Start improving with Lean Manufacturing
We are hearing so much this days about the need to improve productivity and the threat of competing with overseas companies.
We hear about the problems and the companies not doing well. But what can we actually DO about it? What tools are there other that expecting our workforce to just work harder and be happy that they have a job?
This is where Lean Manufacturing enters the conversation.
What is Lean Manufacturing?
Lean manufacturing is a business improvement tool. Lean encompasses many tools and philosophies to help improve those areas of your business that are holding you back and general driving you crazy.
The underlying premise of Lean is to improve productivity by reducing the waste in your production and support functions. Lean extends past the shop floor. It investigates how you provide value to your customer and aligns each step of your process to achieve this.
Is Lean right for my business?
At TXM we come across all types of manufacturing companies; from small, family owned sheet-metal businesses, to vast pharmaceutical corporations, and everything in between. They may be making guttering fittings, pills in blister packs, meat pies, rowing boats, ladders or barn doors, using plastics, metals, wood, carbon fibres, active ingredients or locally source produce.
What these companies have in common is that they take raw materials and ingredient and modify and bend and bake it and manufacture a product that meets their customers needs. And all of them have introduced Lean Manufacturing into their shop floor and support processes with the help of TXM.
The Lean manufacturing tools can be applied to your business whether you have a continuous production line, are making repeatable products each month or a jobbing shop where each month is different. The underlying Lean tools of good housekeeping and waste reduction are needed in every business. Once these are established, different tools can be used to further improve your business.
How do I start on my Lean journey?
The TXM consultant are passionate about manufacturing and would love to come and talk with you about your business, it;s processes and current frustrations. From there we can outline a course of action that is right for your company, discussing which Lean tools suit your type of manufacturing processes and how to best implement them. And we are not there to just tell you what to do – we pride ourselves in the Lean training we provide to your front line leaders, operators and support team. We expect their participation in starting the Lean Manufacturing journey.
We can also point you in the direction of Government funding and assistance; whether it’s the Australian Federal Enterprise Connect program or state programs, like Victoria’s Grow Your Business. Each of these has different levels of assistance and guidelines and we can suggest which is best for you.
When you are ready to start on doing something to improve your business, give Tim, Anthony or Michelle a call!
