Automated systems can be difficult to modify, but significant improvement can be gained with a bit of creative thought and taking a big picture approach. Watch the video case study for some changes this factory made.

At a manufacturing site the focus is often on the production process itself. As a result, up- and down-stream activities seem to receive less attention. If the end-of-line function is in the spotlight, it’s probably because they impacted production.

This departmentalised mindset is detrimental. It neglects the fact that an entire site must function together. It’s bad for culture, degrading the inputs that a team makes to the process; it overlooks improvement opportunities, by not giving due attention to all areas; and worst of all, it can impact the overall output of the plant.

Property Management has a problem. Management fees are being pushed down in order for agencies to compete with one another, forcing agents to manage an increasingly unwieldy portfolio – and in return Landlords and Tenants are receiving worsening levels of service.

As both a landlord and tenant, I’ve been exposed to over 10 property management entities over recent years. There is a clear distinction between those that are good, competent operators, versus those who don’t really provide a decent level of service.

Automated guided vehicles (AGV), particularly of the laser guided variety, are designed in such a way that they require a certain level of perfection from their environment. In a brownfield project this can be very difficult to achieve, and if the proper considerations aren’t made from the beginning it can lead to ongoing issues and costs.

Toyota is iconic for its instrumental role in popularising the Japanese principles of Kaizen in the manufacturing industry. Kaizen translates to ‘improvement’ or ‘change for better’, which is the basis for the Toyota Production System (TPS). TPS is a system of lean manufacturing with the objective of providing the highest quality, at the lowest cost, with the shortest lead time. In How Toyota Became #1, David Magee details these principles, their application within the company, and the impact they have had within.