35S Products That Can Keep Your Lean System Running Smooth

Despite how much it has been covered in literature, training notes and video courses, it is impossible to over emphasize the importance of the 5S method in a Lean Productivity System. Why?

     ·   It is at the core of the system: Nearly every method and technique is based on one or more aspects of the 5S method. Every process, workstation, production line and supply center only works at top capacity if it is:

o   Sorted: Everything not needed has been removed.

o   Set in Order: Everything that remains is positioned for maximum efficiency and minimum wasted motion.

o   Shined: Dirt, debris and clutter create time wasting distractions and are a safety hazard.

o   Standardized: Each productivity success recorded so that it can be repeated.

o   Sustained: Each person is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve.

   · It is the reason for much of your current success: While many intermediate and advanced techniques can and will improve productivity, 5S leads the way, capturing the low hanging fruit by making every work area clean, fast, and efficient. In order for advanced productivity enhancement techniques to work, it must have a pretty productive system to start with.

     ·  It is simple: 5S is easy to understand and apply, which is why everyone in the organization should be well versed in 5S.

Here are some 5S products from Enna that can help you to promote 5S in your operation and ingrain it into your work culture.

     · 5S Videos: Enna has a set of 3 5S related video courses that can help you to make 5S an integral part of your operation:

o   The Fundamental Principles of 5S: This course goes through the basics of 5S, including the definitions of the 5 points. It is an important tool for training new hires and workers in areas that Lean is being introduced. It also can be used to help management understand the importance of this core concept. Using this as the basis of a refresher course in Kaizen events and workshops is also recommended.

o   5S Into Action: A professionally produced video course that tells not only how to do 5S, but why. It goes into detail on how the principles of 5S can and do make significant improvements to nearly any production process.

o   Advanced Application of 5S: This course talks about the way so sustain 5S in maturing systems, an important skill if you want to achieve the last S, Sustainability.

     ·   5S Training Packages: These products are designed to be used in Kaizen workshop settings for skill reinforcement. They are self-contained and provide all the materials needed for an effective and enjoyable training review session. The packs available include:

o   5S Training Pack: Designed to cover 5S concepts in the manufacturing environment.

o   5S Office Solution Pack: Designed to transfer the benefits of 5S to the front office.

o   Learning Kits: These supplemental Quick Learning Lean Kits provide a fast track training resource for key concepts.

     ·   Quick Guide: This product is a combination training packet and resource, and is designed to be used to teach the principles of 5S and as a reference in real world situations.

Limited Time Offer: Share Enna's Products on Social Media and Receive 15% Off! For more details visit Enna.com.

Enna Lean Supplies – Developing Resources for Lean Success

5s Games, Lean Supplies | Enna.com

In addition to in-depth Lean and Kaizen training packages and consulting services, Enna’s vast catalog of Lean supplies will help you find all of the tools you need in order to implement and sustain lean processes at your place of business. Lean and Kaizen concepts are highly visual bynature in structure, and the systems are dependent on the availability of the right production and machinery labels, tags, sorting drawers, and even safety film in order to be executable. Our color-coded tags have been specifically designed to follow all of the practices that are taught in our Lean and Kaizen training courses, and they are also included in each course as part of the materials, so that your staff will have had the chance to become familiar with them from the first moment they are introduced to lean systems.

We also have a catalog of all of the supporting managerial forms and tracking sheets that you will need in order to trace and manage not only production flow, but also employee efficiency and overall organizational weaknesses and strengths. In order to keep Lean processes operating effectively, the system requires constant evaluation so that any potential bottlenecks can be identified and fixed before they become larger problems, and so that the work each employee puts in can be accounted for when it comes to evaluating true production costs. Enna’s pre-designed forms will help you to keep an eye on things, without wondering which elements you really need to be looking at, or how. Our pre-set tracking tools will also help you and your staff to keep track of changes and improvements so that nothing slips through the cracks and all employees understand what happens during your day-to-day operations, why, and how.

To help with visibility, Enna also has a wide variety of Kaizen and Lean processes visual aides, including posters and cards you can use for employee encouragement. These colorful and clear visual materials will supply your employees with references they can quickly look to when they need help with a process, and help ensure that those processes are regularly, visually reinforced.

Of course, there is no other better way to reinforce new methodologies for the way you do business than to allow your employees the chance to try out the new concepts they have learned, firsthand. And even better, make those concepts more memorable by tying them into a game! Enna’s 5S games is a fantastic team building exercise that allows participants to learn the concepts by doing them, and by using innovative methods to apply the concepts they might have just learned, directly to an interactive practice exercise. This training add-on can be easily adapted for use by large groups, and flows seamlessly with the materials in our 5S solutions and full training and implementation packages. The game also includes a guide for the trainer, a flash presentation for facilitation of the game, and it all comes in a sturdy messenger bag for storage and transport.

At Enna, we have everything you need in order to elevate your business’s production capabilities while maximizing profits.

Limited Time Offer: Share Enna's Products on Social Media and Receive 15% Off! For more details visit Enna.com.

Gets Lean Manufacturing Training – Online!

The biggest trend in the business world is – and has been for a while now – the lean system. As you already know, it’s an organization principle meant to cut down waste, thus improving the production process. And with a multitude of books and material out there, how to pick the best and most appropriate for you and your company?

Well, today’s technology allows us to go completely paper-free – not only an ecological choice but also space saving as well – and online (so there’s no need for that endless amount of media!): why not try one of Uttana’s courses?

At uttana.com you’ll find everything you need, whether you’re looking for courses for your self-improvement or for a workshop or training session for all staff. A new and ultra-modern company, Utanna has provided services for several multinational companies around the world. At their website you can find everything you’ll ever need on Online learning management system for lean, as they are constantly adding new courses to their catalogue. Want to learn about Kanban? It’s there. Waste management? It’s there too.  Lean office? Supply chain? Layout? Yes, yes, yes.

Still not convinced? In this case, can I suggest one of the free courses? Yes, you’ve read that correctly: Uttana offers free courses to introduce you to the world of lean management and lean manufacturing training. Rated very good to excellent by former and current students (and there are hundreds of them) these courses offer you a base on which to build upon with further courses.

Feel like you don’t have time for courses? Hey, haven’t I told you these are online?

Yet another advantage of modern technology! The whole course is available online at uttana.com – and that means you can study anywhere, when it’s most convenient for you. Do you commute? You can use your tablet or Smartphone and put those hours to good use. Have small children? Wait until they go to bed and study for an hour or two at the comfort of your living room. Impossible to study at home? Cut a few lunch hours short and log on to uttana.com. The learning management system allows you to take your course at your pace.

Afraid this is going to cost you a bomb? Fear not! Uttana was the first to use the concept of “active monthly user” – you’ll only pay for courses actually taken, and nothing else. This is fantastic news if you’re planning on having a company subscription – you’ll be able to offer your employees the chance to keep improving themselves without wasting any money, since Uttana will only charge you for the courses actually being taken: a badge is awarded upon the completion of the course: yes, it’s possible to add these courses on your résumé!

Well, if I haven’t convinced you to just go to uttana.com and at least take a look at what they have to offer, I give up. Perhaps one more reason: you’re already here, so why not just click in one of the links and simply take a look? Worst-case scenario, now you know of a great company offering everything you need to maybe revolutionize your business – or maybe recommend to your boss and be commended for your initiative. Right? 

Building Improvement Muscle with a Kaizen DVD

Kaizen DVD training | Enna.com

“So your girlfriend rolls a Honda, playing workout tapes by Fonda.” I hope that Honda was built using Lean Manufacturing. Workout videos seem to have lost some of their appeal over the years, and many classics have become tired gags. What does any of this have to do with Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen? Kaizen training videos! Kaizen is often talked about as a method, but as with an exercise routine, the method is the easy part. It’s the discipline and determination you put into it that makes the difference between success and stagnation. Continuous Improvement is like a muscle that you have to work out, and a Kaizen DVD can act as the workout video.

Why do people watch workout videos over and over again? Surely they can memorize the routines. Surely the method alone is not the reason people follow along. It has to be something else, and that something is social. People need motivation, and if it’s not from a real life trainer, a video trainer can act as a substitute. It’s certainly a lot cheaper. Of course this doesn’t mean you can just watch your Kaizen DVD any more than you can just watch someone else work out and get results. Results come from effort, but effort has to start somewhere. For many it starts with the basics.

You can read textbook descriptions of Lean methods and still come away with a very limited understanding. Kaizen is about actions, so you must learn it by doing it. How do you learn to do something? You watch other people do it. It’s how babies learn, it’s how puppies learn, and it’s how top managers at Fortune 500 companies learn. It’s just human nature.

A personal trainer is ideal if you can afford it, but it is out of reach for many of us. That’s why training videos from any industry generally try to replicate this. The instructor in the video acts as a virtual coach for anyone watching the video. Whether you want to learn yoga, how to make cupcakes, or Total Productive Maintenance, there is probably a training video out there for you. When it comes to Lean management techniques, enna .com has a wide variety of DVD’s to choose from, covering the most effective Lean methodologies.

Remember that learning the methods is only half the battle. Real waste elimination and process improvement is about dedication and commitment, so follow that New Years resolution and get in shape!

Daily Opportunities for Kaizen Training

Kaizen is an ideal that many seek and few actually achieve. It means “continuous improvement,” and it is the continuous part that people tend to have trouble with. The common excuse for letting improvement stagnate is to say that you simply don’t have time, but this exposes a fundamental misunderstanding of what Kaizen really means. It’s not something that should distract from work or require huge investments of time outside of initial training. To continue the methods learned in initial Kaizen training it is important to recognize that learning opportunities are a lot more common than people think. Every day is a chance to learn from challenges, and continuous improvement is a matter of acting on these opportunities.

So, what do daily opportunities for Kaizen look like? They look like any problem, set-back, of challenge you encounter on the job. Creating a system for reporting and tracking problems is an important step, but it ultimately comes down to creating an open company culture in which people are not afraid to report problems for fear of being held accountable. Remember that in Lean manufacturing the process is always responsible, and the front-line workers are responsible for monitoring and improving the process. Blaming individuals for a processed based problem will never get to the root cause of the issue.

The next step is making sure that everyone in the organization has the tools and know-how to implement Kaizen on their own. This doesn't have to mean endless seminars. Online learning management systems are an option for Kaizen training that allows you to create custom learning paths to deliver content directly to any employee with access to a computer or mobile device. This allows for flexible and individualized learning without interrupting everyone’s workday for a one-size-fits-all lecture. Beyond accessibility, online training allows information to be delivered visually with video and graphics, and it allows you to track trainee progress and qualifications.

The next time you think you don’t have time for Kaizen, remember the result of Kaizen: more efficient processes. By practising Kaizen, you are creating more time for value-added activity, including training and systematic problem solving. It is a virtuous cycle that sustains itself when practiced. Don’t let time be the guiding factor in whether or not you conduct ongoing improvement. If you don't have time to solve problems, then you already have a very big problem that needs to be solved. Use that as a starting point for your continuous improvement efforts.

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