10/12/2010 by Andrew Nicholson.

Do you know it’s “Plain English Day” today?  The Plain English Campaign is a group who fight against the use of jargon and gobbledygook in public information from private and public service organisations.

We try very hard to be jargon-free, but how should you define jargon?  Surely one man’s jargon is another’s everyday language, particularly when related to the industry you work in?  In the business improvements sector there are lots of opportunities to use specialist vocabulary.  Words like:

5S      CANDO      Kaizen      Kanban      Muda      SMED      and lots more besides.

They are common enough terms in our day-to-day operations, so are they considered “jargon”?  (If you’re really keen to know what they are, you can consult the Lean Glossary of Terms!)

We consider jargon to be meaningless phrases - phrases that use lots of words where one or two will do; language that confuses the message, rather than clarifies it.  So what meaningless phrases would you get rid of?  What makes you cringe when you hear it?

Here’s a selection of our most annoying jargon:

“at the end of the day”
“at this particular moment in time”
“telling it like it is”
“thinking outside the box”
“it’s not rocket science”
“I personally think …”
“I always give 110%”

… but I bet I’m guilty of using some of them!

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14/06/2010 by Andrew Nicholson.

Following our successful work with James Heal in Halifax, TheBusinessDesk.com have run an article on James Heal’s achievements.

As well as helping the directors with their strategy for growth, Andrew worked with the Engineering Director to create a long-term Operational Excellence programme from the Manufacturing strategy.  He also helped them to introduce the concept of Lean across the workforce through “hands-on” training workshops.  Neil Pryke and his team have now identified where improvements need to be made, and with help from the managers and supervisors have achieved some important “Quick-Wins”.

The full case study can be downloaded from our website.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of using the Lean approach in your business, you might find it useful to come along to one of our Introduction to Lean workshops.

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28/05/2010 by Andrew Nicholson.

We’ve been working with James Heal  since February 2009, and they’re going from strength to strength.  They’re now opening their doors to the manufacturing public for one morning, through the MAS YH Inside Industry programme, to let others see how they’ve started on their Lean journey, what they’ve achieved so far, and what their next steps will be.

The visit takes place on Tuesday 15 June 2010.

If you’ve been considering introducing Lean into your business, but are still unsure, or if you’d like to see how your company could benefit by introducing Lean, come along to the vist and ask those who have taken the plunge themselves.  For more information on our work with James H Heal & Co Ltd, visit our website.  Or visit Inside Industry  to book a place on this half-day factory visit.

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05/05/2010 by Andrew Nicholson.

Did you know about the Business Development Vouchers accessed through Business Link Yorkshire?

Eligible businesses can now undertake a 100% funded programme with us using the Business Development Vouchers, to work with your senior management team to undergo a strategic business review; to develop a practical business strategy; and to work with you to implement the key actions to achieve your goals.

Are you eligible?

• Is the business located in Yorkshire & Humber?
• Is the business over 36 months old?
• Does the business employ over 4/5 people?
• Are you committed to achieving change and have some ideas of how to move forward?
• By undertaking the Strategic Business Review, will you create new jobs, safeguard existing jobs, increase profitable turnover?

The service is 100% funded by Business Link and delivered at a fixed price of £3,000 (exc VAT).

Why not take a look at our Business Strategy page or our downloadable Strategy information sheet, and if you have any questions either about the Business Development Vouchers, or about Business Strategy and Strategic Reviews, just drop me an email.

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21/04/2010 by Andrew Nicholson.

Taking place on Thursday 22 April, this Foundation Day is a great opportunity for you to learn some of the basics of Lean.  The Lean Consortium programme is an innovative training programme, designed to help you introduce and improve your employees’ understanding of Lean, and to develop your Lean Leaders skills to take your essential improvement projects forward and instil a culture of continuous improvement throughout the business.

The Foundation Day is a free day of learning and demonstration from The Lean Consortium where you will learn the foundations of implementing and sustaining key lean techniques in your company.  You can participate in a live demonstration of the difference the programme can make to your business processes.

Full information is available at The Lean Consortium website, or contact John Macdonald on 07957 336856.

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02/09/2009 by Andrew Nicholson.

SMED - Single Minute Exchange of Dies - is a well-established method used to reduce how long it takes to set-up or changeover your machinery.  Did you know that when applying SMED techniques for the first time it’s often possible to halve the time taken?  Just think what that could mean for your business.

Is this something you’ve implemented?  Or perhaps you’ve considered using SMED but aren’t sure how to go about it?  We’ve been working hard on putting together a SMED training package, with a 13 minute video demonstrating the SMED process, step-by-step, to help you get the benefits of set-up reduction.  We’ve also included Excel spreadsheet templates so you’ll have everything you need to get started.

The whole package is available to download at £16.95 plus VAT and we’re so convinced of its value for money that we’re offering a money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied.  Take a look at our SMED video webpage for more information.

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08/06/2009 by Andrew Nicholson.

How often has your organisation started the drive to improve; and how often has it dwindled away?  During this workshop we will look at the necessity of good leadership and focus on developing Leadership skills at all levels of the organisation in order to sustain the momentum of an improvement initiative.  If this is a topic you’re interested in, take a look at the full details on our website.

You may not be able to attend this particular event, but the good news is we can run this - and other workshops - in-house for you for a minimum of 8 participants, giving you a more tailored event, addressing your own particular issues.  Contact us for further information.

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03/06/2009 by Andrew Nicholson.

Just to keep you updated - the job opportunity at RMS is no longer available (see blog posting 21/4/09).

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27/05/2009 by Andrew Nicholson.

We’ve introduced a new section on our website, where we’re adding downloadable documents covering various aspects of Lean.  So far we’ve added information on CANDO / 5S and the Seven Wastes.  We aim to add regularly to the information which you can download, and will be adding a SMED information page soon.

Let us know if there’s a particular Lean topic you’d like covered and we’ll try to include it.

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20/05/2009 by Andrew Nicholson.

Wednesday, 3 June, 9.00am to 12.30pm.

Analox Sensor Technology Ltd is hosting an Inside Industry visit, organised by MAS YH.  Analox is a company we have worked with for many years on its operational excellence programme, including developing employees’ skills in such improvement tools and techniques as Design for Manufacture, FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), 5S / Workplace Organisation, Performance Monitoring, Process Layout, as well as helping to develop the Analox 5-year strategy for growth.  Based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, the company specialises in the design and manufacture of gas sensors and analysers and currently employs 64 people.

If you’d like to see Analox in action, and hear the experiences of those who’ve undertaken improvement projects with us, call us on 0191 492 8200, or visit our website for more contact details.

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