Seasoned Consultant Frank Oxley Joins the NSW Team
TXM Lean Solutions New South Wales are happy to announce the appointment of Frank Oxley as Senior Consultant for NSW. Frank joins a growing team with a growing list of clients across NSW.
Frank joins TXM with extensive knowledge of improving organisations. Frank has predominantly work with small and medium size enterprises’ wherever organisations need to strengthen their ability to identify problems and improve processes to get better business outcomes.
He started his professional life as an undergraduate Mechanical Engineer, working for Albany International Australia, a US based manufacturer of high-end industrial textiles. Following graduation, he trained in South Carolina on process design and improvement methods.
Returning to Australia, He has held various management roles, eventually responsible for Albany’s Australian manufacturing operations. Frank has also worked in The Netherlands where he was trained in product design and application.
Returning to Australia he held the role of Technical Manager until 2006. Following this he was made responsible for Quality and Improvement on operations in Australia, China and South Korea. In recent years, Frank established a Registered Training Organisation before joining TXM. Frank has worked with numerous companies around Australia on Lean and Continuous Improvement Projects.
Frank holds an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering (UTS) and a Diploma in Competitive Systems and Practices as well as numerous other qualifications.
Tom Burdett Joins TXM as Business Development Manager Western Australia
TXM Australia are happy to announce the appointment of Tom Burdett as Business Development Manager Western Australia. Tom joins a growing sales team around the world to service our growing number of clients.
Tom joins TXM with a wealth of experience having worked at Toyota, Du-pont, Lechler Spa, and Sun Chemical as a technician, Consultant and Sales Manager. He has extenesive experience in complex international management, managing distribution channels, supply chains, technical sales consulting, business development, and business process improvement.
As an all-round manufacturing professional Tom has the ability to understand complex manufacturing issues and identify solutions tailored to the individual needs of his customers. He will be based in Perth and will be able to visit customer across the state.
Tom is available via email [email protected] or 0438 956 533. He is keen to actively engage with customers showcasing the range of TXM services and solutions.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
Regional Queensland Lean Manufacturing Workshops
TXM have partnered with the Queensland Government & Regional Manufacturing Hubs around Queensland. The workshop will teach you how LEAN manufacturing will help you build a culture of operational excellence.
The two-day workshop will incorporate a practical simulation that will demonstrate the indisputable value of LEAN applied to SME manufacturers and distributors. All participants will be leave with tangible actions that they can implement immediately, and be provided with a library of resources to guide them through their journey.
Learn from Experienced Manufacturing Professional Ron Spiteri
These workshops will be run by one of Australia’s most experienced manufacturing consultants, TXM Director Ron Spiteri. Ron has 30 years’ experience working with multinational corporations all the way down to family owned and operated businesses. He has knowledge and skills that will help you understand the core concepts of Lean manufacutring to become operationally excellent.
The workshops are being run across Regional Queensland from Bundeburg to Mackay, so there will be a workshop in your region. Be sure to purchase a place at the workshops by following the individual links below.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
TXM Signs MOU with Bosch Rexroth Australia
Melbourne based global operational excellence consultants, TXM Lean Solutions and world leading automation and assembly technology providers Bosch Rexroth have signed a memorandum of understanding covering co-operation between the two companies in Australia and New Zealand.
TXM are leaders in Lean manufacturing across Australia and New Zealand. Over the past 18 years they have built a reputation for practical, outcomes focused Lean implementation with sustained results. This has been built on the deep practical manufacturing experience within the TXM team. As a result, according to TXM Managing Director, “Our customers are increasingly looking to us to provide a broader perspective on operational excellence beyond Lean manufacturing.”
TXM are world leaders in factory layout design, having designed hundreds of factories across 25 countries around the world. Increasingly these projects are requiring consideration of how automation and advanced systems can be integrated into the process. The push towards Industry 4.0 means that we are often being ask by clients to advise them on the right automation and assembly technology solutions for their businesses. TXM’s McLean says, “We have decided to seek out partnerships with “best of breed” providers across automation and systems that we can recommend to our clients. We were seeking a provider that could help our clients with robust and well-designed Lean workstations, conveyors, and material handling systems. Bosch Rexroth was therefore a perfect fit for us. We are very excited about this new agreement.”
As part of the arrangement, TXM customers will receive a discount on Bosch Rexroth products. TXM also hopes to leverage Bosch Rexroth expertise to increase customer awareness of the technology available to them and how it can be leveraged. “Our expertise is in helping customers work out the right applications for automation and assembly technology. Bosch Rexroth and its automation integration partners such as Bosch Australia Manufacturing Systems (BAMS) can then do the detailed design of customised solutions for the customer application, providing a total solution.” says McLean.
The Bosch Rexroth range includes manual production systems such as flow racks and custom assembly workstations as well conveyors, transfer systems, automatic guided vehicles, collaborative robots, and RFID systems. Several key TXM customers are already using Bosch Rexroth products and integration support from BAMS.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
Join Us at Australian Manufacturing Week 2022: Get a Free Book!
We’re back exhibiting in Sydney, Australia at Australian Manufacturing Week 2022.
This will be out first Sydney exhibition since July 2019 in Australia, it’s great to be back! Meeting with Australia’s Premier Manufacturers.
TXM Lean Solutions will be advising customers on how to make the most of their current and potential investments in packaging machinery as well as advising on layout development, Supply Chain Management, continuous improvement and the latest in Lean thinking.
Come down to the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney between 7 – 10 June and visit TXM Lean Solutions at Stand MS86, mention this article and claim your choice of book.
Attend Australian Manufacturing Week for FREE! Make sure you come see us at booth MS86 to collect a copy of Tim McLean’s book ‘Grow Your Factory, Grow Your Profits: Lean for Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Enterprises’ or ‘On Time, In Full’
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
Join Us at AUSPACK: Get a Free Book!
We’re back exhibiting in Melbourne, Australia at AUSPACK 2022.
This will be out first exhibition since July 2019 in Australia, it’s great to be back! Meeting with Australia’s Premier Food, Beverage and Packaging Manufacturers. TXM will be at the show listening to the key note speakers and meeting with likeminded professionals.
TXM Lean Solutions will be advising customers on how to make the most of their current and potential investments in packaging machinery as well as advising on layout development, Supply Chain Management, continuous improvement and the latest in Lean thinking.
Come down to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre between 17 – 20 May and visit TXM Lean Solutions at Stand C254, mention this article and claim your choice of book.
Attend AUSPACK2022 Exhibition for FREE! Make sure you come see us at booth C254 to collect a copy of Tim McLean’s book ‘Grow Your Factory, Grow Your Profits: Lean for Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Enterprises’ or ‘On Time, In Full’
TXM is famous for our expertise in Visual Workplace Management delivered through our highly effective Lean Daily Leadership Process®. Now we can offer the hardware to back this up with three new customisable visual management boards launched on the TXM E-Store this month.
These new board designs have been developed with customer input to create an effective visual system to improve work place processes. The E-store now offers a 5S System Board, a Large Visual Management Board and a Small Visual Management Board. The boards are designed to enable teams to communicate the status of their area quickly and clearly. They will help communicate problems and solutions for all to see during meetings making them more efficient and effective. Anthony Clyne, TXM Director has been instrumental in developing these visual boards
5S System Board
“This board is used to visualise the system of 5S within an area and defines who owns what area” says Anthony. TXM Practical 5S® workplace organisation is a simple, practical approach delivering sustainability by sorting out, setting in order, shining and checking, standardising and sustaining. Practical 5S® uses visuals to achieve its goal of a standardised system used by every stakeholder in the business. The new Practical 5S® board can be used to display before and after improvements areas as well as 5S issues and audit performance. “It is based on individual ownership and is often used to display one area at a time” says Anthony. “The 5S board is a key part of a sustainable Practical 5S® system” says Anthony
Visual Management Board for Lean Daily Leadership Process®
These new boards comes in two sizes. “These board designs been developed following years of hands on client experience”, explains Anthony.
The steel visual management boards allows magnets to stick and a eraser ball film is laminated over the board so it can be written on with white board markers. This board can be attached onto a wall or can be used with a free standing frame.
“Visual management boards enable quicker, more productive meetings by providing teams with the information they need in simple, easy to understand format that everyone can see. Visual boards can be integrated alongside with electronic screens. The manual white boards providing a provide a simple quick meeting forum while the electronic board can manage the task completion as well as detailed data analysis outside the lean daily leadership process”says Anthony .
“This board maintains the personal engagement element of a meeting. It enables people to agree on actions without hesitations, eye contact is maintained during whiteboard meetings while electronic based meetings tend to have people looking at screens. Magnetic concern strips adhere to these boards and can be easily updated by many people at the same time during a meeting” says. Anthony
How to Identify If Your Visual Management Board Really Works?
A Visual Management Board should contain three elements: standards, problems, and actions.
Standard: In Lean, we set target performance as the standard, rather than average performance. The standards should be clearly indicated on the board, which tells how things should be if everything is perfect.
Problem: What is the problem? Problem is the deviation from standard, either actual performance (e.g. lower than target), or the standard itself (improper target); One operations manager in an ice-cream factory told me that there’s no need for improvement as their efficiency is more than 120% every day. After my observations they had twice the number of operators than was needed on the production line.
Actions: Countermeasures to a problem should be taken when there’s a problem. A Visual Management Board without action is definitely just a show board. How effectively the problems are addressed, and the actions are carried out, represents how efficient your organisation is.
“All these elements help the user to understand what’s actually going on in the work area. Only by making the things visible, it is possible to identify the deviations (problems) and quickly address and solve them”, says Justin Tao, TXM Senior Consultant.
What Does a Good Visual Management Board Look Like?
“At TXM, we believe that a good Visual Management Board should match the 31-second rule” says Justin:
In 1 second, it can tell us if it’s normal (everything is fine in the work area), according to the standards (target or plan); The work area should “talk” to you in simple terms. Usually, companies use green to represent good status (e.g. hit the target, on time), and use red to represent problem status (e.g. lower than the target, delayed);
In 10 seconds, it tells us what the problem is if it’s not normal.
At TXM, we use magnetic concern strips to record and manage problems.;
In 20 seconds, it tells us what action is to be taken, who is responsible for this and what support is needed. Problems without actions, or actions without checks, are a waste to have on the board!
A Visual Management Board will help communicate between users and viewers and make the Lean Daily Leadership Process more efficient and effective.
To learn more about the new TXM range of Practical 5S® and Lean Daily Leadership Process® visual boards and to purchase one for yourself, visit our E-store.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
Adept Supply Chain Specialist Brings Wealth of International Knowledge to our Queensland Team
TXM Lean Solutions Australia are happy to announce the appointment of a highly experienced coach and educator joining our team in Brisbane, Queensland. Kelly Pierce brings a wealth of knowledge from international supply chains.
Kelly Pierce joins TXM Lean Solutions Australia with over 12 years’ experience working for international warehousing and logistics companies across the United States, Europe and most recently Australia.
Originally from Washington D.C., Kelly went to Auburn University in Alabama to study International Business, focusing on Supply Chain Management and Spanish. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science & Business Administration, she worked with one of the world’s largest logistics and warehousing solution providers, CEVA Logistics, where she held a variety of roles across the supply chain.
Whilst at CEVA Logistics she delivered Lean theory training in 9 countries, in English and Spanish to warehousing & transport businesses ranging from telecommunications, food & beverage, medical devices, mining equipment and automotive industries.
Since moving to Australia, Kelly has worked as a continuous improvement specialist and project manager for Toll Logistics and Primo Foods driving business improvements focusing on better efficiency and more streamlined processes throughout the supply chain. Kelly was the master-mind behind the Primo Project Management Methodology which is a driving factor of Primo Small Goods success.
Kelly is based out of Brisbane and joins our growing team of highly experienced Senior Consultants in the Brisbane Metro Area.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
Experienced International Supply Chain Expert Joins TXM New Zealand
TXM New Zealand are happy to announce the appointment of a highly experienced & knowledgeable supply chain expert to the team. Peter Sutcliffe joins TXM Lean Solutions New Zealand with over 30 years’ experience in FMCG manufacturing, spending the last 20 years as a Supply Chain Manager & Consultant across the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Originally from Derby, United Kingdom. Peter studied PhD level Analytical Chemistry at the University of Manchester where he worked across multiple FMCG supply chains. Since moving to New Zealand Peter has primarily worked as a senior supply chain professional and consultant.
Peter has worked with some of the UK & NZ’s largest food suppliers including Countdown Supermarkets, Villa Maria Estate, Griffins Foods, Delmaine Fine Foods, Tasti Products and Packaging Giant Amcor. He has extensive knowledge of supply chain management and continuous improvement, applying his knowledge as a supply chain professional across the FMCG & Packaging industries.
Timothy McLean is the Managing Director of TXM Lean Solutions and is an author of Lean books.
TXM Lean Solutions Welcomes Experienced Commercial Manager to Oversee Growing Business
TXM has grown steadily over the past two years despite the pandemic, numerous lockdowns in our markets of operation and supply chain disruptions across the globe. It has been a huge team effort from our full-time staff and consulting team to continue to provide Lean consulting in these unique and challenging times.
TXM would like to welcome Timothy Lakeman to the TXM Head Office in Melbourne, Australia as our Commercial Manager. Timothy joins us with over 20 years’ experience working in small & medium size enterprises throughout Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and India in a variety of industries including Media, Construction, Manufacturing and Technology.
Timothy’s international experience will allow TXM to grow in our markets of operation and help us setup in future locations. Timothy can draw on his in-depth financial understanding from being an experienced Chartered Accountant & qualified Master of Business Administration.
Timothy’s passion for business stems from having observed his entrepreneurial father in many businesses over several decades. This fuelled his commitment to ensure all businesses that he works with have a thriving business.
Outside of TXM Timothy also enjoys coaching junior basketball at domestic and representative level. He also loves experiencing new cultures and ways of life when travelling with his wife and two children.