Continuous Improvement

Inside the Box: Unwrapping Trends and Tactics in CPG Manufacturing

5 min read

The formula for CPG manufacturing has some new variables: Consumers reshaped consumption habits in the pandemic.Employees are hitting the factory floor with no skills or...

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Continuous Improvement

Dozuki's Secrets to Drastically Cut Scrap Waste

5 min read

Snuffing out the waste in manufacturing is difficult, but not impossible.Facilities who are successful in their waste reduction efforts will gain benefits in terms of cost...

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Continuous Improvement

Creating The Frontline Of The Future, Part 10

6 min read

Does your facility have a suggestion box? Or is there a more formal framework for collecting and implementing process feedback from your frontline workers? Most...

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Continuous Improvement

Streamlining Production: How Lean Manufacturing Can Revolutionize Your Business

23 min read

Manufacturing is a delicate process. So many moving parts must come together just right if the aim is to produce goods of the highest quality in the most cost-effective way...

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Continuous Improvement

A Deeper Look Into Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control in Manufacturing

23 min read

Manufacturing is taking raw materials and turning them into a product people need. Our industry makes the world go around. But competition, which is in part responsible for...

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Continuous Improvement

How To Go From Worst To First

3 min read

"We're paying them for their hands, but they're freely willing & able to give of their hearts, if you engage them and help them with this vision." Erik Richardson shared...

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Continuous Improvement

Operational Resilience Explained

11 min read

America was built on manufacturing.And manufacturing was built on resilience. Our country has proven to be a place where workers who are skilled with their hands (and have...

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Continuous Improvement

How to Create a Daily Management System

3 min read

Do your frontline employees know if they’re winning or losing each day?The answer to that question is simple, but not easy.Michael Muilenburg spent 35+ years at 3M building a...

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Continuous Improvement

Why Do Value Stream Mapping? | Benefits & Examples

22 min read

A successful business incorporates two critical factors, customers, and cost. The goal of any business is to provide the most outstanding value for the customer at the lowest

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Continuous Improvement

11 Essential Workplace Safety Tips for a Secure & Healthy Environment

24 min read

Workplace safety is a topic that businesses simply cannot overlook. For one thing, employers have an obligation to their employees to provide a safe work environment and to...

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Continuous Improvement

Firefighting In Manufacturing

12 min read

Why It Happens, What It Costs, and How To Stop It Firefighting is a burning issue in manufacturing. Not only are facilities dealing with safety measures like flammable...

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Continuous Improvement

Overcoming Manufacturing Lead Time | What Is Lead Time & How To Reduce It?

22 min read

Manufacturing companies rely on their ability to get products to customers quickly and efficiently. If it’s one thing customers are not, it’s understanding when it comes to...

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Continuous Improvement

The Most Common Manufacturing KPIs and Metrics to Track & Why | 2023

19 min read

Manufacturing is a highly competitive industry, and the road to success has been uphill for many businesses over the last several years. Table of Contents Criteria for...

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Continuous Improvement

Continuous Manufacturing: Streamlining Production for A Competitive Edge

22 min read

Continuous manufacturing (CM) is a production method that has gained a lot of attention in different industries due to its ability to streamline production, enhance profits...

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Continuous Improvement

How To Increase Productivity in Manufacturing

19 min read

There are several ways to define productivity depending on the context. In terms of manufacturing, productivity relates to the speed at which quality work is performed....

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Continuous Improvement

Gemba Walk Template for Digital Transformation

7 min read

Gemba Walks are an essential tool to understand the challenges of your manufacturing frontline. Each manufacturing facility is unique. The best way to solve your unique...

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Continuous Improvement

How the Best Plant Managers Solve Production Challenges

6 min read

As a manufacturing plant manager, meeting production targets, reducing downtime, and filling empty roles are all ongoing goals. The best plant managers know that these goals...

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Continuous Improvement

How to Improve Performance with Preventative Maintenance

41 min read

Equipment failure is a known evil in the manufacturing world. But unplanned downtime carries a significant cost and hurts overall performance. This week Brian sits down with...

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Continuous Improvement

How to Scale Technology Across Manufacturing Operations with 3M

39 min read

Most manufacturing companies don't have people dedicated to evaluating and deploying modern tools. At best, IT or HR takes responsibility for new technology and doesn't have...

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Continuous Improvement

Mastering Total Quality Management in Manufacturing (TQM) | Strategies and Insights

28 min read

If there’s one consistent thread that unites every manufacturer worldwide, it’s quality. The need to produce a quality product that meets or exceeds the needs and...

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Continuous Improvement

Lean Manufacturing Lessons From Wikipedia

5 min read

When Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, was interviewed on NPR’s “How I Built This,” he revealed a valuable insight — sharing and improving knowledge is hard work. The...

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Continuous Improvement

Manage Workforce Training with Dozuki Courses

4 min read

At Dozuki, we’ve made it our mission to make Standard Work an industry standard. We envision documented standards and worker knowledge continuously improving alongside one...

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Continuous Improvement

What is Standard Work?

6 min read

Lean operations and manufacturers have used Standard Work for decades, yet many companies lack clarity when it comes to this fundamental lean methodology. How is Standard...

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Continuous Improvement

A Lesson in Lean Manufacturing From the North Pole

4 min read

If Santa Claus ran a toy company, he’d have the best lean manufacturing operations in the industry. A lean analysis shows that he delivers custom tailored products to every...

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Continuous Improvement

Lean Thinking vs. Cost Cutting with James Womack

5 min read

When properly applied, lean manufacturing principles cut costs by reducing waste and focusing on value. But many companies make the vital mistake of confusing cost cutting...

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Continuous Improvement

How to Create a Culture of Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

7 min read

If a proper culture of knowledge sharing is in place, the skills that experienced employees possess can be leveraged to improve your business and culture. Every manager knows...

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Continuous Improvement

How to Establish a Lean Culture in 4 Steps

5 min read

An effective lean culture aims to reduce waste and inefficiency while improving the value delivered to customers. The lean organization is a model that’s been historically...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: "Leading Change"

10 min read

"Leading Change" by John Kotter offers an eight-step process for managing change and has become the foundation for organizations around the world. By outlining the process...

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Continuous Improvement

Kaizen and Standardization with Dr. Robert Maurer

7 min read

We spoke with Dr. Robert Maurer, author of “Spirit of Kaizen,” a leading expert in the field of psychology and organizational change, about Kaizen and the role of...

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Continuous Improvement

Lean, Six Sigma, and Quality Management Systems

4 min read

Six Sigma, Lean, and Quality Management are distinct approaches to reducing waste, defects, and providing value to the customer. With so many approaches to process...

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Continuous Improvement

Understanding Value Streams with Karen Martin

6 min read

Employee on-boarding is often overlooked in the business world. We spoke with Karen Martin, author of "Value Stream Mapping" about why all supportive processes are equally...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: “The Joy of Lean”

6 min read

The Dozuki book club is your go-to place for industry books and resources. Our team curates knowledge from industry experts, letting you identify key takeaways and start...

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Continuous Improvement

Embracing Waste in a Lean Culture

6 min read

These days, waste gets a bad rap. ‘Eliminating waste’ is such a common phrase among lean and six sigma practitioners, the two words are practically inseparable. The problem...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: “The Machine That Changed the World”

7 min read

The Dozuki book club is your go-to place for industry books and resources. Our team curates knowledge from industry experts, letting you identify key takeaways and start...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: "Value Stream Mapping" (part 2)

6 min read

The Dozuki book club is your go-to place for industry books and resources. Our team curates knowledge from industry experts, letting you identify key takeaways and start...

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Continuous Improvement

Navigating Processes: Standard Work vs. Work Instructions

4 min read

The manufacturing industry is a professional arena with an overwhelming variety of industry terms and acronyms. We’ve tried to make a list of the most common Lean terms...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: "Value Stream Mapping" (Part 1)

9 min read

The Dozuki book club is your go-to place for industry books and resources. Our team curates knowledge from industry experts, letting you identify key takeaways and start...

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Continuous Improvement

Why Standard Work is a Contradiction

4 min read

We recently wrote a popular article about a major mistake at a nuclear waste facility. In short, we cited poor standard revision processes as the root cause of the mistake,...

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Continuous Improvement

Implementing Continuous Improvement with Dozuki

3 min read

Is your company interested in reaping the benefits of continuous improvement (transparency, efficiency, cost reductions, etc.) but aren't sure where to begin? Dozuki has you...

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Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement Culture: How Software Can & Can't Help

5 min read

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement is a complex challenge that varies across industries. In the digital age, software solutions are starting to have a real impact...

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Continuous Improvement

Top 10 Lean Manufacturing Quotes from Henry Ford

1 min read

Henry Ford was a very quotable man. His timeless insights range from practical business tips to clairvoyant-esque predictions about the dairy industry. While some of his...

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Continuous Improvement

5 Reasons Continuous Improvement Teams Fail

4 min read

In identifying what makes a continuous improvement team successful, it’s most helpful to look at where they fail. Anyone can retroactively attribute key factors to success,...

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Continuous Improvement

Book Club: "The Spirit of Kaizen"

12 min read

About the Dozuki Book Club: Your go-to place for industry books and resources. Our team works hard to curate knowledge from industry experts, letting you quickly identify key...

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Continuous Improvement

The Ultimate Lean Glossary

5 min read

The world of Lean Manufacturing is full of acronyms and industry buzzwords. No glossary could encompass the full breadth of terminology, but it’s always helpful to have a...

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Continuous Improvement

Top 10 Taiichi Ohno Quotes

1 min read

Wise quotes can inspire. Insightful sayings have the power to spark change and foster a culture of creativity and quality. Whether it’s on a sticky note clinging desperately...

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Continuous Improvement

Upgrading Processes with Continuous Improvement

7 min read

Many companies implement formal versions of Lean or Agile methods, but others have grown with the flexibility that continuous improvement provides, giving them the freedom to...

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Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement for Writing: How Better Technical Writing Increases Efficiency

3 min read

When you regard continuous improvement as a mindset, rather than just a procedural practice, you realize it has a much wider set of applications. For most of us, it’s clear...

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Continuous Improvement

A Quick 5 Step Guide to Lean Product Development

8 min read

In the fast-paced world of product research and development, lean methodology can help reduce waste and shorten delivery times. This guide outlines five quick steps to bring...

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