There’s a lesson I learned in the late ’90s I won’t forget. I was running the supply chain for a telecom company during a boom cycle. Business was exploding, and like a lot of companies at the time, we were pushing hard—ramping capacity, driving suppliers to increase output, and betting big on our forecasts. We…
No matter your industry, key performance indicators (KPIs) have become the lifeblood of organizational decision-making. Leaders at all levels rely on these quantifiable metrics to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately drive their companies toward their strategic goals and objectives. But all too often, the KPIs that organizations choose to focus on fail…
My wife was recently involved in a car accident. She was thankfully unhurt and it wasn’t her fault. Because she needs her vehicle, we paid out of pocket to have it repaired while simultaneously working with the insurance company to get them to cut the reimbursement check. For us, keeping the time between paying out…
Many companies that are looking to start a Continuous Improvement program know that they need to drive improvement but are unsure of where to start.
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence
While we are living in difficult times, eventually we will return to full capability, and the number one question from our customers will be: “How fast can I get my deliveries?” Being able to ramp in a safe and quick manner has several dimensions to it, and not understanding those and their interactions can lead to instability.
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence
In many ways, the aerospace industry is its own animal—with improvement challenges that can be deeper, broader and more difficult to resolve when compared to other manufacturing environments. Aerospace executives who seek to increase output, speed time to market and improve the bottom line with Lean and Six Sigma techniques must keep three important truths in mind and implement an improvement strategy that reflects them.
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