Lean Manufacturing LabelPrinter.com

Lean is no longer just for manufacturing

2011-10-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

For some time, Lean Manufacturing has been making its way into various non-traditional Lean industries. These have included mining, parcel delivery, business administration and many others.
Now, Lean is making a big push into hospitals and laboratories. Administrators of these facilities have long recognized the growing demands doctors, nurses and other care providers are facing in this new age of medicine. Saddled with the responsibility to find a solution, many administrators have looked to the manufacturing industry for answers.

Lean is now one of the hottest approaches to facility management, why not hospitals and laboratories? Lean provides an approach to working that has benefits in any workplace, not just manufacturing. The priciples of being organized (5S), continuous improvement (Kaizen), and managing the flow of materials (Kanban) and help any workplace be more productive and safer.

New HazCom website to focus on oil, coal & gas

2010-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Earth Energy Industries, good information about HazCom labeling is always welcome.

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New HazCom website to focus on oil, coal and gas

Got Ammonia Pipes? Get 'em marked right!

2010-01-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Ammonia Pipes, you want everyone who enters a plant to see and understand these hazards. That's why Ammonia Pipes require special "standardized" markings.

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Got Ammonia Pipes? Get Them Marked Right.

Check-out the new DuraLabel Supplies Catalog!

2009-12-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

Shopping online comes in handy when you have time to sit at your computer and do the research. Nothing is quicker. But at times having a printed catalog is convenient.

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New DuraLabel Supplies Catalog

Color-coding you can rely on.

2009-12-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

Compared with DuraLabel, some labels don't stand up to normal weathering.

The DuraLabel test labs checked DuraLabel supplies vs. a leading competitor's supplies.

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Label Quality You Can Count On

Inspect your labels and signs regularly

2009-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Keeping a safety program functional isn't always easy. Often, it gets overlooked because it's a duty that gets passed from employee to employee.

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Inspecting Labels & Signs

Lean health care is on it's way...

2009-08-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

No one wants to hear their hospital is run like a factory, but some hospitals are finding methods used by industry also work in health care facilities and often help improve the care they provide.

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Label Printing For Health Care

Form-labels... made to last!

2009-06-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

In Lean Manufacturing, inspection tagging is a critical function of a maintenance department. Equipment, utilities and other mechanical elements of a facility must all be regularly inspected to assure they provide optimum efficiency and performance.

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Labels That Can't Be Changed

OSHA- Remember how it all started?

2009-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

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.

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Get This Unique Safety Poster

Got "Hazardous Material Communication?"

2009-06-10T07:52:00.001-07:00

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.

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Effective Hazard Communication Using Safety Labels

New and improved 5S Guide now available... for free!

2009-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

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.

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Learning the 5S System

Custom Labels... In the palm of your hand

2009-05-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

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.

This blog post, about the DuraLabel 2000 hand held label printer, has moved:
Hand Held Label Printer

Labels made to order!

2009-04-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about the internet is the speed at which you can do most anything.

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.

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Creating Custom Labels Online

Are 5S, Kanban and Kaizen really Japanese inventions?

2009-04-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

The debate as to who invented "5S," "Kanban" and "Kaizen" has been a hot-topic amongst business management professionals around the world since the end of WWII.

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Kaizen, Kanban and 5S

Thin is in... and can add life to your visual communication.

2009-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

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.

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Extended Life DuraLabel Vinyl

Going Lean? Get Colorful....

2009-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

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.

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Custom Labels For Lean Applications

Step One 5S - Step Two Kaizen

2008-10-31T06:57:00.001-07:00

Four of my posts this month have been about 5S. Kaizen is a natural companion to 5S.

The fifth "S" is to sustain. Sustain means engage in activities that ensure the gains accomplished through 5S are maintained and improved on. This is done by feeding back to the other four steps information that allows corrections and improvements to be made. Kaizen is the perfect tool for accomplishing this.

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Learning About Kaizen

Using 5S In Tough Times

2008-10-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

It can feel like you are getting squeezed from the top and the bottom. Your suppliers what to charge you more and your customers are telling you to cut your prices or they'll find another supplier. And sales are way down because your traditional customers are putting off their purchases, so cash flow is tight. What can you do?

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Learning About 5S

Learning The kaizen Ropes

2008-10-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

You may have heard the words... Kaizen, Kanban, 5S, but they sound strange and don't mean anything. You are hearing that kaizen can help improve your business... it can cut costs, improve quality, and develop new products. You've heard your competition may be using kaizen and that's why they seem to have a new product coming out every month. What is kaizen? How does kaizen work? What are the benefits of kaizen?

There are many questions and many unknowns.

A good place to start is with a booklet called Introduction To Kaizen. It is free and it provides a quick overview of kaizen; how kaizen is implemented; and what benefits you can expect. Use the link above to order your copy.

Kaizen is a system of continual improvement using small steps that come from employee suggestions. It harnesses the resources you already have in your employees, those who are closest to what is going on in your facility, and uses that resource to find ways to improve your business. Typically suggestions resulting from kaizen are low-cost changes that can be implemented quickly. This means that using kaizen you can get a "big bang" for your buck... a great ROI, and improved and new products that help you overcome the competition.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) - What is it?

2008-10-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

You may have heard the acronym TPM or the words "Total Productive Maintenance," but what do they mean? What is TPM and can it help you improve your bottom line?

TPM is defined as an equipment management program that uses equipment operator involvement in machine maintenance and in continuously improving machine operation. The person who best knows a machine, is also the person responsible for routine machine maintenance. The result is that problems are identified and repaired sooner, reducing the need to major overhauls and long maintenance outages. Machines run longer and are more productive.

A good way to learn more about TPM, and the benefits of TPM, is by reading a short booklet about TPM that is available free. Called An Introduction to TPM, this easy-to-read guide provides a comprehensive introduction to TPM and the benefits of TPM. It gives you the information you need to take the first step in evaluating whether TPM can be a benefit in your company or organization.

Help With 5S Implementation

2008-10-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

Elsmar Cove Forums currently has a good discussion in progress that was started when someone asked for 5S success stories. The result is some good advice about implementing 5S, as well as a list of excellent 5S rules... things that should be done as a part of a 5S program.

You can visit this discussion by going to: http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=29863

Introduction to 5S

2008-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

The economy is slowing and we are all looking for ways to become more competitive. We need to cut our costs without impacting quality. We need to find ways to deliver a better value to our customers. We need to improve productivity. 5S can be the first step in this process.

5S is a foundational lean manufacturing technique that can deliver substantial benefits. The basic principles underlying 5S are cleaning up, getting organized, and maintaining that condition. It sounds simple, and it is... although accomplishing these goals does take planning, effort and management support.

A good place to start is with the Graphic Products' free guide: Introduction to 5s.

This free guide provides a quick introduction to 5s, how it can be implemented and the benefits of 5S. It provides "getting started" information allowing you to evaluate whether 5S is right for your facility or organization, and whether you should invest in investigating 5S further.

Find out if 5S can help your organization get through these tough times. Get your free copy of Introduction to 5S.

2008-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

A sad kanban commentary ...

There's a shortage at the pump! The gas is going strong, but the 4s and 5s are not. Those plastic numbers that display painfully high gas prices on gas station marquees are at a shortage. Station managers throughout the country are reporting they have run out of 4s and 5s to use for their prices. Managers have ordered more, as prompted by the little kanban cards in their file cabinets proclaiming "Time to Reorder" in the absence of the numbers.

The New York Times reports a Greenwich Village station owner meekly admitting, "Typically we have a lot of 9s and 1s, and we had a shortage of 3s." Now that shortage has moved to 4s, and inevitably on to 5s. Oh, for the day when all those many 1s were used the most!

The visual communication is there, but sadly not even furthered lean implementation can help out this cause. The next time you drive past a gas station and see the price hastily scrawled in magic marker on the backs of numbered cards, think to yourself, "man, they need to step up that kanban system with a little Just-in-Time management!" and let thoughts of lean principles wash away the knowledge that you just spent $79.84 on a tank of gas.

Living in Ohio and Loving Japan

2008-05-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Just checking in ...

Last we heard, our heroes at Dana Holding Corp. were battling the evil auspices of bankruptcy, looking for a protagonist -- a champion among men -- to wield his lean sword and rescue them from their inefficiency laden business practices.

Turn the page past Chapter 11, and Dana is now posting gains in the millions since Toyota veteran Gary Convis proved to be just the knight in shining armor they needed.

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Using Lean Manufacturing To Improve The Bottom Line

Lean and Green!

2008-05-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Who's going green? Companies throughout the world are caught in the wave of leafy green spunk, touting themselves as reformed, efficient greensters. But there is a little more to making your supposedly earth-loving biz green than just paying a few extra bucks for the recycling guy to pick up some additional color-coded bins each month.

Being lean and green is a very possible and very real thing, according to environmental management research pioneers Rothenberg and Maxwell. There are strong correlations between good manufacturing practices and superb environmental performances. As you take a page from lean and get that warehouse cleaned up and running more efficiently, that organization can better the environment ... Better-running equipment and a cleaner facility all around are good, earth-friendly components. Further, employing lean manufacturing techniques inevitably leads to less waste and lower inventory levels. Those companies that really take lean above and beyond are eligible for ISO9001 certification (superior quality management systems), which can be a precursor to adopting ISO14001 standards (superior environmental management). These certifications are set forth by the International Organization for Standardization, a non-government entity that endorses world-wide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards.

A company can go green these days in a number of ways. Use renewable energy and biofuels, redesign production systems to be more environmentally friendly (cleaner, more efficient technologies), help your equipment to fulfill their maximum useful lifespans, or implement a new rage called TQEM (Total Quality Environmental Management).

A brilliant example of a company who successfully went lean and green is 3M, our favorite scotch tape pusher. The international diversified technology company created the 3P program for its worldwide facilities: Pollution Prevention Pays. In the name of preventing pollution at its source, the worldwide mega-co began using water-based coating for tablets in substitution for solvent-solution coating. The results? A $15k cost savings per year in raw materials, the prevention of 24 tons of air pollution, and the $180k-break that came with elimination of pipe treatment for air pollution concerns.

Nicely done, 3M! Let's get more companies on board. Lean implementation has been on the rise for the past few decades; adopting green should seem natural and complimentary to an already lean facility. You did it for your bottom line before; now do it for your earth.