To remain competitive, manufacturers must utilize "lean manufacturing" — operating with maximum productivity and process efficiency, while generating quality products. Although establishing processes ...

Lean thinking originated with the Toyota Production System. Its success in streamlining existing automotive manufacturing processes led to the adaptation of those principles to other areas of business ...

“They need a conveyor,” said the guy on my left as we observed the assembly process. Operators walked back and forth from the assembly station to bring finished parts to the shelf and to get ...

Innovation is often born from individuals who view design as a way to shape forward-thinking ideas. While design alone can’t deliver the promise of innovation, frameworks—such as design thinking and ...

Gerry Boushelle, associate director of global supply chain clinical-supply manufacturing in Pfizer’s (New York) global research and development division, presented a case study of the company’s ...

The pace of software releases at the average company keeps accelerating, from month by month, to week by week, now day by day or even hour by hour. Delivering constant updates and continuous ...

Lean and Six Sigma are the perfect pair for improving customer value by reducing waste, boosting productivity, and reducing defects and variations in products and services. Lean Six Sigma combines two ...

Manufacturers can identify and reduce waste using tools such as value-stream mapping. Process efficiency programs at pharmaceutical companies-whether called operational excellence, lean manufacturing, ...