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  • Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement

    Building Muscle for Waste Awareness It almost seemed hackneyed: Lean manufacturing and continuous process improvement.  The phrase is tossed about with a certain familiarity and forgone conclusion. Yet this intentional, ongoing process of improving services, and procedures to improve flow, customer satisfaction, quality, safety, and profit means nothing without metrics. A systematic process which identifies…

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  • Podcast: Part 4 of the 5 Key Elements that Drive Flow – Extend to the Supply Chain

    Podcast: Part 4 of the 5 Key Elements that Drive Flow – Extend to the Supply Chain

    Podcast: Part 4 of the 5 Key Elements that Drive Flow – Extend to the Supply Chain This episode of Demand-Driven Matters is the fourth in the series focusing on the 5 key elements that drive demand-driven manufacturing production flow. In this episode, the focus is on how to engage and synchronize the external supply…

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  • Supply Chain Visibility and the Bottom-line

    Supply Chain Visibility and the Bottom-line

    Visibility Matters. Rick Morris, a Certified Supply Chain Professional wrote in Supply House Times that while improving fill rates, improved forecast accuracy also lowers inventory levels measured in days of sales; and simultaneously, improved forecast accuracy improves fill rates and lowers inventory. He suggested this translates into increased profitability. When analysts have studied companies that…

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  • Creating Trust Throughout the Supply Chain Using Demand-Driven Methods

    Creating Trust Throughout the Supply Chain Using Demand-Driven Methods

    How reducing forecasting errors and disruption risks create better supplier relationships.  Building trust in the supply chain is essential to driving flow; and when there are forecast errors, there is an inherent mistrust throughout the supply chain. Lack of collaboration is often the cornerstone of conflict, blame, and mistrust between a manufacturer and suppliers.  Missed…

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  • Lean Manufacturing Driven by Rapid Return on eKanban Technology Investment

    Lean Manufacturing Driven by Rapid Return on eKanban Technology Investment

    Lean Manufacturing relies heavily on trusted relationships with suppliers and pre-negotiated terms of engagement. Through the use of supplier quality certifications and blanket (long-term) purchase orders, a manufacturer can accurately and effectively calculate the optimal level of inventory needed to fulfill demand requirements through the duration of replenishment lead time. Ensuring supplier performance When a…

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  • Moving From Manual to eKanban Creates Right-Sized Inventory

    Moving From Manual to eKanban Creates Right-Sized Inventory

    Moving From Manual to eKanban Creates Right-Sized Inventory Manufacturers’ waste-reduction initiatives are rarely as effective as they could be. When reducing waste, inventory is often the main target. But how do you right-size inventory in an environment of constant variability? In a word: kanban…MORE

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