lean engineering

How Ford's Willow Run Assembly Plant Helped Win World War II

The Willow Run bomber plant made aviation, industrial and social history—along with new B-24s by the hour.

January 3, 2019

President Roosevelt stunned millions of listeners when he announced during a May 26, 1940, fireside chat that government must "harness the efficient machinery of America's manufacturers" to produce 50,000 combat aircraft over the next 12 months to confront the "approaching storm" of global war.

MES for Lean Manufacturing Increases Efficiency

Zoe Leduc

December 16, 2018

No Comments

Carlisle Brake and Friction is 101-year-old company that manufactures braking products for construction, aerospace, agriculture, military, racing, mining and highway uses.

Lean Culture Drives Continuous Improvement

Leadership engagement is key to changing employee behavior.

Austin Weber

December 10, 2018

No Comments

When lean tools are used effectively every day, manufacturers eventually arrive at a destination: lean culture. All the continuous improvement efforts along the way will drive a cyclical culture that's sustainable.

Kanban System Helps Cable Maker Get Lean

Cable manufacturer controls stock replenishment with custom FIFO system

Susanne Kaufmann

October 12, 2018

No Comments

Auto-Kabel, the global automotive supplier, manufactures cable and lead sets for power supply applications. The friction welding machines deployed in the process must always have an adequate supply of material without excessive safety stocks.

Lean lights the way to success at Grote Industries

John Sprovieri

October 3, 2018

No Comments

Before the availability of electric lights, early automobiles were equipped with gas lamps for headlights and oil lamps for taillights. Electric lights did not become commonplace until the 1920s.

Green manufacturing drives success at Kenworth

Zoe Leduc

September 5, 2018

No Comments

With nearly a century of experience manufacturing trucks, it's no surprise that Kenworth is one of PACCAR's most successful arms. Kenworth, along with fellow PACCAR brand Peterbilt, achieved a record 30.7 percent of retail market share for Class 8 trucks in the U.S. and Canada in 2017, up from 28.5 percent in 2016.

Tougher customer requirements drive investment at Bendix

John Sprovieri

August 2, 2018

No Comments

Trucks moved roughly 71 percent of the nation's freight by weight in 2016, according to the American Trucking Association. That's 10.55 billion tons of freight or $738.9 billion in gross freight revenue. To move all that stuff around, some 34 million trucks logged more than 450 billion miles.

Lean, High Tech Help Aerospace Supplier Compete

John Sprovieri

July 6, 2018

No Comments

Aerospace manufacturing continues to soar. For example, through March 31, Boeing's commercial aircraft division had a backlog of 5,835 orders, while rival Airbus had a backlog of 7,189 jets.

Precise Parts Positioning Can Help Improve Throughput

Flow racks, kitting and pick-to-light systems can help reduce errors

Austin Weber

May 10, 2018

No Comments

Parts come in all sizes, shapes and weights. But, any type of part isn't good until it's at the right location, at the right time and at the right height on assembly lines.

Shape-Memory Alloys Help NASA Create New Wing Design

Austin Weber

March 5, 2018

No Comments

The key to Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic 1903 flight was wing warping. Today, NASA engineers are developing a similar technique to increase the performance and efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft.