The Chicken Wing Shortage and Super Bowl Week TAGS: changeover | chicken wing | consulting | continuous improvement | darren rovell | demand | espn | lean | lean blitz | operations | optimization | peak season | process | rumor | shortage | smed | sports | super bowl | temporary staffing | wings There is a rumor, as seems to be every year for Super Bowl week, that we are suffering from a shortage of chicken wings. While it’s apparently true that the …Continue reading →

Oh No! Wastes! Now What Do I Do?: The Lean Tools Primer TAGS: anomalies | batching | beer can | beer cart | blitz | changeover | disk defragmenter | error-proofing | fire extinguisher | gatorade | golf | lean | operations | point of use storage | poka-yoke | process map | processes | real-time | sandwiches | set in order | setup reduction | shadowboard | shine | sidekick | signs | smed | sort | sports | standardize | straighten | superhero | supermarket | sustain | tpm | value stream management | virus scan | visual factory | waste | work instruction All this time we’ve talked about the lean wastes. The problems. The money we’re throwing away. The time we’ve spent poorly. And now we’ve gone out and identified them. Excess motion. …Continue reading →

Baseball Trade Show – Bat Manufacturer TAGS: baseball trade show | bat manufacturer | bats | continuous improvement | lean | setup reduction | smed | sports | standardized work Lean Blitz received more attention from manufacturers of sporting goods and other items (such as mascot costumes!) than sports teams at the Baseball Trade Show, which is understandable. Most manufacturers …Continue reading →