The first steps on the lean journey: 5S’s, SMED, 7 Wastes, Takt time.

The whole concept of lean manufacturing involves looking at your company to see where you can eliminate waste, reduce lead times, increase customer satisfaction, improve efficiency and cut costs which will all lead to making your business more competitive.

Jimmy Finn, Production Director of Bott Ltd, that manufactures workplace equipment and in-vehicle storage systems, was astounded at the changes that working with South West MAS brought about.

“Before we started working with South West MAS, my knowledge of lean manufacturing techniques was limited. Since then, we have put many of these principles into practice and as a result our turnover has increased dramatically and we have significantly reduced waste”.

Bott Ltd selected five employees to attend the South West MAS ‘lean manufacturing ‘ workshops to learn about the basic principles of identifying and eliminating waste. Through a series of workshops with other companies they were introduced to the

• 5S’s (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Systemise & Sustain),
• SMED (Single Minute Exchange Of Dies to speed up changeover)
• 7 Wastes (identifying and eliminating waste) and Takt time (measuring the pace of production needed to meet customer needs).

Continuous Improvement Team

After the workshops, the employees were formed into a Continuous Improvement Team and were given the task of selecting a specific problem area within the factory and applying everything they’d learnt to see if they could improve it.

“The project which we undertook opened up our eyes totally, by using the practice we learnt on our workshops, we put into place to make a big difference. The course was enjoyable and made to show us major manufacturing issues in a light hearted, fun way to give us a changeable way of thinking to doing this in the workplace. The course was conducted in a professional way and the guidance given was good.”
John Smith CIT Team

The Results

Companies like Bott have found that the first step on the road to being is the beginning of a whole new attitude to improving efficiency throughout the workforce.

“I now approach work differently, mostly positively. Really educational. I am now always thinking of ways to improve.”

Matthew Campbell CIT Team

Bott’s turnover increased by £2 million whilst they cut WIP by 56% and have been recognised as one of Europe’s fastest growing mid-sized companies.

(Full Case Study)

How can we help you to be more lean?

Knowing how and where to start can be daunting which is why South West MAS was set up to advise and support companies on the road to being Lean. Once your team has a basic knowledge of the Lean principles we can help by guiding the business through practical projects that can have a dramatic effect on your success. If you’d like to know more about the lean tools that Bott Ltd are using you can click on the links below or contact us on 0845 608 3838 and talk to one of our consultants to see how we can help you reap the benefits of being’ Lean’.