Small Company Lean

[snydawg]

Is Lean Mnfg. really worth the trouble for a company that only runs 1 shift and has less than 15 production employees?

[REYES1377]

In my opinon, yes. I work for a company similar in size to yours and we run very lean in the press room. I feel this saved us through out 2009.

[snydawg]

What kind of programs did you impliment? Was it just in the pressroom?

[REYES1377]

Well for starters we cut the second pressman out. We run a 6/40 and a 8/40 with two men. Also in other departments, each employee must take on other duties. Mac operators are plate making, proofing and color retouching. We pretty much eliminated the excess fat that really dosen't need to be there. Sure it is nice to have the extra help, but this last year we realized it is not needed.

[Mark H]

Is Lean Mnfg. really worth the trouble for a company that only runs 1 shift and has less than 15 production employees?

Such a loaded, open-ended question. You'd think we'd have an easy answer for you, but no. Here are some (just a small sampling, usually part of a 1/2 day on-site review of the business) of the questions I ask when I evaluate a company for improvement....

• How do your profits look; are you just squeezing by, or are you making good coin?
• How about waste - how much do you throw out, recycle, etc?
• Got any equipment, supplies, consumables that are just sitting around? Anything sat in the same place for the past 30 or 60-days and not been used?
• Is your product area neat and organized, or a jumbled mess that a pack rat wouldn't live in?
• How about burn rate and turn over; do your people stay with you or are you constantly looking for new help?
• What does new business look like; are you attracting new clientele or making it by on a couple large existing clients?

Each answer can result in additional questions, or recommended processes. Why not take a couple minutes and answer these yourself; but be brutally honest with yourself. Feel free to post your answers (or more questions) here....

Regards,

Mark H

[kiet79]

Lean manufacturing is applicable for all the manufacturing, it doesnt matter how many operator or how many working hours or shift. For the small company, or company with simple/single process, they can still use some LEAN concepts such as quick win