Lean manufacturing and demand-driven manufacturing

FAQ: Is Demand-Driven Manufacturing the Same Thing as Lean?

Many of our customers don’t start out looking to implement Demand-Driven Manufacturing per se. Often, they’re focused on Lean Manufacturing or at least some element of it. In fact, customers often find out about us as they search for an eKanban or production scheduling solution that will work with their current ERP system. However, at some point in the conversation, they will inevitably ask, “Is Demand-Driven Manufacturing the same thing

John Maher, Synchrono Manufacturing Software

Smooth the rough spots with TOC, then Lean – and fine-tune with Six Sigma

What Grade of Sandpaper Will You Use? Part Four Here we are at the final installment of our four-part, Sandpaper blog series about when to use the tools of Lean Manufacturing, the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Six Sigma to address constraints, drive flow and promote continuous improvement. With regard to sandpaper, I talked a lot about what level of grit you will need to smooth out your processes—and what

Common Lean Manufacturing Software Project Constraints

Leveraging Project “Constraints” and Maximizing Results As a project manager for demand-driven, lean manufacturing software, I have more than a nodding acquaintance with the theory of constraints (TOC). What I find quite remarkable is the ability to apply the theory of constraints to other mediums beyond the manufacturing of goods – even something like project work. When a client

Using TOC, Lean and Six Sigma to Become More Demand-Driven

What Tools to Use to Get the Most of Your Demand-Driven Changes Last time, we looked at specific companies that I have worked with and how they became more demand-driven using the Theory of Constraints (TOC) as a first step. As you saw from these real-life examples, TOC works well as a pointer to see where you need to change – and what should be the first items on the

When Manufacturing Improvements Have Too High a Price

Engineering design fiascos – spending thousands to save pennies This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. It’s meant to illustrate how using constraints-based thinking can uncover the hidden price of cost-cutting projects. Several years ago, a friend of mine was working in the quality group at a large automotive company. We will call

Three Bottlenecks the Modern Marketer Must Overcome

How a manufacturing theory helps Jeff Bezos—and you—focus on what really matters The Week recently ran a story about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos making all of his senior managers read, The Goal, by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox. So why would Jeff Bezos – widely considered one of the most visionary CEOs today —want his team to buy into a business book’s philosophy that’s mostly concerned with manufacturing