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Environmental Management

For manufacturers, effective environmental management can have different meanings. Demands driven by costs, profits, company values, the community, and regulations, not to mention customer mandates, can all be influences. As companies move to adopt international quality standards, they will also need to adhere to ISO 14000 environmental standards to conduct business globally. Implementing activities that can reduce or eliminate pollution at the source is the key to environmentally sustainable economic development. Organizations that implement a formal Environmental Management system realize the following benefits:

• Enable your company to utilize your resources more efficiently
• Decrease operational and environmental compliance costs  

Thriving companies are constantly analyzing internal procedures to identify what can be improved, and ISO/QS 9000 registration shows customers, suppliers, and the competition that you are serious about maintaining high levels of quality in your operations. In a growing global marketplace, businesses and manufacturers have increasingly accepted a universal set of standards for quality established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). A non-governmental organization founded in 1947, ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries. International standardization helps to rationalize the international trading process by establishing quality guidelines to harmonize standards for similar technologies in different countries or regions. Lack of harmonious standards raises barriers to trade that export-minded industries have long sensed the need to overcome. ISO makes it possible to agree on world standards applicable to all.

Adopting the standards goes a long way toward strengthening your competitive edge. Organizations that register ISO/QS 9000 will have the advantage of the following benefits:

• More consistent quality
• Streamlined processes
• Reduced production costs
• Improved customer service
• Increased profitability
• Better employee teamwork

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing is a philosophy that uses manufacturing performance as a competitive weapon. Lean Manufacturing says all non-value added activity must be eliminated from the production process and administrative functions. With waste eliminated throughout the organization, companies experience some of the following benefits:

• Decrease in production costs
• Shorter production/processing lead-times
• Improvement in quality and customer service
• Reduction in overhead costs
• Better utilization of floor space

Customers are demanding their suppliers be more and more responsive to ever-changing needs. Pressure to reduce costs and reduce lead times for quicker response is mandatory. Competition brings increased expectations - customers want more for less, and they want it fast. Lean Manufacturing improvements will show you the way to a leaner, more profitable business.

In addition to providing Lean Implementation services, MEP conducts workshops & seminars on the following topics. Check our Events Calendar for dates of upcoming courses.

• Lean Thinking Executive Overview: A brief overview for decision-makers highlighting Lean benefits, barriers to implementation, and a recommended Lean implementation plan.
• Principles of Lean Manufacturing with Live Simulation: The first step to learning the principles of lean manufacturing. No previous experience necessary. Participants walk away understanding the 8 wastes in manufacturing.
• Value Stream Mapping: Learn methods for mapping the current state of a product, process, or service using current data and non-value-added activities, and then mapping to the desired future state.
• 5S / Visual Manufacturing: Learn methods for transforming a factory into a place where thousands of messages concerning product quality, productivity, schedule, and safety become visible.
• Setup Reduction / Quick Changeover: Definition of setup, followed by discussion on reasons for barriers to reducing setup times.
• Cellular / Flow Manufacturing: Demonstration and hands-on practice for linking and balancing manufacturing operations to reduce lead times, minimize work-in-process inventory, optimize floor space usage, and improve productivity.
• Pull / Kanban Systems: Discussion on controlling shop floor inventory and production schedules by implementing efficient pull systems, rather than pushing orders into the process.
• Total Productive Maintenance: Methods to proactively maintain machines and equipment at their peak efficiency.

Process Improvement requires the monitoring, management, and changing of key processes for product and service design and fulfillment.  Fulfillment is the production and delivery of the product or service with correct quality, correct quantity, and on time.  It is imperative that system and process improvement be driven and guided by the providing of value to the customer.  Changing customer/market requirements dictate the constant attention to process improvement.  To accomplish this, the following must be established:

Organizations that systematically focus on process improvement will remain dedicated to and successsful in continuously improving the value provided by their goods and services.

Product Development & Improvement

Product Design and Development is not limited to the design and production of a new product. It can also be the determining factor in the success or sustainability of an existing product. It encompasses; the design and production of a new product, re-design of an existing product, re-design of a component for an existing product, re-design of the manufacturing functions of a product to increase quality of the product and efficiency of the manufacturing process, an update of your product by incorporating the latest technology, and an analysis of market and design of distribution routes. Organizations that have expanded into Product Design and Development will recognize the following benefits:

• Expand your market share in an existing market
• Create a new market opportunity
• Reduce or remove inefficient parts or technology
• Improve quality
• Increase your product life cycle
• Expand current production line and increase market share

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TPM is an integral part of Lean Manufacturing, taking the place of routine preventive maintenance. TPM capitalizes on proactive and progressive maintenance methodologies and calls upon the knowledge and cooperation of operators, equipment vendors, engineering, and support personnel to optimize machine performance. Results of this optimized performance include; elimination of breakdowns, reduction of unscheduled and scheduled downtime, improved utilization, higher throughput, and better product quality. Bottom-line results include; lower operating costs, longer equipment life, and lower overall maintenance costs.

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Plant Layout Assistance is designing plant layout to meet manufacturing requirements in the most efficient manner. Well planned and designed layouts provide more balanced production lines that help identify bottlenecks, allow inventory to be tracked from start to finish, and reduce material handling and wasted time spent looking for an item. An organization with an effective Plant Layout will see the following benefits:

• More efficient production
• Delivery when promised
• A safer work environment
• Improved space utilization
• Reduced risk of materials damage

Total Quality Management is a management system used to continuously improve all areas of a company's operation. TQM is applicable to every operation in the company and recognizes the strength of employee involvement. Organizations that implement a Total Quality Management system will experience the following benefits:

• Improved customer satisfaction and product quality
• Increased production throughput
• Improved communications within the company
• Reduced operating costs
• Decreased scrap and rework defects