Assisted by AEM Consulting Group, Valley Plating Works successfully obtained ISO 9001 certification. Now in their 82nd year of business with the third generation firmly at the helm, Valley Plating Works continually demonstrates the ability to satisfy customers. Sustained market adaptability, technology innovation, green environmental operation and stable employment for their skilled and dedicated team … Read more
The bottom line and definition of lean manufacturing is the relentless elimination of waste. In short, waste is anything that does not add value to what a company produces. Waste is found in all areas of a company and may include: materials, time, human resources, and capital. In the early 20th century Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford relentlessly pursued the … Read more
Documents and documentation techniques are hot topics these days. The ISO 9001 Standard brings this to the forefront with a section entitled “Documentation requirements.” Moreover, Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) systems have long stressed that good documentation is a key to sustaining successful processes. This article describes a user-friendly technique for … Read more
Are you ever frustrated because your ideas for implementing change in your company fizzle or at best lead to mediocre results? Here is an easy to utilize tool that often gets overlooked, but almost always yields results. Have you ever heard the statement, “what gets measured, gets improved”? Setting and communicating specific, measurable objectives of … Read more
For a lot of us, now begins the post-summer quest for continuous improvement. After all isn’t that part of starting a new school year and acquiring new skills and learning? Any environment where dramatic, progressive change and innovation occurs requires a process for improvement. ISO 9001 type quality management systems have a built-in means … Read more
Lean manufacturing does not mean doing more with fewer people. The desire for greater output with a smaller workforce is widespread. Stock prices rise at the mere mention of down-sizing. However that was never the intent of lean. Our definition of lean is: “Establishing a culture where people are given the expectation, education, resources and … Read more
Confused about Lean? Don’t feel alone. Today’s constantly growing plethora of lean this and lean that is confusing to say the least. While some in the U.S. were applying Japanese manufacturing techniques well before the eighties, these days everyone is an “expert” with the consulting industry and academia minting new acronyms, developing new tools, methods, … Read more
All of us whether it is in our companies or our daily lives are at least talking about implementing something. Maybe it’s starting an exercise program, some home improvement, or a lean transformation which starts with a kaizen event for your assembly line. Implementing something new is how we hope to get better results or … Read more
21st Annual International Conference on ISO 9000 Doug Anton presents a brief review of the aerospace industry dynamics behind the Rev. C changes to AS9100 and the additional impact of AS9101. This revision means much more than changes to the standard. It showcases the heightened expectations of the prime aerospace companies to cull the supply … Read more
As January comes to a close and February begins, many of our well- intentioned New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Even if we have had less than stellar success, we needn’t completely give up. This year we can show improvement if we exert even some effort. A common resolution for many of us … Read more