Thursday, April 12, 2012

Going Lean? Get Colorful

Nothing speaks to work area personnel like color-coded signs and labels. When used consistently to address similar hazards or facility features, standardized colors help personnel more easily link them to specific meanings so recognition is instant.

Just think how easy it is to find something in a well-organized filing cabinet. Add color coding and the benefits are multiplied many times.

The trick is to standardize your facility's colors first. This requires assertiveness on your part to organize a meeting with all production, safety and facility managers. Their participation will play a critical role in helping you to standardize your facility's colors. After all, you don't want to standardize a color and later find out the safety manager already has a different color in use.

To select your colors.... take some time to survey your facility by walking around and making some detailed notes of what issues and features are already labeled. Then mark down all of the areas where your facility would benefit from the addition of a label or sign. Begin to formulate a list of color you feel could be associated with certain label and sign types.

While you're at it... you may want to consider labeling all of those unknown dials and switches... nobody seems to use or know what they're for. Think like a new employee when reviewing these possible locations for labels and signs. Would I know how to operate this piece of equipment without supervision? Should I operate this piece of equipment without supervision? Everything a new employee should know about safely working and walking through a facility can be placed on a label or sign. Of course, color coding these signs makes them even more effective.

When selecting colors for your facility, choose shades that relate to issue or information you hope to communicate. OSHA has already standardized several colors for safety signage... so red, orange, yellow, blue and green should be reserved for their appropriate use. There's a whole spectrum of labeling supply colors out there to choose from... so don't worry about finding others.

As an example, you may want to associate the color gray with inventory, since it is has a more generic look and does not require an immediate call to attention. Procedural signs, such as equipment operation directions, try sticking to bright colors that attract attention and are easy to read. Even variations of OSHA colors are fine, like light orange or light red.

The goal is to make sure to use these same colors, consistently, for the same uses over and over. So that work area personnel never have to think about what a sign is for. They know what they're going read.... long before they can read it.


Color Supplies

Label & Sign Printers
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Thin is in... and can add life to your visual communication

In Lean Manufacturing, and the many related methods and processes, there are few things as important as good Visual Communication. It's a core element of both 5S and Kanban and since many facilities combine the two in their implementations, it makes it every bit as important to Lean itself.

Make sure the supplies you choose to utilize, in any of these implementations, are made of the right materials... ones that will provide the lasting service when identifying inventory, utilities, equipment, buttons and switches... or any other efficiency improving location.

Generally, these are supplies only available by companies who specialize in industrial labels and signs. They can generally offer the right materials for the applications you need and, as most know, printing supply outlets only offer a very limited choice.

For labels and signs to survive the punishment of chemicals, solvents and even gas or oil... you really have to demand the highest quality supplies. DuraLabel offers more supply types than anyone and they're made to survive the industrial environment.... so your message keeps visually communicating long after their first day on the job.

One of the newest supply types to hit the market is "Extended Life Vinyl." This new DuraLabel supply is specially engineered to repel moisture using some very simple technology.

It's very thin! In fact, it's just 2.6-mil-thin. This is a major advantage alone... because thinner signs don't catch moisture at the top horizontal edge and this can greatly extend a label or sign's life.

Extended Life Vinyl also is very durable. It's made with a very tough and dependable vinyl... the kind of supplies DuraLabel is known for. Check it out at DuraLabelSupplies.com.

Extended Life Vinyl
DuraLabel PRO
Lean Blog

Labels made to order!

One of the great things about the internet is the speed at which you can do most anything.
Label designer control panel
Like a growing number of people today.... I check my bank statements online, do my taxes online... I even have my phone hooked up to my cable modem.
There's really no reason customized labels can't be made online.... and.... now they can.
Just this week, DuraLabel unveiled a new Custom Label Service. You can pick from six popularly used industrial label headers and the most commonly used label formats.

Headers options include:
  • Danger
  • Warning
  • Caution
  • Notice
  • Safety
  • Biohazard
DuraLabel's Custom Label Service is a great alternative labels printed on an in-house printer. No more black and white labels and paper supplies. DuraLabel offers these labels in either indoor or outdoor quality die-cuts.
Having an online tool to print professional looking and industrial-grade color labels is extremely handy for any facility.
This new online service is perfect when you just need a few custom designed three-color labels.
Few online label services exist, but even fewer give you the control DuraLabel's new Custom Label Service offers. As the image below shows... you have all the control to position label text and pictograms.
http://www.graphicproducts.com/labeling-software/images/enter-custom-text-300.jpg


Custom Label Service
DuraLabel Pro Label & Sign Maker Blog


Custom Labels... In the palm of your hand

If you've ever spent time in a large industrial plant or warehouse... you know it's imperative to gather-up all the tools and supplies you're going to need before heading out onto the floor for the day.

Unless you run marathons... it's just impractical to keep running back-and-forth to get things in today's "mega-size" facilities.

That's why DuraLabel came up with a specially designed label printer that allows you to pack everything you need to design and print custom labels in-the-field and right where they will be displayed. The DuraLabel 2000 puts all this labeling power in the palm of your hand.

No more jogging back to the office because you see a missing label... or putting it off 'till another day. The DuraLabel 2000 arms you with the ability to customize the labels you need on-the-spot... with up to 122 OSHA/ANSI compliant pictograms! That's a pretty big selection for such a small label printer....

Perhaps, the greatest feature of this little printer is it's ability to print labels up to 2" wide! That's very unusual for hand-held printers... and a very nice tool to have in most any Lean facility. These larger sizes can be used for printing very professional looking: inventory labels... Kanban queue markers... 5S work area information...

The list goes on-and-on when you can print 2" labels in-the-field.

Call a DuraLabel Representative directly at 1-800-788-5572 to find out the complete details of this new and innovative printing tool.


DuraLabel 2000

New and Imporved 5S Guide now available...for Free!

5S is rapidly becoming one of the most effective aids in successfully implementing Lean
Manufacturing. As many facilities are now experiencing, this popular system can help lay the groundwork for a successful implementation so a facility is prepared to make the transition to Lean.

The reason, it's one of the easiest systems to apply and it helps facility personnel focus on the critical improvements necessary for Lean to provide the maximum results.

One of the big advantages of 5S is its simplicity. It's specially designed so busy personnel can easily grasp the system's basic concepts and integrate them into their regular work routines. In 5S personnel follow five, easy-to-follow, steps.

The 5S steps are:
  • Sort
  • Set-in-Order
  • Shine
  • Standardize
  • Sustain.
Each step helps facilities focus on the critical organization they become part of facility-wide standard operating procedures.

Graphic Products unveiled their new 5S Guide to help put successful Lean implementations into motion with greater success. Known as the "5S System; A Lean Manufacturing Tool," this new and more complete guide comes with sample forms and ideas for promoting 5S achievement so your implementation is very successful.

Just call a DuraLabel Representative for a "free" copy at 1-800-788-5572. Be sure to ask for the new and larger, "updated" 5S System Guide. It can really help you make your facility "leaner" first.

Graphic Products
DuraLabel PRO Printer & Sign Blog

Got "Hazardous Material Communication?

Lean Manufacturing is all about efficiency, but let's not forget that efficiency is always improved through better safety.

One of the easiest ways to protect personnel from the dangers of a facility is to assure every hazard is appropriately labeled with OSHA compliant safety labels and signs. To maximize their effectiveness, make sure to use labels and signs made for industrial applications and designed to conform to your facility's standards.

These tips aren't just helpful; they can save a facility from costly OSHA Hazard Material Communication Violations. These violations are one of the most common facility violations OSHA hands-out and they're not just a slap-on-wrist. They can have devastating consequences.

Just yesterday, a large explosion at a ConAgra Plant in North Carolina made national news. At the time of this post, not all details were known and a bomb has not been ruled-out. However, a local news story described the explosion as rupturing, "... a 34,000-gallon ammonia refrigeration system, triggering the leak." Even still, these events expose a facility's past violations and cast a negative light on an already tragic event.

As of today, two are known dead and dozens injured in this explosion. Along with the headlines, many stories brought out the fact this plant had been cited for Hazardous Material Communication violations in 2006 and again in 2007. These violations certainly don't help their case and could, very likely, be the centerpiece of lawsuit should ConAgra be found at fault.

The point being, don't take OSHA's Hazardous Material Communication Violations lightly. They tend to come back to haunt facilities years-after violations were issued and the total cost may be much greater than any payments made to OSHA.

Of course, the best defense is to assure all hazardous materials are properly identified with OSHA compliant labels and signs. DuraLabel provides one of the highest quality NFPA/RTK Diamond Labels available and can help your facility avoid these costly violations.

Play it smart... reduce violations with proper labels and signs.... and save lives while you're at it!

Lack of "Hazard Communication?"
DuraLabel Supplies NFPA Diamond Labels

OSHA- Remember how it all started?

Back when Lean was just starting to catch-on in several larger U.S. factories, workers were mostly dependent on employers to provide safe working conditions. Even through the 1960s, outside safety inspections were rarely performed and the government played only a minor role in assuring facilities were safe to work in.

Then, in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was signed into law. Suddenly, facilities had nationally standardized guidelines to follow. Along with this law many safety codes and standards were enacted to help reduce hazards in the workplace.

To commemorate this period of advancement in industrial safety, Graphic Products is offering a "free" limited edition poster. This collectors' piece has the look and feel of the early days of OSHA and is perfect for displaying anywhere in your facility or even framing for display in the office.

For a limited time... this $19.95 value is free! But only 500 were printed... so act fast while they last!

Just follow this link to claim a copy for yourself: Free "Limited Edition" Safety Poster

DuraLabel Pro Label & Sign Printer
Custom, Industrial Labels & Signs