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Seamless supply chains
Not so long ago, significant trading losses, migrating customers and a dysfunctional supply chain
meant Coats' future was hanging by a thread. Ken Hurst discovers why it now has everything sewn up |
17/02/2010
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When the dust settles
In the second of a series of case studies of Britain's leanest manufacturers, Ken Hurst looks at how a UK offshoot from a 350-year-old French-owned industrial group mined lean success from a mess |
20/01/2010
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Vital statistics
Britain's best factory calls it the bedrock of its success. Annie Gregory finds out how the combination of lean and Six Sigma can transform manufacturing |
16/12/2009
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Lean machines
In the first of a series of case studies of Britain's leanest manufacturers, Ken Hurst looks at how a machinery manufacturer with a long and proud history has embraced lean philosophies to meet tough strategic challenges and battle its way through turbulent times |
17/11/2009
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The lean league
Lean is about delivering quick, flexible, high quality products and services to customers, not the procedural removal of waste, argues Richard Schonberger who has been plotting global lean trends for 15 years. Here, he focuses on the UK and argues that Japan-worship is misplaced |
17/06/2009
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Joined up thinking
Once the basics are in place, what’s the next logical step for lean?
As Annie Gregory discovers, the lean path runs best when it heads
straight for your customers’ door |
21/01/2009
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Factory-floor-show
Everyone has a ‘guaranteed’ way of trimming the factory fat. But the lean tools in the fashion parade are as temperamental – and occasionally downright dangerous – as any catwalk super-skinny. Buyers should treat the collection with caution, urges John Dwyer |
14/07/2008
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A lean marriage
It’s getting more common for manufacturers to adopt both lean and Six Sigma. Annie Gregory asks where the two meet and how well they marry together in practice |
18/06/2008
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A uniform approach
Looking down from the Lean Summit, in the company of luxury car makers and fighters of flaccid foot drop, you could still see the odd sniper – but the popular front for lean manufacturing is definitely winning the war against corporate terrorism. |
15/04/2008
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Stick or carrot?
After the lean factory comes the lean supply chain. But how do you get your suppliers to mirror your own improvements?
Annie Gregory looks at the balance between ‘stick and carrot’ |
20/11/2007
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Getting ERP best value
It’s not so much about looking under the covers: getting best value from ERP today is less about functionality and more about proper business analysis, good old-fashioned ITTs and due diligence, says Brian Tinham |
29/09/2007
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Lean supply chain
There was a time when e-business was for the big boys. But Howard Joseph of McGuffie Brunton tells Brian Tinham that the doors are now wide open for manufacturing SMEs |
11/04/2007
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Seeing is believing
Current thinking is encouraging investment in production systems that can improve company-wide visibility and flexibility, as well as factory performance. It’s about enabling more agile business able to respond more quickly and positively to customers’ changing requirements, market trends and new opportunities – as well as delivering manufacturing efficiencies and cost cutting. In short, systems that don’t just optimise at the plant level or take care of supply chain operations and events, although both remain important, but that facilitate joined-up business decision-making and actions. There are several types of system that go some way to fitting the bill, but for me – given the nature of most manufacturers’ existing ERP installations and the prevalence of MRPII for planning, alongside a mix of spreadsheets and shop floor data collection (SFDC) and production management systems handling the rest – APS (advanced planning and scheduling) systems remain among the most compelling. |
15/01/2007
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Go for a much, much better lean
Many manufacturers are struggling to get their lean/APS (advanced planning and scheduling) and Heijunka strategies right because of the pressures they are under to conform to practices that, according to Preactor International’s technical director Graham Hackwell, are too proscriptive and, frankly, just not working. |
28/11/2006
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Setting the IT agenda for your business in 2007
What’s hot? What’s not? Who cares? What matters to management teams running the various aspects of increasingly stretched and complex manufacturing companies today has nothing whatever to do with what analysts, journalists or anyone else see as ‘hot’, ‘in’ or ‘fashionable’. The primary concern is simply keeping the operation going, cutting costs and attempting to get production better and smarter – meaning faster, more efficient, more flexible and the rest of it. Brian Tinham talks to senior users in manufacturing for some serious clues |
28/11/2006
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Lean thinking flies on wireless technologies
Airbus UK’s materials management and logistics department in Filton was highly commended for its use of mobile technology to strip out vast amounts of waste and time. In fact, the company achieved full return on its IT investment within weeks of implementing the systems – and is now set to take a considerably wider wireless initiative even further. David Herbert, business improvement change agent, says this implementation was part of Airbus UK’s Route ’06 programme, looking for productivity gains and cost savings. He started with mobile technology in stock and WIP (work in progress) auditing, which used to be performed manually several times a year, taking 20 people and 100 man-hours at overtime rates. Peak Technologies supplied Symbol mobile handhelds, and the result of scanning and uploading data to the site SAP system was a transformation. |
04/10/2006
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Cosworth makes team working world class
Northampton-based race engine developer Cosworth has created a common information window for engineering, purchasing and suppliers that’s transformed its business operations. The firm implemented Documentum’s eRoom, initially for exchanging CAD information but is now enabling collaboration with customers and suppliers way beyond design. According to Cosworth head of business systems Jeremy Hill, the system, which has about 200 users internally and 100 customers and suppliers, is delivering huge benefits. “Things are so much more organised and clear. It would be a shock to see how much we’ve saved: for example, it’s probably more than doubled the effectiveness of our processes.” |
04/10/2006
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Distilling the secrets of a spirited success
Whisky producer Ian Macleod Distillers, deserves its place here, not only for its products, which include Glengoyne and Isle of Skye, but for an ERP implementation that turned two companies around, and has already saved £500,000 worth of finished goods and materials stocks – at least equal to the cost of the entire implementation and with another £1 million of savings still in sight. |
28/09/2006
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Labels maker finds key to standardising variety
Improved productivity – all the way from estimating and quoting to production and shipping – and greatly enhanced global business visibility from a new ERP system impressed the panel at £35m labels manufacturer Worldmark International. |
27/09/2006
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Consolidated global processes to gain growth
Precision components and assemblies manufacturer Doncasters was highly commended for its impressive work with ERP to deliver faster, more accurate quotation turnarounds, which have in turn increased sales and margins, improved on-time delivery, enhanced planning and allowed stockholdings to reduce. |
26/09/2006
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Smartening its act on manufacturing business
£8m turnover plastics injection-moulding manufacturer Hi-Tech Mouldings says one of the keys to this success was re-thinking and integrating its sales, production and supply chain operations, initially using an Infor Visual ERP system and, most recently, augmenting it with Visual Business Intelligence. |
26/09/2006
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Lean success with lean systems
Adding value, cutting costs, improving service: we’ve all got to do them, and lean and IT are the best mechanisms. Brian Tinham reports from the Association for Manufacturing Excellence conference on enabling and improving lean systems |
24/08/2006
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Platflorm one for the lean bandwagon
You’re going to need all the help you can get if you want your lean business transformation to go well. Book onto the Best of British Manufacturing IT Conference now |
17/08/2006
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Special report: Lean and agile thinking - appropriate IT for successful manufacturing businesses
The application of lean concepts, methodologies and supporting tools, techniques and systems to whole businesses, not just to the factory – continues to grow in popularity. As manufacturers experience worsening competitive pressures from rivals in the UK as well as those around the world, management teams seem to be realising that, while ‘going lean’ is neither trivial nor short and sharp, it’s the only way they’re going to survive and hopefully revive their fortunes.
This report examines what’s working, how well, where and under what circumstances. It looks at current preferred lean initiatives across manufacturing industry and across different departments – the choices, uptake, barriers and outcomes – with statistics derived from a comprehensive online survey conducted for Manufacturing Computer Solutions. Importantly, it provides detailed analysis of relevant IT uptake, appropriate application and potential benefits. |
16/08/2006
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