LEGO Lessons, the Transparent Plant, and Managing Supplier Quality

With the right outlook and tools at hand, you can find places for continuous improvement all around you. Detailed in this week's roundup, these tools could come in the form of, say, the latest in manufacturing and data automation software, improved relationships with suppliers, or...a set of colorful plastic building blocks popular with children?

Read on to find out how leaders are leveraging these and other tools to optimize quality and efficiency in operations.  

In Pursuit of the Transparent Manufacturing Plant

Apriso’s recent publication discusses how manufacturers are seeking ways to find the systems and functionality requirements that allow for plant transparency; in effect, taking full control of quality management. Specific manufacturing software coupled with big data can provide complete accuracy on all processes, down to the nuts and bolts of a product. Fred Thomas highlights a past Wall Street Journal article that discusses how Raytheon and Harley-Davidson are using manufacturing software and data automation to control all functions within the plant. Thomas also provides insight into how to capture and measure data. Read more.

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The LNS Research team has held extensive conversations with employees of both Raytheon and Harley-Davidson in the areas of Quality Management and Manufacturing Operations Management, more specifically as part of our Global Executive Council. To learn how your organization can access best practices and benchmarking data as well as network with like-minded executives, click here.

Leadership Lessons from LEGOS

During a three day LEGO challenge with his daughter, Ken Perlman of Kotter International realized that the elements that made his experience entertaining and satisfying are the same when applied to leading change within an organization. This Forbes article provides five leadership principals. Learn how painting a picture of success, instructions, interchangeable parts, team work, and overall quality are important to change leadership in for your organization. Courtesy of LEGOS.

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Distributed versus Centralized Scanning: Making a Choice for Document Management

The number of organizations that are looking to implement document control management systems is growing. In a world of continuous improvement initiatives and quality management, gone are the days of fully manual systems. One question that many ask when considering implementation: Is decentralized or centralized scanning better? While the answer depends on the nature of your business, IBS provides an explanation of each approach to assist in the debate. Read more.

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Why Supplier Relationships and Defining Quality Matter

Our Mike Roberts recently spoke with Pieter Vande Vusse, Director of Quality at Lange-Mekra North America, a manufacturer of rear-view vision systems for commercial vehicles. With more than 15 years of experience in quality, sourcing, and production management in the automotive industry, he has developed a strong understanding of what drives success in supplier quality management. Learn about Pieter's experiences as well as the recommendations that he has for managing supplier quality. Executive Q&A.

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