Lean Manufacturing

Many companies talk about being ‘Lean’. They use buzz words, phrases, and acronyms like QRM, Six Sigma, JIT, 5S, Poka-Yoke, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Gemba Walks, Kanban and more. 

 While there is no concrete, factual data about the number of companies that are successful in their Lean/Continuous Improvement programs, the consensus is that very few organizations are able to achieve their Lean/Improvement goals. The reality is that only a small part of Lean success comes from the tools used. Most success comes from the engagement of people.  

We have studied traditional and progressive Lean Manufacturing practices from around the world to make our process repeatable, sustainable, and scalable for our customers. We adapt and apply these practices into our own processes to bring bottom-line value. 

Operator Information System (OIS)

When a process is ready to be released for production, IGMs proprietary Operator Information System (OIS) software provides step-by-step visual work instructions to associates, ensuring repeatability, traceability and consistency in production. Built-in checks and balances in workflow flag any error instantly so a mistake can be corrected prior to the product advancing to another stage of production. OIS data, combined with operator insights at every stage of manufacturing, drives continuous improvement and process innovation. It provides a heartbeat for the manufacturing line, and the team can adjust accordingly to meet customer needs. 

The key to our Lean Success is our people. Streamlined manufacturing processes are supported and maintained by 6 dedicated Lean Engineers along with the full engineering and production teams. The team is – Always Thinking Differently! At FabTech-IGM, we believe in encouraging and celebrating our associates for providing process improvement ideas since we know that they are experts in their respective skillsets. We’re successful in promoting this creative thinking by engaging in daily morning meetings to stimulate idea generation and provide the necessary support to execute meaningful and sustainable changes. 

We build a culture of continuous improvement throughout our entire workforce, and it shows. Creative thinking is evident by the thousands of recorded suggestions that the team provides every year. We celebrate our success at end-of-year awards ceremonies for the best suggestions in a variety of classes. The company spends several days highlighting the ideas, how they were implemented and the bottom-line impact that those improvements have had on the customer, the company and the whole team.