experience can sometimes be had through simply a service level that is way... Read More
The Ohno Circle is an exercise created by Japanese quality manufacturing pioneer, Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, which became Lean Manufacturing in the U.S. (See previous PrimeMover article.) Ohno stationed his managers inside of a small diameter circle drawn on the... Read More
The current state of the world's economy is constantly in the news and on everyone's lips. The news everywhere is economic gloom with one corporate financial disaster following in the wake of another. Interspersed is news of corporate indiscretion, misinformation and gross mismanagement resulting in... Read More
Das Madhavan, a highly experienced process improvement executive, has joined IBT as Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager. In this newly created position, Madhavan will lead and facilitate a process to make the company more efficient and competitive in the marketplace. The effort itself will focus on... Read More
IBT is on a journey to become a "Lean Enterprise." This article outlines the reasons and the challenges faced by IBT and other organizations that are turning to Lean techniques to better satisfy customer needs and improve their competitive position. Today's competitive environment is causing... Read More
Productivity can be measured - and therefore managed. By managing productivity, your organization can take steps to increase it. Productivity is a simple concept. It is the ratio of output to input. Increasing the output of an operation, or decreasing the input - or both... Read More