Did you know that 50% of all edible food that becomes waste does so during manufacturing, distribution, and retail? That screams improvement opportunities. Here's the good news: there are straightforward steps you can take to eliminate waste during the production process. This will not only boost your bottom line, but it also helps create a more...

In this modern era, some of us are fortunate enough to have a process that allows cheap, instantaneous, non-destructive inspection of 100% of what we make. For everyone else, capability analysis is extremely useful. Consider wine making as an example: measurements are more difficult. As soon as you add hydrogen peroxide to a sample of wine to start...

In our switched-on world, power outages can be extremely inconvenient for individuals. But for businesses, even very brief interruptions can cause catastrophic losses.

Companies usually adopt new administrative software with the hope of reducing the time and money it takes to complete a business process. But what if a change in systems has the opposite effect?

The cloud is everywhere, and its scope is expanding. In fact, Gartner forecasts worldwide public cloud end-user spending will reach nearly $600 billion in 2023. In the same report, Gartner reports overall IT spending is projected to grow 5.1% this year with the majority of new investments going into cloud technology. It's an exciting and perfect...

When people think of building things, they think about tools. While hammers, screw drivers, wrenches and machinery are critical to building things, analytical tools are just as important. Without the appropriate problem solving "gear," you may end up building something that breaks, doesn't last long, takes a long time to produce or costs more than...

Rose set out to find a "sweet spot" that would give both faster laser processing and better cut quality. The stakes were high. Improving production speeds an average of 15% would be the equivalent of "saving" an additional laser, each of which cost nearly $1 million to install. Increasing output from the seven existing lasers also would decrease...

In today's highly competitive business environment, a trusted supply chain that functions seamlessly is essential. Even small errors can have an impact on the entire supply chain, resulting in lost revenue, unsatisfied customers, and irreparable damage to your brand.

Customer satisfaction is one of the most important drivers for business success. According to PWC's 2023 Annual Global CEO Survey, the number one concern among CEOs with regards to profitability over the next ten years has to do with changing customer preferences. Research shows that high customer satisfaction leads to greater customer retention,...

Greg Kinsey is a senior advisor in the fields of operational excellence, digital transformation, and Industry 4.0, helping industrial companies with their Industry 4.0 strategy, implementation, stakeholder buy-in and alignment, Genba engagement, and benefits realization. In January 2023, he joined the international operations consultancy...

With the steady rise in energy costs, some organizations feel pressured to proactively develop strategies to reduce their energy consumption.

Behind every successful continuous improvement initiative are tools that help organizations formalize their processes, exceed customer expectations, and measure success. Whether you're just getting started with a simple initiative, or a more complex project, Minitab Engage is the easy-to-use solution for you.

A value stream map (VSM) is a powerful tool that can be used to optimize the flow of materials and information in a supply chain. By analyzing and visualizing the entire process from raw materials to finished goods, organizations can identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement.
Once these issues have been identified,...