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Preventative Maintenance Tips for Forges that Cut and Process Metal
Sun Aug 20 2017 / Forges, best practices, blade failure, blade life, blade selection, bottlenecks, continuous improvement, LIT, operator training, predictive management, preventative maintenance, productivity, quality, workflow process,
While some downtime is inevitable, more and more forges and other industrial metal-cutting companies are discovering that proper maintenance and proactive care of equipment can significantly reduce its occurrence. The problem is that maintenance departments are typically busy putting out fires, which pushes anything “preventative” to the side. Why take the time to stop a […]
Reducing Operator Error in Your Machine Shop
Tue Aug 15 2017 / Machine Shops, best practices, blade failure, bottlenecks, continuous improvement, human capital, LIT, operator training, productivity, quality, Safety, workflow process,
A top goal of every operations manager is to reduce error on the shop floor, whether it be mechanical error or human error. While 0% error rates are pretty hard to achieve, the reality is that even a small percentage of error can quickly add up. An article from Competitive Production puts this into perspective: […]
Four Ways Fabricators Can Encourage Lean Success
Thu Aug 10 2017 / Fabricators, best practices, continuous improvement, employee incentives, Employee Morale, human capital, lean manufacturing, LIT, operator training, productivity, resource allocation,
Continuous improvement and lean manufacturing are certainly not new concepts to today’s fabricators. The numerous benefits of “getting lean” have been widely accepted, which means that most shops have already undergone some type of improvement initiative. In many cases, understanding the benefits of lean manufacturing is not the challenge. The real challenge is making the […]
Four Ways Fabricators Can Encourage Lean Success
Thu Aug 10 2017 / Fabricators, best practices, continuous improvement, employee incentives, Employee Morale, human capital, lean manufacturing, LIT, operator training, productivity, resource allocation,
Continuous improvement and lean manufacturing are certainly not new concepts to today’s fabricators. The numerous benefits of “getting lean” have been widely accepted, which means that most shops have already undergone some type of improvement initiative. In many cases, understanding the benefits of lean manufacturing is not the challenge. The real challenge is making the […]
Developing Strong Talent in Your Fabrication Shop
Mon Jul 10 2017 / Fabricators, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, LIT, maintaining talent, operator training, productivity, quality, skills gap, strategic planning,
Historically, the trend has been for metal companies to put process over people. The manufacturing industry’s shortage of workers with the necessary skills (also known as the “skills gap”), however, is forcing companies to allocate resources back to their workforce. For many companies, this means changing the way they train and maintain talent, whether that […]
Metal Fabricators Looking for Growth in 2017
Wed May 10 2017 / Fabricators, best practices, continuous improvement, customer service, human capital, industry news, maintaining talent, productivity, skills gap,
Based on expert forecasts and industry sentiment, the outlook for 2017 continues to be hopeful. As stated in LIT’s 2017 Industrial Metal-Cutting Outlook, metal fabricators and other industrial metal-cutting organizations are getting more and more optimistic about the near future, and recent market data looks promising. While the latest outlook from the Manufacturers Alliance for […]
Strategies to Help Metal Service Centers Keep Safety First
Sat Aug 05 2017 / Metal Service Centers, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, LIT, operations metrics, operator training, productivity, quality, Safety, strategic planning,
Safety is one of those issues that every manufacturer knows is important, yet as evidenced by the unending list of OSHA fines, it is pretty clear that it often slips through the cracks. Even big name companies like Exxon can fall short. Put simply, your manufacturing operation can never be too safe. Like any other process […]
Metal Service Centers Take Action in 2017
Fri May 05 2017 / Metal Service Centers, agility, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, optimization, strategic planning,
Although 2016 didn’t end on a high note for metal service centers, many industry leaders and experts are confident about 2017.   Growing Confidence Overall, 2016 wasn’t a stellar year for service centers. According to the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), service center shipments in the U.S. and Canada finished 2016 with year-over-year declines in […]
Apprenticeships May Help Your Service Center Fill Skills Gaps
Sun Mar 05 2017 / Metal Service Centers, best practices, industry news, LIT, maintaining talent, operator training, productivity, quality, skills gap, strategic planning,
Data from the U.S. Labor Department continues to show that the skills gap is real. As reported here by the Wall Street Journal, the number of open manufacturing jobs has been rising since 2009, and 2016 registered the highest number in the past 15 years. Why does this continue to be an issue? According to […]
Reducing Operator Error in Your Machine Shop
Tue Aug 15 2017 / Machine Shops, best practices, blade failure, bottlenecks, continuous improvement, human capital, LIT, operator training, productivity, quality, Safety, workflow process,
A top goal of every operations manager is to reduce error on the shop floor, whether it be mechanical error or human error. While 0% error rates are pretty hard to achieve, the reality is that even a small percentage of error can quickly add up. An article from Competitive Production puts this into perspective: […]
Making Your Machine Shop More Sustainable
Sat Jul 15 2017 / Machine Shops, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, LIT, resource allocation, strategic planning,
As we reported in last month’s blog, “Machine Outlook for 2017 and Beyond,” market conditions continue to look good for machine shops and other industrial metal-cutting operations. Even in a good market, however, industry leaders know it is important to continue to watch costs. Any edge you can carve out against the competition is beneficial. […]
Machine Shop Outlook for 2017 and Beyond
Sat May 20 2017 / Machine Shops, agility, best practices, continuous improvement, industry news, LIT, operator training, predictive management, resource allocation, strategic planning,
The year started out on a high note for machine shops, and current reports suggest the upward trend will continue throughout 2017. How should machine shops respond? A Bright Picture The new year meant good things for machine shops and other industrial metalworking companies. According to the Gardner Business Index, the metalworking industry grew in […]
Preventative Maintenance Tips for Forges that Cut and Process Metal
Sun Aug 20 2017 / Forges, best practices, blade failure, blade life, blade selection, bottlenecks, continuous improvement, LIT, operator training, predictive management, preventative maintenance, productivity, quality, workflow process,
While some downtime is inevitable, more and more forges and other industrial metal-cutting companies are discovering that proper maintenance and proactive care of equipment can significantly reduce its occurrence. The problem is that maintenance departments are typically busy putting out fires, which pushes anything “preventative” to the side. Why take the time to stop a […]
How Gemba Visits Can Benefit Your Metal Forge
Thu Jul 20 2017 / Forges, continuous improvement, Employee Morale, lean manufacturing, LIT, maintaining talent, operator training, productivity, quality, strategic planning,
Like most industrial manufacturing segments, metal forges have embraced lean manufacturing and the benefits it can bring. Although not every operation has the resources to undergo a total lean transformation, industry leaders like Jorgensen Forge have adopted simple lean tools and practices to eliminate waste, lower costs, and improve customer responsiveness. One lean manufacturing tool […]
Metal Forges Focus on Advancement in 2017
Thu May 25 2017 / Forges, continuous improvement, Cost Management, human capital, industry news, lean manufacturing, LIT, skills gap, strategic planning, supply chain,
  Broad spectrum forecasts continue to look positive for manufacturers. As reported in our 2017 Industrial Metal-Cutting Outlook, experts believe that 2017 will be a year of growth for industrial manufacturing. Specifically, the latest outlook from MAPI says that industrial manufacturing growth should be 1.2% in 2017 and then accelerate to 2.6% in 2018. Manufacturers […]
Achieving Operational Excellence in a High-Mix Industrial Metal-Cutting Operation
Thu Aug 03 2017 / General Metals Industry, best practices, continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, LIT, production planning, productivity, strategic planning, workflow process,
Over the last 20 years, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other improvement techniques have changed the face of manufacturing. Kaizen programs, 5S, value-stream mapping, and other lean strategies have rendered impressive results in high-volume manufacturing plants around the world. However, not every lean principle is an off-the-shelf solution for operational efficiency. This is especially true […]
2017 Industrial Metal-Cutting Outlook
Sat Apr 01 2017 / General Metals Industry, benchmarking, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, LIT, maintaining talent, operations metrics, optimization, performance metrics, productivity, skills gap, supplier relationships,
While no one would likely call it a “boom,” recent months have provided good news for industrial manufacturing. Reports have been positive, and business confidence among metal-cutting companies and other industrial manufacturers is up. Experts admit that some challenges and risks remain, but most believe that growth will continue in 2017 and well into 2018. […]
Aerospace May Offer Opportunities to Industrial Metal-Cutting Companies
Wed Mar 01 2017 / General Metals Industry, agility, blade failure, blade life, blade selection, customer service, industry news, LIT, strategic planning,
As we reported in last month’s blog, experts consider aerospace to be one of the strongest industries. In one report from the Metal Service Center Institute, Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Teal Group Corporation, said that aerospace was the only industry that saw growth acceleration through the recession and that the civil […]
Engaging Employees Is Key to Continuous Improvement in Your Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing Operation
Fri Dec 30 2016 / Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturers, best practices, continuous improvement, Employee Morale, LIT, maintaining talent, operator training, strategic planning,
There is no question continuous improvement is critical to succeeding in today’s market. Case in point: two of the three industrial metal-cutting companies featured here in a case study on top performers listed continuous improvement as an imperative operational strategy and best practice that sets their operations above the rest. It’s also widely accepted that continuous […]
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturers Focus on Sustainability as Strategy
Wed Nov 30 2016 / Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturers, best practices, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry news, LIT, operator training, preventative maintenance, ROI, strategic planning,
In today’s challenging market, any edge you can carve out against the competition is beneficial. While traditional improvement strategies such as lean manufacturing, ongoing training, and preventative maintenance can help improve your operational success, top performers are looking beyond long-established methods to differentiate themselves from their competitors. According to the brief, “Resource Allocation Strategies for […]
Using Predictive Analytics in Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
Sun Oct 30 2016 / Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturers, Uncategorized, agility, benchmarking, best practices, bottlenecks, continuous improvement, Cost Management, industry, LIT, predictive management, preventative maintenance, quality, strategic planning, workf,
In today’s competitive and quickly changing market, manufacturers are finding that it pays to be proactive—not reactive—in their strategic approaches. That’s why a growing number of industrial manufacturers are starting to take a serious look at advanced technologies like predictive analytics, which allows them to not only measure performance, but to also predict and prevent […]