| Showing 1 to 25 out of 113 results |
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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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Turbocharge the tortoise
Does it make sense to try and turbocharge gradual, continuous change? Annie Gregory looks at the apparent
oxymoron of 'kaizen blitz' |
22/07/2009
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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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Don't let training take a back seat
In the teeth of a recession, what’s happening to the apprenticeships and training programmes that were supposed to guarantee our manufacturing future? Annie Gregory finds out |
20/05/2009
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So you think you're good enough?
Improving your plant’s operational performance to make it better than it was before is all well and good, but how well does it measure up to that of your competitors? Dr Marek Szwejczewski reveals the measures that matter |
16/04/2009
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Soft focus on hard results
To make continuous improvement really stick, you will need to ensure full visibility of the goals – and the results. Malcolm Wheatley reports |
17/03/2009
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Glass half full
Redundancies don’t just hurt those leaving. Annie Gregory asks if it’s possible to handle job cuts without embittering the relationship with those still in the workplace |
18/02/2009
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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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Shaping up to the recession
Every day sees more layoffs and factory closures, and even skilled, committed workers are losing their jobs. Annie Gregory asks if flexible working offers an alternative to redundancies |
17/12/2008
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Assault on waste
Mapping internal value streams is powerful enough. But the technique reveals its true strength when extended to suppliers, says John Dwyer |
18/11/2008
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Square pegs in square holes
What do you want most when you recruit – the guy who has all the answers or the one who slots into your team like he’s always been there? Annie Gregory talks to manufacturers who recruit not just for aptitude, but for attitude |
21/10/2008
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Ask, listen act
What’s the point of asking for the workforce’s opinion, if you don’t do something with the results. Annie Gregory talks to companies using employee surveys to break down barriers rather than paper over cracks |
26/09/2008
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Find the gap
There is no skills gap – it’s all about marketing yourself, reports John Dwyer |
12/08/2008
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The young ones
The government’s much-trumpeted new diploma will, it says, “transform the qualifications landscape”.
But will it transform the industrial landscape? Annie Gregory lines up the supporters and the sceptics |
12/08/2008
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A matter of course
While Britain’s Babel of training agencies and bodies continue to be a target of employer criticism and despair, Colin Chinery navigates what looks to be the fastest and surest route through the maze |
12/08/2008
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A question of skills
The government is throwing billions at Britain’s skills problem, but will they fill the gap or vanish down it? Ken Hurst asks Skills Minister David Lammy |
12/08/2008
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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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Britannia rules..ok?
No longer the fall guys for manufacturing failure, top British management is being courted across the world. Ben Walker looks at the whys, the hows, and the rewards |
14/07/2008
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The changing face of unionism
As trade unions become more active and media-savvy, what has happened to the notion of partnership between them and the employer? Annie Gregory investigates both the theory and the practice |
18/06/2008
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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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Support or straitjacket
Do your key performance indicators really help you measure the right things for your business? Or, asks Annie Gregory, are they simply tying you up in knots? |
16/05/2008
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