by Susan Hileman, NWIRC, COVID-19 Recovery Program Manager
Paul Harvey was an ABC News radio broadcaster who hosted a program called “The Rest of the Story”. The program offered true backstories about people and events. When we look at what…
by Bob Zaruta, President/CEO, NWIRC
Manufacturers as well as federal, state and local agencies need critical products that are in short supply to ensure our nation’s health and safety as well as our national and economic security. Small and medium-sized…
A 4-part series to examine and elevate awareness of the 8 wastes in manufacturing (DOWNTIME).
Eight Wastes: Part 4
The unnecessary movement of people, information or equipment is Motion waste. This can occur because of workspace layout, disorganization, misplace items,…
by John Bridgen, Senior Automation Engineer, Neff Automation
Growing your manufacturing business profitably with a declining pool of skilled employees is an increasing challenge that businesses in northwestern Pennsylvania are facing. As an example, executives at two area companies recently…
by Bob Zaruta, President/CEO, NWIRC
Through our direct and deep interactions with manufacturing companies over the past several months, we have found a range of activity due to the pandemic. At one end of the spectrum, 18% of them are…
It’s always fun visiting manufacturing companies throughout the region, especially those who NWIRC has helped with an improvement or training project. Over the past several years, we’ve worked with numerous companies in our Lean Together™ program who, through tours and…
Lean thinking changes the way a company approaches work on a daily basis, from developing and implementing strategy to producing products and delivering services to customers. This change in thinking centers on a relentless commitment to continuous improvement, so that…
The Lean methodology for plant layout and process design is formally known as the Production Preparations Process (3P). It is a powerful means of taking a big-picture look at how a product is designed and manufactured. It guides companies through…
