Incremental: The Continuous Improvement Podcast

In this episode Uriel and Devin talk about how continuous improvement has given us the space to step back and think about overarching strategy.

Devin and Uriel dive into their latest improvements, from making workholding SOPs to enhancing podcast audio with a pop filter. They explore decluttering workflows and creating job setup SOPs using webcams for consistency. A discussion on Airtable's pros and cons leads to insights on opting for modular documentation. They tackle challenges like hiring for R&D, reducing laser cycle times with LightBurn, and introducing new tooling for machining taller parts. The episode wraps up on optimizing shop organization and implementing effective morning meetings.

Discover how to enhance production in small teams by applying the Theory of Constraints. Explore the importance of production leveling and managing labor as a constraint. The hosts delve into cross-training to cover workstations effectively and highlight the pitfalls of local improvements that can become obsolete. Learn about Shigeo Shingo's block production method to optimize workflows and how improving product development can significantly boost capacity and efficiency. Tune in for insights that could transform your shop's operations!

Please follow us on Instagram and share your improvements and tag us.www.instagram.com/incrementalci In this podcast we discuss concepts from Lean Manufacturing, the Toyota Production System, and general business management to improve our businesses. Thanks for listening! Please drop us a note with any and all feedback! If you have parts you need machined, reach out to Devin@lichenprecision.com and follow on Instagram www.instagram.com/lichen_mfg If you need CNCed Buckles, check out www.austeremfg.com and follow at on Instagram www.instagram.com/austere_manufacturing

Discover the nuances of push, pull, and flow manufacturing, key elements of the Toyota Production System. Learn why overproduction can be wasteful and the financial impacts of excess inventory. Explore innovative tool management strategies using Kanban for timely replenishment. Uriel and Devin share lessons on improving internal communication and workplace safety, emphasizing the importance of respect for employees. Plus, insights on minimizing batch sizes and optimizing shop processes for continuous improvement are revealed.

This week Devin and Uriel discuss some improvements from around the shop with some discussion of what issues came up that led to the improvements as well as some of the thinking behind the improvements implemented.    Please follow us on Instagram and share your improvements and tag us.www.instagram.com/incrementalci    In this podcast we discuss concepts from Lean Manufacturing, the Toyota Production System, and general business management to improve our businesses.   Thanks for listening! Please drop us a note with any and all feedback!   If you have parts you need machined, reach out to Devin@lichenprecision.com and follow on Instagram www.instagram.com/lichen_mfg    If you need CNCed Buckles, check out www.austeremfg.com and follow at on Instagram www.instagram.com/austere_manufacturing

Please follow us on Instagram and share your improvements and tag us. www.instagram.com/incrementalci  This week Devin and Uriel have a wide ranging discussion about a range of topics that relate to lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System, and continuous improvement. Some of the topics include:  - Balancing equipment utilization vs operator utilization vs overall shop throughput.  - Profit sharing and exploring other ways of putting money where your mouth is to share success with employees.  - How to think about revenue goals. Is it based on equipment, or is it better to think about employees as a profit center that gets multiplied based on the equipment or process they're utilizing.  - Information flow in a company as it relates to production leveling and scheduling.  - Safety stock and how to evaluate if it's needed. Fixing problems / making improvements vs actually getting work done. How do we keep work moving while still capturing issues to be resolved later.  - Part orientation as they move through production. We spend a lot of time orienting parts.  - Prototyping aimed at learning.  Thanks for listening! Please drop us a note with any and all feedback!  If you have parts you need machined, reach out to Devin@lichenprecision.com and follow on Instagram www.instagram.com/ lichen_mfg  If you need CNC'ed Buckles, check out www.austeremfg.com and follow at on Instagram www.instagram.com/austere_manufacturing]

This week we talk about:   - Listener question - we discuss how we've been improving the podcast process inline with Lean concepts  - Single loop vs Double loop learning and building a learning organization  - How to think through standardizing setups and workholding to account for a wide variety of work scenarios.  - An update on approaching an assembly station redesign and shifting the focus from designing the station to designing experiments for quick and cheap learning.  - Devin and Uriel then go over some of their improvements from the past week.

This week Devin and Uriel talk through some listener questions, talk production leveling, how to prioritize tasks, and what happens when linked processes fail. Standardized tooling and redundant tooling can be an essential part of gaining efficiency. It is interesting to think about what can be standardized but also how to standardize deviation from standard... Is that possible? Kanban can be a very useful tool for making sure that tools stay in stock. As buffers get reduced, downtime becomes more immediately problematic so it needs to be addressed.   What's the best way to get started in lean and what are some favorite cheap and quick improvements.   Developing in house vs buying off the shelf or hiring out custom machines. Toyota talks about building in house costing 1/3-1/5 the cost of buying. What are they talking about?   Figuring out what to do next minute by minute in the shop is very tricky. It is hard to build systems that surface what should be done in what order but if we just write out a schedule ahead of time, than it will be rigid and will not respond to fluctuations in the market.   What happens when things fail in a system of linked processes with minimal buffers, it becomes immediately apparent that there was a problem. Adding inventory buffers between processes can alleviates this issue, but bakes in a lot of waste.    Devin and Uriel discuss some improvements that they made during the week with some interesting conversations around what issues were noticed that led to the improvements.

Delve into the intriguing world of production leveling, where uneven demand leads to waste. Discover the 'Three M's' of the Toyota Production System: muda, mura, and muri, and learn practical strategies like staggered schedules and pricing adjustments to manage demand. Hear about Toyota's approach, including inventory management and the balance between equipment and human constraints. Gain insights on optimizing processes through effective communication, checklists, and SOPs while tackling bottlenecks and improving efficiency in small businesses.