Accelerating AS9100 Implementation Using Lean
Overview Agile Space Industries (ASI) entered a significant growth mode and was challenged to achieve AS9100 Quality Management System (QMS) certification within a 10-month period to gain access to several new opportunities. As a small business, where people wear many hats, resource availability added another layer of complexity to the implementation process. The result was […]
Businesses Need to Start Benchmarking Like Sports Teams
Toyota and Danaher are just a couple of companies that are held up as examples of world-class operating systems and best-in-class lean organizations. While there is much to learn from these companies, I contend business can learn as much by benchmarking good sports teams. In fact, most average sports teams have exceeded some of the […]
A Practical Approach to Problem Solving
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence, Program and Project Management, Leadership and Change Management, Supply Chain, Acquisitions and Integration
There is no shortage of advice on how to solve a problem. However, for anyone in a position of responsibility—from a CEO to a floor supervisor—the real challenge becomes which problem to solve first.
Tim Mason
“As a long-time Operations Manager, Lean Expert, and Consultant, I have learned that there is opportunity for improvement in every aspect of business. I have been fortunate to be able to provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring for hundreds of companies that were seeking a competitive advantage in their industry.” 01 Industry Experience Aerospace & Defense […]
Supermarket Enables Reliable Flow of Components to a Single-Piece Flow Assembly Cell
Overview A CBS client manufactures extremely complex, high-tolerance products and operates in a very competitive market with high-delivery demands from its customers. The company was under severe cost pressures as profitability and cash flow were not meeting corporate expectations. Additionally, their backlog and their delinquencies were significantly increasing, such that the customer was considering offloading […]
Do Not Confuse Confidence with Competence
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence, Program and Project Management
Life is full of examples where people have confused confidence with competence. Too often in business and industry, the consequences can be long lasting.
How to get product and services to flow—Take friction out of the process
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence, Program and Project Management
I am often asked to tour factories and provide opinions regarding the overall productivity and state of operations. Being a student of Lean principles and having a background in industrial engineering, I can quickly analyze and perform the detailed work to calculate answers.
Bottom-up Metrics Approach
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence, Leadership and Change Management, Acquisitions and Integration
As companies move forward with strategic planning, we often find disconnects between their goals, the actions or plans to achieve those goals, and the metrics used for tracking the performance of those actions.
Overcoming the “Institutionalized Excuse”
SOLUTION AREA: Operational Excellence, Leadership and Change Management, Acquisitions and Integration
When we hear the phrase “Customer-Supplier Relationship,” the first thing they tend to think about is external suppliers. We find that regardless of industry, many of our clients have poor relationships with external suppliers, yet this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Reducing Work Hazards, Developing Standard Work and Creating Additional Storage Capacity
A CBS client manufactures complex product and operates in a very competitive market with high delivery demands from its customers. Additionally, the company is under severe cost pressures as profitability and cash flow are not achieving the desired results.