Lean Manufacturing

Proven tools for removing waste

Of the 80 percent of manufacturers who have a continuous improvement program in place, 35 percent have adopted a Lean Manufacturing or Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma (Lean Six Sigma) program, according to a recent study from ARC Advisory Group.

ARC defines Lean Manufacturing as a set of proven methods and practices that focus on engaging the people who do the work to continuously improve business performance by reducing waste. Of the companies that use Lean Manufacturing, over 40 percent report they use statistical process control software to support their program.

Manufacturers embrace real-time SPC as a lean manufacturing tool. Why?

Real-time SPC reduces waste by keeping people connected to the process. Real time SPC allows operators to monitor and control process variations and prevent waste from occurring. This is accomplished using real-time control charts, automated corrective actions and management level monitoring tools.
The people closest to the process can have the greatest immediate impact on improving the process. WinSPC empowers shop-floor operators to detect and correct process variation that leads to defects, scrap, waste, or rework.
WinSPC uses a simple, non-technical approach to waste removal. Shop-floor operators, no matter what their technical experience, use a simple interface that alerts them to variations. This way, they are able to take action and correct a process rather than wait for management decision, stop a process, or continue creating waste until it is later determined that the process was operating out-of-control.
Companies have used WinSPC to reduce material waste by up to 50 percent and increase manufacturing yield by as much as 30 percent

Learn more about SPC and Lean by reading DataNet's "Ask-The-Expert" column

Question: "My company is instituting Lean systems. What is SPC's role, if any, in the world of Lean Manufacturing? Is SPC 'lean'?"

Read the Ask the Expert article...

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Arkwright cuts product waste by 10-15%

“WinSPC resulted in improved process & product quality and productivity. This has been a critical step in the continuation of Arkwright's Six Sigma project management initiatives & the company's commitment to quality…”

Best-In-Class Manufacturers Trust DataNet Quality Control Software:

Abbott Laboratories
Becton Dickinson
Black & Decker
Con-Agra
Harley-Davidson
Hewlett Packard
Hitachi
Mannington
Minute Maid
Nestle-Purina
Panasonic
Pinnacle Foods Corp.
Sara Lee