Lean Manufacturing Press Release – Part I

For some time now, Osborne Wood Products, Inc. has been exploring the world of Lean Management, and striving to make it a part of the way that they do business.  Lean Management took Osborne by storm when Leon Osborne initiated consultation from Georgia Tech University, in order to make the facility more efficient. Processes were revamped and the shop was rearranged completely, while lead time and cost were greatly reduced.  Recently, it was realized that a new team member was needed, in keeping with that goal; a coordinator and facilitator of the changes needing to be made, helping to educate about the lean process, along the way.

Bob Ward has come on board with Osborne as their Lean Management Coordinator (or, in lean terms, the “Lean Champion.”).  Ward’s role will be to work with each department and determine the ways that each can run more efficiently.  He lives in West Union, SC with his wife Elaine, and they have two grown children.  Though he lives in South Carolina, Ward is no stranger to Toccoa, having worked out of Toccoa for 18 years with Coats North American.

Consistent use of lean management in the US is still fairly new.  Although technically lean initiatives got their start with Henry Ford and the Model T, they were not commonly used and practiced until the last 25 years or so.  In Japan, however, lean management and manufacturing techniques have been in use for the last 50 years.  In fact, it was this very same technique that enabled the Japanese to rebuild so strongly in the Post World War II era.

Osborne hopes to use Lean Manufacturing techniques to give them a competitive edge, and to prepare the business to achieve excellence in any economic climate.  To achieve this, they needed to create a role specifically for an individual who could both educate current employees concerning lean processes, and also coordinate and facilitate the changes that would need to be taking place.  This is the role that Ward is now occupying.

Ward has had a great deal of training in lean processes, having worked extensively in Engineering Management positions, with training and specialization in Lean Management.  Ward worked for Coats North America for 22 years, 18 of which he had spent in Toccoa, as previously mentioned.  He also worked for Milliken, a global producer of chemical and textile products, carrying out similar roles.  In addition to his experience, Ward has a B.S. in Administrative Management from Clemson University, as well as additional courses in lean training and ergonomics from North Carolina State University.  Ward has also completed a year of training with Harris Lean Systems.

When asked to give a definition for Lean Management and Manufacturing, Ward said that people are often confused about what “Lean” really means, so he clarified, “Lean is about eliminating waste.  Anything that adds cost without adding value is waste.  That can mean unnecessary steps, extra motion in transportation, defects, or even too much inventory.”  Ward added that too much inventory, while usually seen as an asset, is actually waste because all of the money invested in that inventory is tied there, it cannot be used anywhere else if need be.  Ultimately, lean manufacturing is involved with speed, flexibility, and elimination of waste.

One area of waste can also be the failure to take advantage of employee knowledge.  For this reason Ward is taking a few weeks with each department to learn the ropes of each department and getting feedback from the members of each team.  For instance, Ward spent some time in the office with Osborne customer service representatives, learning the ins and outs of taking customer orders, and troubleshooting any customer service issues that might come up.  From there he spent time in the warehouse with the shipping department; learning about Osborne’s process of keeping inventory, and shipping orders.  He also spent some time with the director of marketing, and is presently finishing up by spending time on the shop floor with the production crew.  While he observes and even participates in the processes that keep things going at Osborne, he will be gaining experience that will inform his analysis of the value of each process.  This information will prove invaluable as he progresses in his role with Osborne.

Six Sigma – so named for the statistical measurement of quality level – is a system that goes hand-in-hand with Lean.  Six Sigma is a process that strives to improve the quality of a process’ results by finding and eliminating the causes of errors and variations in the manufacturing process.  An error or “defect” is defined very broadly as anything which might lead to the dissatisfaction of the customer.  The process is highly structured, with sequential steps and financial targets.  An expert in the Six Sigma process is referred to as a Black Belt, and Mr. Ward hopes to achieve this status by June 26.
Leon Osborne, CEO, has said, “Lean Management embraces the values that we have been committed to since our inception in 1979.  The strength of Lean is in combining the involvement of associates in every business activity with the process of measuring waste, having a goal of continuous improvement.  We are excited to have Bob Ward join our team as our Lean Champion”

Above:  Bob Ward, Lean Management Coordinator

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