One course of Optima’s three-course TWI Certification Program, this one-day workshop focuses on the skills required to improve and document current production/work methods. These skills, traditionally thought of as lean skills, can help your business processes stabilize, improve and thrive. Based on the TWI – JM improvement approach, you will: • Learn and apply the […]
Leader Standard Work for LEAN LEADERSHIP
By Christian Wolcott
What is your standard as a Manager or a Leader? Some insight; in vibrant, progressive organizations that strive to integrate continuous improvement with running the business, you need to be both an effective manager and leader fundamentally becoming a Lean Leader. The challenge is creating a standard that comprises both sets of skills and approaches. […]
Lean Yardstick
By Steven Hirt
Thinking about how the Lean Business System and its principles can influence your business is paramount and a key component of establishing your True North. Lean, although filled with tools, is by its very nature a people system. At its very foundation is respect for people. This does not mean just “being nice”, it means […]
Training Within Industry (TWI) – Southern Wisconsin – Job Relations
Perhaps the most important element to effective use of TWI is the understanding and practical application by leaders to use Job Relations techniques. One course of Optima’s three-course TWI Certification Program, this one-day TWI-JR workshop explores the purpose of JR to support Job Instruction (JI) and Job Methods (JM) in the use of TWI as […]
Paint Your People Gold
By Christian Wolcott
People closest to the work have the best ideas of how and what to change. Let’s examine this simple yet powerful statement. First people, which ones are we talking about? The employees. Which employees? The hardworking folks that directly handle and build the products and provide the services your customers receive. They are the people […]
Creating a “One Company” Culture
By Steven Hirt
In meeting with a new president of a company over a cup of coffee this morning, it dawned on me how hard creating a “one company” culture really is. Reflecting over my years of helping organizations envision, develop and execute strategy, I considered how difficult it is to make these simple words reality. I don’t think […]
Training Within Industry (TWI) – CENTRAL Wisconsin – Job Methods
One course of Optima’s three-course TWI Certification Program, this one-day workshop focuses on the skills required to improve and document current production/work methods. These skills, traditionally thought of as lean skills, can help your business processes stabilize, improve and thrive. Based on the TWI – JM improvement approach, you will: • Learn and apply the […]
Machine Design Principle 2 – Simple
By Roger Wolfe
In this case Simple means the bare essentials to get the job completed. Most machinery manufacturers create base equipment that has some extras that will never be used in our application, but they are trying to create as much value for a large range of customers as possible. Not only do these “extras” create additional […]
Machine Design Principle 1 – Right Sized
By Roger Wolfe
When you hear right sized you are probably thinking of the overall dimensions of the machine. That is one element of Right Sized, but there is another very crucial element – run speed of the machine. Speed When considering a machine design, understanding takt rate is extremely important. A machine that needs to complete a […]
Machine Design Principles
By Roger Wolfe
When I was working for a large furniture manufacturer, I was a manager of one of their Machine Build departments. The Machine Build departments supported the kaizen efforts going on at each of the companies’ facilities. Machine Build members participate in the kaizen event, gain an understanding of the need and bring the information back […]