Ben Sparrow – Director
Ben is a lean management consultant with Japanese proficiency and thirteen years experience in the transfer of Japanese lean management know-how to a broad range of industry sectors.
Paul specialises in lean management, process analysis and optimisation, and continuous improvement practices.
Paul received his training in lean management directly from Japanese industry, and shares this knowledge through lean management consulting and kaizen training programs for Shinka Management’s global client base, and lean manufacturing study tours run in Japan.
Paul Smith – Director
Paul specialises in lean management, process analysis and optimisation, and continuous improvement practices. Paul received his training in lean management directly from Japanese industry, and shares this knowledge through lean management consulting and training for Shinka Management’s global client base, and lean manufacturing study tours run in Japan.
OTRS – Motion Analysis Software – Marugo
Marugo Rubber Industries achieved a cost reduction of several hundred million yen for one process through applying motion analysis software and targeting improvements in 0.1 second units using OTRS10. As a result of using OTRS to perform a detailed motion analysis of their painting line, Marugo discovered that the coating unevenness was due to a poorly positioned gun, and this enabled them to achieve a major improvement effect.
The Myriad Benefits of Value Stream Mapping
Japanese manufacturers have been systemically synchronising the value stream processes for decades to target cost reductions, improve quality and reduce lead times to customers. The team at Shinka Management has had a long and close relationship with the best of Japanese manufacturing. Our strong relationships enables us to see and work with high calibre organisations that use forms of value stream mapping to gain a complete understanding of their operations.
What is the Role of a Team Leader within Toyota?
We all know team leaders play an important role within a manufacturing shop floor in shaping the team’s effectiveness. However, specific roles and responsibilities given to a team leader are often different from company to company. So, how does Toyota approach this? What is the role of a team leader within a Toyota final assembly plant? These very questions are answered by Toyota lean management guru Hyodo-sensei.
リーン・ヘルスケア・インタビュー ‐ バージニア・メイソン病院の軌跡を辿って
医療現場の質と価値の向上のために – 米国シアトルのバージニア・メイソン病院のゲイリー・カプラン院長兼最高経営責任者とヘンリー・オテロ医師によるリーンヘルスケアに関するインタビュー記事
Lean Health Care Interview with Virginia Mason Medical Center
The Virginia Mason Medical Center is based in Seattle, Washington. Since the Virginia Mason leadership’s first visit to Japan in 2002 to seek insights from Japanese manufacturing, the hospital has evolved into a leader in the application of lean principles to health care. Dr Kaplan and Dr Otero, the two key figures behind the Virginia Mason’s successful lean transformation, provide insights that holds lessons for any of us seeking to lead effective transformation and culture change within our own organizations.
Book Review – Zero Quality Control – Shigeo Shingo
Shigeo Shingo is an icon with the early development of SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) and Poke-yoke (mistake-proofing), and a key developer of the Toyota Production System. This book by Shingo provides a detailed explanation of Shingo’s “three critical aspects of quality control” and presents many actual examples that show a wide range of applications. A “Must Read” if you are going to have true success with Lean Manufacturing.
Book Review – 20 Keys to Workplace Improvement – Iwao Kobayashi
Attempting to improve competitiveness as you become aware of problems will end in haphazard improvements and lack of unity. Improvement must occur across the whole business and close the gaps between the current situation and the business objectives. This book introduces a method for making significant improvement across your entire manufacturing business.
Your Lean Factory as a Showroom – Using Lean to Drive Sales
We have again had the pleasure of visiting one of our favourite companies in Japan – and one that clients on our regular Japan study mission continuously rate as a standout experience of their time in Japan. As a lean factory, this company is an excellent example, and the benefits flowing from their lean culture in terms of safety, quality, productivity, shortened lead times and improvement in market share are impressive.