| Custom injection molding has always been a fast | | | | so immediate and visible. Everyone likes having the |
| moving, chaotic, and challenging business. It also has a | | | | tools they need, the materials in the proper place with |
| high potential for profit, even today, despite the | | | | labels, and a general atmosphere of everything in it's |
| international competition and tight margins. You want to | | | | place. |
| succeed, you see the possibilities, but the global pricing | | | | It is relatively easy to get your employees to go along |
| and high expenses make it very difficult. | | | | with a 5S program. Within a week you will see |
| Plastic injection molders are in the almost ideal | | | | changes in your production area and the attitude of |
| business to benefit from the lean manufacturing | | | | everyone. Find the key people, train them, give them |
| process. If you embrace the entire concept and do not | | | | the authority and communicate with the entire |
| cherry pick the parts that are quick and easy, you will | | | | workforce in order to avoid grumbling and confusion. |
| most certainly experience improvements in your | | | | Kaizen |
| operation. | | | | When you conduct a kaizen blitz, or event, you pick an |
| The lean manufacturing process is an integrated | | | | area or a process and focus exclusively on it. This is a |
| approach to reducing waste. It could be time or | | | | great way to make progress and get people involved |
| material or anything else; waste is waste and waste | | | | because it is by nature short and intense. It is a bit like |
| equals money in business. It requires a shift in thinking | | | | cleaning up you kitchen before your mother-in-law |
| to approach efficiency from this vantage point, rather | | | | comes for a visit! You hyper-focus on one area after |
| than always striving to do more, do it faster, do it | | | | another until the whole is done. |
| better. | | | | One drawback though with a kaizen blitz is that it can |
| Six Sigma | | | | be mistakenly understood to be the entire process. It is |
| Implementing six sigma requires that management is | | | | just a component and it should be regarded as such. If |
| dedicated to making it work in the long run. Employees | | | | it becomes the program, you will not really change the |
| are often cynical toward new programs because, in | | | | culture or become much more efficient in your |
| the past, many programs amounted to little more than | | | | operation. |
| slogans and banners. | | | | How to get going |
| Using a six sigma consulting firm is a good idea, once | | | | It is a good idea to talk to successful shop owners |
| you have educated yourself in the basic principles. The | | | | who have benefited from the lean manufacturing |
| time and expense of hiring an outside consultant will | | | | process. You will find them enthusiastic and quite willing |
| pay off handsomely over time. If you have the | | | | to open up, for the most part. You should also read |
| personnel to mange your six sigma implementation | | | | and gather information so you can make wise |
| in-house that is even better; though they will certainly | | | | decisions rather than totally rely on the opinion of a |
| need some additional training. | | | | consultant. In the end, you will certainly need outside |
| 5S | | | | help, but you also need a thorough understanding of |
| 5S training will give you a huge boost in your lean | | | | the process yourself. |
| manufacturing process. This is because the results are | | | | |