It seems like everywhere we look, supply can’t keep up with demand. So why bother building an unconstrained demand forecast when the supply organization has no hope of meeting that demand? Shouldn’t we spend our time and attention on getting the supply chain right rather than bothering with the demand plan now?If your organization is…

Tune in to this OpExecs webinar to listen to Joe Gopi, Director of Manufacturing for Sumitomo Drive Technologies and Susan Beauchamp as they share their experience with accomplishing culture change through team-based approaches. Project professionals agree – a team that is primed to question status quo and embrace innovation provides the most fertile ground for…

We were recently interviewed as a local small business offering optimization support to businesses and government organizations of all shapes and sizes. Download here to read.

Originally used by Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System, the Kaizen approach is used to engage front-line employees and solicit their ideas to drive change which will stick. The Kaizen Process enables ‘change for the better’ The term “Kaizen” is another way to describe continuous improvement or change for the better.  As an…

Why has the DMAIC approach found success in so many organizations and with all types of people and challenges? What does it mean for your industry and customers? As an industry executive and college professor, I have had the privilege of teaching thousands of people across a multitude of industries how to accomplish real positive…

Hiring managers are looking for people who can transition quickly from the university to the working environment. Lean Six Sigma Project management bridges from textbook to workforce. Young engineers and technical leaders who can hit the ground running with knowledge of project management, problem-solving and facilitation skills will rapidly distinguish themselves from their peers.  Lean…

Or at least is seems that way when you need to optimize locations and layout to drive customer satisfaction. Are you leaking money to service customers and markets? Have you wondered how retail stores have what you need regardless of how obscure it may be.  A Fortune 100 company learned a valuable lesson when it…

Have you experienced or heard of shared service consolidation failures?  Shared Services is a concept that is easy to throw around but can be difficult to execute.  Many of us have participated in a board room session to draw up a plan to share services among locations only to see it take longer to execute…

Having a clear Operations path for capital investments and cost management ensures that customers and other stakeholders are satisfied. Ultimately this also drives long term success. But often, Operations seems to be forgotten when it comes to setting strategy. How much time does your organization spend on finance, marketing and commercial strategy and execution?  What…

Achieving productivity year-after-year requires a creative, employee driven approach to operational excellence. Taking cost out of your operations is easy, if you know where to look. But taking cost out consistently year-after-year can be very challenging, especially if your Corporate Strategy focuses only on bottom-line productivity as an alternative to top-line sales growth.  I recall…