Welcome to the September 2005 edition of our monthly newsletter, Learning to Lean. In this month's edition, we will cover the topic of lean administrative processes.

Announcements

On September 21st in Carlsbad, 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. On October 5th, we are offering a workshop on one-piece or continuous flow manufacturing cells. Click here for details.

Following is a list of all scheduled public workshops. Each of them is in Carlsbad, CA. We can also bring any of these courses (and many others) to your facility.

Course (click on date to register/read more)	Date
Value Stream Mapping	Sep 21, 2005
Creating Continuous Flow Manufacturing Cells	Oct 5, 2005
Material Flow and Kanban	Oct 19, 2005
Lean Production Control and Inventory Management	Nov 2, 2005
Kaizen Events: 5S, Visual Controls, and Mistake Proofing	Nov 16, 2005

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

Lean Administrative Processes

Last month we covered the process of implementing one-piece or continuous flow in a manufacturing operation. This month we will cover applying lean concepts to the office.

Applying lean concepts to administrative processes is often difficult for most organizations. In manufacturing, beginning with 5S is a great way to kick-start a lean program. For administrative processes, it is not quite so simple. While 5S can be applied to the office, its benefits are not as immediately observed. There are rarely metrics in place to monitor progress (such as quality, productivity, lead time, etc.). Rather than beginning with a 5S program in the office, it often makes more sense to identify areas of opportunity for process improvement based on specific improvement metrics and then apply process kaizen tools such as 5S, visual controls, and others. In our first article this month, we discuss the seven wastes as they apply to administrative processes. In our second article, we discuss process improvement methods for administrative processes.

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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EMS Consulting Group, Inc. - 7040 Avenida Encinas, Suite 140-189 - Carlsbad, CA 92011