Sunday, February 8, 2009
An expert on "lean manufacturing" says there's no doubt manufacturers who adopt the system see lots of improvements in addition to increased profits.
Richard Andrews of Longview, former CEO of Stemco, Inc., will share his years of knowledge and expertise with area manufacturers during a free workshop 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce, 813 N. Kilgore St.
Sponsored by Kilgore College's Small Business Development Center, the chamber and the Kilgore Economic Development Corporation, "Lean Manufacturing — An Executive Perspective" will introduce principles to help manufacturing companies survive and thrive in a world of global competitiveness. Seating is limited and preregistration is required. For more information or to register for the seminar, call (903) 757-5857 or e-mail jhughes@kilgore.edu.
Andrews, a consultant for KC and Texas State Technical College at Marshall, has 43 years experience in manufacturing, more that 12 years in lean manufacturing and currently serves as president of the board of directors of Longview Economic Development Corp. He also serves on the board of Phillips Industries in Los Angeles, Calif.,, which manufactures electrical components for heavy duty trucks, and Tri State Delivery, Inc., in Texarkana, a trucking company.
Lean manufacturing is based on principles of the Toyota Production System, made famous by Toyota Motors, he said, and it focuses on eliminating waste by using a number of core principles and techniques.
"It's been demonstrated that companies who adopt lean manufacturing improve performance in terms of reduced costs and reduced inventory, as well improved customer service and improved profitability," he said. "If I'm an executive of a manufacturing company, I've probably thought about a strategy for my business, and a part of my strategy would be operational excellence. I would want to become better at what I do and the way to achieve that strategy is to adopt lean manufacturing systems, principals and techniques."
He adds, "Operational excellence is a strategic weapon when you're competing against competitors."
"So the management of the company, including me, decided the best way to compete was to change from traditional to lean manufacturing," Andrews said. "We hired a couple of people with experience in lean manufacturing and then we started training all of our people — all production workers, all management, all supervisors."
He said lean manufacturing is a "continuous learning process," but well worth the effort."
Andrews said Merritt Tool in Kilgore has adopted some lean manufacturing principles and has made some good progress.
"I have visited their factory and it is very impressive," Andrews said.
He said tough economic times may dissuade some manufactures from making changes, but this is really a good time to make a change.
He said he likes to help companies to be more competitive and help them create jobs. The southern Indiana native said he loves living and working in East Texas and he wants to help keep jobs here.
"We don't want to lose out to China or Mexico. We want American manufacturing to be competitive. If we're competitive, we're going to keep those jobs in the United States," he said.
"Manufacturing jobs are extremely important because they create wealth," Andrews said. And for every manufacturing job, there is a multiplier effect and seven other jobs are created. As manufacturing increases, retail development follows behind it. People have money to spend, so they want to shop and go out to eat."
