Services Explained

“Many Clients need to supplement or accelerate their improvement activities on identifed targets. Others want to get a fresh perspective.”

I specialize in specific improvement techniques and coach your staff to become self-sufficient in making their own improvements for the long term.

We listen to your issues and what you need help in improving. This identifies the problem or opportunity statement. We provide any appropriate training and we go out on the floor with your team to implement improvement – Kaizen.

Engagements

On-site coaching. Call or email on contact page to discuss details.

What is available?

  • On site workshops for any combination of lean tools
  • Coach staff to see wastes and latent safety and quality issues
  • Rapid Lean transformation for one+ department – 12 Weeks
Click Here To Contact Stephen Wilkinson

Examples

At Amgen Biotechnology, Stephen exceeded expectations by coaching 15 managers to go observe their process in great detail. They observed for the 7 Deadly Wastes, latent safety, and quality issues. They learned to ask the right questions to encourage improvements. The result was dozens of improvement projects and contributed to reducing thousands of hours of non-value adding work. “How To Observe Your Process”

Steve also solved a scheduling bottleneck that enabled the production rate to be increased. He delegated observation tasks to managers, identified sources of process variation and encouraged actions to reduce the variation which shortened the lead time.

At Gillette, Stephen saved $500,000 by automating a manual process of loading raw materials onto a deodorant production line at 300 units per minute. This saved both labor and packaging materials significantly.

As an Army Engineer Officer, Steve received an annual review with 200 out of a possible 200 points after revamping a battalion maintenance area.

Tools To See Waste

  • Value Stream Map
  • Process map with additions of cycle time, handoffs, staff level, scrap, distance, etc.
  • Spaghetti Diagrams
  • Find motion waste such as searching for tools, parts, information
  • Time Study
  • How long does it really take to do a task and how much of that is really adding value?
  • Standard Work
  • Find the best practice, improve it, document it, standardize the method across all performers. Improves method and reduces variation

Tools To Eliminate Waste

  • Standard Work
  • Find the best practice, improve it, document it, and standardize the method across all performers. Improves method and reduces variation.
  • 5S
  • Sort out what is not needed, easily locate what is needed. Reduce motion and waiting waste, save space, eliminate clutter.
  • Cell Design
  • Standard work and 5S applied to one repetitive process such as packaging or assembly tasks.
  • Work Load Balancing
  • Right number of people in the right place at the right time doing the right thing – productivity.
  • Mistake-Proofing
  • Identify the root cause and eliminate the possibility of it reoccurring.
  • Quick Changeover
  • Reduce downtime and cycle time
  • Visual Management
  • Autonomous Maintenance
  • Operators trained to identify and correct abnormalities on the equipment they operate. Production/maintenance partnership.
  • Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, and Simplify
  • Sort and analyze improvement ideas