Think all big trucks look the same? Don’t tell that to an engineer at Kenworth Truck Co. The legendary firm is synonymous with hard-working, well-built vehicles.
"Watch where you step so you avoid the poisonous snakes!” is not something that’s typically heard when touring an automotive assembly plant. But, Volkswagen AG’s two-year-old Chattanooga, TN, facility is out of the ordinary when it comes to being environmentally friendly.
Everything boils down to problem-solving—everything. New technology, new products, new processes, new business models, new markets, new behaviors, new company culture, innovation—it’s all problem-solving.
La-Z-Boy is one of the best-known brands in the residential furniture industry. The company is synonymous for its comfortable reclining chairs. But, La-Z-Boy is also well-known for lean manufacturing and its made-in-the-USA production philosophy.
The University of California-Berkeley has been center stage for new ideas, breakthroughs and radical changes for decades. Today, it’s leading the green manufacturing revolution. Cal Berkeley is home to the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sus-tainability (LMAS).
MINNEAPOLIS—Despatch Industries, a manufacturer of industrial ovens and furnaces, has reduced lead times by 50 percent after implementing a kanban system and other lean methodologies.
EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists recently delivered a clutch assembly line to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. The line integrates both fully and semiautomatic processes.
To move your company to a better place, it matters more where you are than where you want to go. And before you can see clearly where you are, you must clarify your perspective.
AUGUSTA, ME—The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped a medical device manufacturer here reduce product introduction time, achieve $500,000 in retained sales, and save more than $250,000.