Welcome to the February edition of our monthly newsletter, Learning to Lean. In this month's edition, we continue our focus on the basics of lean implementation.

Announcements

On February 17th in Orange, CA , we are offering a training workshop on one of the fundamentals of implementing lean manufacturing, Value Stream Mapping. Value Stream Mapping is a powerful tool for analyzing material and information flow and planning improvement activities. Click here for details. Following is a list of all scheduled public workshops. Each of them is in Orange, CA. We can also bring any of these courses to your facility.

Course (click on date to register/read more)	Date
Value Stream Mapping	Feb 17, 2005
Creating Continuous Flow Manufacturing Cells	Mar 10, 2005
Lean Production Control and Inv. Mgmt.	Mar 31, 2005
Material Flow and Kanban (purchased parts)	Apr 14, 2005
Kaizen Events: 5S, Visual Controls, and Mistake Proofing	May 5, 2005

Click here for details on all of our training offerings, both on-site at your facility and public.

This month, we will be also be presenting at the Outsourcing World Summit 2005 in San Diego, CA. Our topic will be "Manufacturing Services Outsourcing and the Lean Enterprise."

Implementing Lean

Last month we began our Implementing Lean series by giving our readers an overview of lean implementation, examining the basics of building a foundation for lean, and reviewing the seven wastes. This month, we will focus on lean culture plus two fundamental lean tools, 5S and Value Stream Mapping. 5S is often talked about as an excellent tool for beginning in lean, and it certainly can serve as a powerful tool for beginning to involve employees at all levels of the organization. Value Stream Mapping is a fundamental tool for planning lean improvements; without it, organizations often end up pursuing improvements based on gut feel rather than prioritizing based on bottom-line impact.

This month we feature three articles that should help you understand more about effectively implementing. Firstly, we give you an overview of value stream mapping. Our second article talks about effective 5S implementation. In our third article, we talk about creating a lean culture.

The materials referenced in this newsletter will teach you more about implementing lean effectively. If the articles, links, and books to the left have piqued your interest and you would like to learn more, feel free to call us at 866-559-5598 or visit our website and click on "Contact Us."

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