We have announced dates for our Fall 2008 Lean Certification Training Program. All classes will take place at the Doubletree Club Hotel Orange County Airport in Santa Ana, CA.

Course (click on date to register/read more)	Date
Lean Certification Program	Aug 13, 2008 - November 13, 2008
Introduction to Implementing Lean	Aug 13, 2008
Value Stream Mapping	Aug 14, 2008
Kaizen Events: 5S, Visual Controls, and Mistake Proofing	Sep 10, 2008
Quick Changeover and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)	Sep 11, 2008
Creating Continuous Flow Manufacturing Cells	Oct 15, 2008
Material Flow and Kanban	Oct 16, 2008
Lean Production Control and Inventory Mgmt.	Nov 12, 2008

Any of the above courses (plus many others) can be brought to your facility and customized to meet your requirements.

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

Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping is one of the most misunderstood tools within the lean framework. It is different from process mapping or flowcharting, and it is probably best understood by the name "Material and Information Flow Mapping." Value stream mapping is a tool for mapping, understanding, and improving material and information flow. Material and information flow can be mapped within a factory, for a segment of the supply chain, or for an entire supply chain.

This month we feature four articles that should help you understand value stream mapping. First, we give you an overview of the basics of value stream mapping. In our second and third articles, we talk about current and future state mapping, respectively. Finally, our fourth article talks about extended value stream improvement metrics.

The materials referenced in this newsletter will teach you more about lean. If 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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EMS Consulting Group, Inc. - 7040 Avenida Encinas, Suite 104-189 - Carlsbad, CA 92011