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Take a Lean Tour of FastCap

Are you interested in Lean Manufacturing? Well take a trip to the shop floor and see a lean factory tour at FastCap in Ferndale, Washington. Paul Akers is the founder and president of FastCap, based in Bellingham, WA. FastCap is an international product development company founded in 1997 with over 2000 distributors worldwide. A prolific inventor, Paul holds US and international patents. FastCap, launches approximately 20 new innovative products per year and has won business of the year multiple times. Paul and his wife, Leanne, have built FastCap from their garage into a multi-million dollar company. At its core, FastCap is a Lean company, determined to continuously improve everything, everyday. Our products reflect the idea that things can be improved and the best ideas come from the shop floor.

I would love to setup a lean tour for my team. Can I have some information for that?

Because we are inundated with tour requests from around the world, we have established tour requirements (see below). We have very large companies tour FastCap (e.g., Boeing, Toyota, Bombardier, the U.S. Navy, etc.) and every one of them have to meet these requirements.  Other companies will charge $1000 a person for a similar tour. We don’t charge, but we do judge the seriousness of your lean efforts before we accept you for our tour. The tour is not for the curious…it is for people who seriously want to learn Lean and have made a commitment to take what they learn and implement it.   We only have so much time for facility tours, so we have to be very careful how we use it.  We now limit ourselves to 8 tours a year. 

We are not teaching how to do Lean, we are teaching how to build a Lean culture.  With so much demand to learn, we had to come up with a Lean way to reach as many people as possible, so I took my video camera and Razor scooter and 4 hours of time and produced this video https://youtu.be/jYby_HczyDA (over 105,00 views). No film crew, no professionals, just me and my people .  It was simple, fast and easy. It is not perfect! Perfection is for people who want to tell you all the reasons they can’t get things done.

Another important video for you to watch is my talk to the LCI group in San Francisco a few years back call Lean Is Simple https://youtu.be/gPUmY8WnnpU (over 143,000 views). It is an hour and a half presentation.

We have 1,500 videos (with over 3 million views ) that are free and go into details on many Lean subjects. Click here to go directly to our Lean Video Library http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/viewContent.asp?idpage=88 or go directly to our YouTube Channels: FastCap https://www.youtube.com/user/fastcaptv & Paul Akers https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulAAkers .

There are so many companies around the world that are doing a fantastic job of building a Lean culture. I interviewed the leaders of some of those companies at the MAPP conference in Indiana. Click here to watch the Lean Roundtable https://youtu.be/E9Na_YMKdvE > (over 1,900 views). 

Below are videos from 6 companies building a Lean culture: Walters & Wolf http://www.waltersandwolf.com/ > – Hauling the Mail Video https://youtu.be/B2VemLCV8i0 & Where is Shop B Video https://youtu.be/cqojZ-3aCKI Xylem Design http://www.xylemdesign.com/ – Xylem Design Tour Video https://youtu.be/6IUywb_O2KU Klime-Ezee http://www.klime-ezee.com/ – One Year Lean Update Video https://youtu.be/NDZ1Cmhy3eE Yellotools http://yellotools.us/splash-page.html – Breaking Down a Process Video https://youtu.be/QA1ddcXfqM0 Viking Plastics http://www.vikingplastics.com/ – Seal Feeder Improvement Video https://youtu.be/Wc-J7Gm4W7g Omniduct http://omniduct.com/ Weekly Video Blog Video https://vimeo.com/user19812081/review/94993907/c709799f72

We have also built a Lean Hub http://paulakers.net/lean-hub , which provides contact information for a Lean organization by location.  Many of them provide tours (they have their own criteria).

FastCap Tour Requirements:  CEO must attend. We understand that some organizations are huge and it is not likely that the CEO would attend the tour, however, you should know that we have had companies with 70,000 employees globally and the president, as well as the board members, have attended the tour. We have made a few exceptions to this stipulation, but only if we are convinced that the leader s attending have the power to build a Lean culture successfully. Attendees must read my book, 2 Second Lean http://paulakers.net/2sl (digital/audio versions available at no costs). Attendees must watch at least 10 of our Lean videos in advance of your FastCap tour. Attendees must be committed to transform ing to a Lean culture and company within 1 year or your FastCap tour. Your organization must make 50 improvement videos (before/after) prior to your FastCap tour. Your organization must set up a public YouTube channel to share lean videos with the world. Your organization must allow other businesses to tour your facility within 1 year of your FastCap tour.  Your organization is highly encouraged to participate in the Lean Hub http://paulakers.net/lean-hub . Attendees must have a Skype interview with me for final approval. With this interview, I will be able to determine your sincerity. In lieu of this, each member attending can make a 60 second video telling me why they want to tour FastCap and what they expect to get out of it. You can post these videos your YouTube channel, make them unlisted, and send me the links.

If you can meet the above criteria these, please send me with the names/contact information of all attendees (indicate the primary contact). 

Tour details and prep work: We start at 7:00 a.m.sharp and end around 9:00 a.m.  We work in a manufacturing facility so warm clothes on cold days are encouraged; our plant is usually around 64 degrees. The first thing you will do on the tour is clean our bathrooms.  This teaches humility, and demonstrates effective processes…two of the cornerstones of Lean. Attendees should come with one clear goal of what they want to achieve. Please watch these videos http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/viewContent.asp?idpage=115 so you will all have a good point of reference to maximize your visit.  You can also visit my website http://paulakers.net/ where you will find many more videos and resources that you can use as training tools for your team.

Why FastCap gives lean tours?:  We have benefited so much from learning the Toyota Production System…this is our way of giving back. Toyota taught us from their 50 years of experience, so we are paying it forward. We want others to receive the same benefits we have in building a strong business climate in America. We get better at Lean when we teach it. It is rewarding and we feel very satisfied when others want to see and experience what we are doing to build a Lean culture.

Common questions people ask after the tour: How do I start lean? Identify what bugs you and fix it. Learn to see waste; it is everywhere…seen easily by looking in the mirror. Make one small change or 2 second improvement every day for the rest of your life. Create a Lean bathroom and let it spread from there to the rest of your organization.

Can I learn this without consultants and spending lots of money?: First of all, Lean is easy.  Approach it with this mind set and you will succeed. Stop making excuses why you can’t do it (i.e., my boss doesn’t get it, my wife doesn’t get it, etc.) If you make excuses, you will never learn or experience Lean. Change yourself, change your family, change your street, change your city, and change the world. Experience a Lean culture by touring Lean companies like FastCap. Become part of the Lean Hub http://paulakers.net/lean-hub.  Get connected.  We are all here to help one another. Experience it first, see the benefits with your own eyes, then begin to read and learn about it. Watch all the Lean videos FastCap provides and use them as training tools in your company. Subscribe http://bit.ly/FastCap-Subscribe to my weekly emails:  2 Second Lean…a brief video regarding Lean; and The American Innovator…a show about my travels and Lean adventures. Read The Toyota Way http://paulakers.net/lean-resources/pauls-bookshelf (select Business from the right sidebar). Read 2 Second Lean http://paulakers.net/2sl. 

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Lean manufacturing - lean factory tour – fastcap.

FastCap 2 Second Lean tour with Paul Akers

Times listed in edt.  .

Hear remarks from Paul Akers, author of 2 Second Lean, take a tour of FastCap — a benchmark 2 Second Lean facility — and participate in an interactive Q&A session with Akers and FastCap staff. Get in the head of the company's leaders to see how they empower everyone to identify and overcome waste.

BONUS: Register for the conference now using the code VIPPAUL and you'll receive a free, autographed copy of Akers' book, 2 Second Lean!

FastCap is passionate about making improvements to its processes and daily lives out of respect for customers and each other. During this 2 Second Lean tour you will see how those improvements have enabled FastCap to get the most innovative products to its customers. See how the company goes from the design process all the way through the production and shipping processes. Along the way you’ll see how FastCap's improvements make an impact. FastCap's true purpose is to grow people. This tour will demonstrate the why and the how. 

In 2000, Akers discovered lean manufacturing or Toyota Production System (TPS). This newfound knowledge helped him and his wife, Leanne, take FastCap from a small start-up in their garage into the successful product development company it is today. In 2010, Akers ran for the U.S. Senate in Washington on a lean platform of transforming government by developing lean thinking as a key strategy for all government organizations. He is an avid outdoorsman and two-time ironman who surfs, runs, swims, bikes, and has summited many 14,000 foot mountains, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, and trekking to Everest Base Camp. He is also an instrument-rated pilot and has flown his plane all over the world, including three North Atlantic crossings in a single engine aircraft. An energetic speaker whose core passion is helping people discover their full potential and showing others how to implement lean in their business and personal life, his passion for lean has taken him around the world to more than 70 countries to work and speak. Akers has written five books: 2 Second Lean , Lean Health , Lean Travel , Lean Life , and Banish Sloppiness .

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May 01, 2015

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FastCap Tour: Lean & Mean

My brother is a year older than me, and because of that, he’s far more experienced and much smarter. But the thing that bugs me is that everything always has to be ‘just so’ with him. Sometimes, when I think about my brother I remember the last words in Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury: “…each in its ordered place.” Even the pencils and pens on my brother’s desk have to be ‘just so’ before he’ll answer a ringing phone; his door bench is the same way: every tool has to be razor sharp and in its proper place before he’ll start work on a door.

It took me years to understand why. I have to thank Paul Akers, from FastCap, for helping me see my brother in a totally new way.

(Note: Click any image to enlarge)

Lean Manufacturing

I wasn’t able to join the recent tour of FastCap’s facility, but Scott Wells and Devin Wiltermood—together with Dan Parish and several of his crew from Millwork by Design, brought back three hours of video.

I was tapped to edit the footage and somehow boil it down to thirty minutes (even that’s excessive for YouTube, but there was too many invaluable moments to cut it any further!). Watching that raw footage was almost better than being on the tour. The culture of the company and the day-to-day operation still staggers me—most definitely a life-changing experience.

Lean Philosophy

Modeled on principles of Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), the philosophy of “Lean Manufacturing” literarily turned Toyota Motors around, from an almost third-world company “producing an annual output equivalent to (only) three days of U.S. car production” ( source ). After studying U.S. production systems, Eiji Toyoda and Taiichi Ohno identified two major shortcomings: U.S. manufacturers produced components in large batches which necessitated additional storage and handling; and their system was engineered toward mass production not customer preferences.

Obviously these two issues are not problems commonly faced on jobsites, however the underlying cause or result is: waste. Like antibodies attacking a foreign invader, Lean manufacturers target waste as the real enemy. As identified by Taaichi Ohno, there are Seven Wastes:

1. Delay, waiting or time spent in a queue with no value being added 2. Producing more than you need 3. Over processing or undertaking non-value added activity 4. Transportation 5. Unnecessary movement or motion 6. Inventory 7. Defects

What does that have to do with carpentry?

Don’t be put off by FastCap’s morning meeting or Ohno’s “Seven Wastes!” Sure, they seem more relevant to manufacturing than to carpentry, but take a closer look! Who hasn’t suffered profit loss from jobsite delays? And how many of those delays are due to material orders that could be improved if you sharpened your system of contacting and followed up with your lumberyard or material supplier? Or developed a more skillful practice of scheduling?

And while we rarely suffer from over production, trust me, we often fall into the trap of undertaking non-value added activity. Like starting any job—a whole house or a mantelpiece—without proper drawings; performing additional work without a signed authorization; training a new carpenter on a task they aren’t ready for, or not taking enough time to train that carpenter on a task they are ready for!

And let’s talk about defects. My brother always practiced a simple system—you start installing finish material on the upper floors of a job and work your way down toward the front door. And you make sure there are no missing pieces or defects behind you. That way, all your pickup is right near the front door.

Then there’s the type of waste that is critical to making money in construction: unnecessary movement or motion.

Carpentry is a job dominated by repetitive tasks punctuated by occasional creativity and interrupted by problem solving. Most carpenters recognize that repetitive tasks can be sharpened by developing simple systems: for instance, eliminate wasted trips to the miter saw by making cutlists for baseboard and crown; pre-cut window and door packs, gang cut rafters, increase efficiency and quality by pre-assembling casing; develop a simple step-by-step process for installing doors, eliminating unnecessary steps.

Most carpenters also know that improving efficiency often begins with organizing your truck, van, or trailer, so that you know precisely where your tools are; organizing your jobsite work area, so that work flow is stripped of unnecessary movement; organizing jobsite materials, so that it’s easy to identify and access the items you need.

The list is endless. But few carpenters or contractors have recognized or identified the underlying incalculable value of organization. In fact, most carpenters, myself included, are reluctant to devote too much time to organization—after all, we still feel our primary responsibility is defined by the number of doors we install, or how many rooms of crown molding we finish, or how many feet of fascia we hang. And there lies the real problem.

At FastCap, organization isn’t like a light at the end of a tunnel—it’s a beacon. You can’t miss seeing it. Paul Akers reminds you every step of the way: “We’re not here to assemble and sell The Best Fence or FastCaps or 2P10 ! We’re here to eliminate waste and improve the way we assemble and sell our products so that we can better serve our customers.”

And that is why Paul’s approach is so important for folks in the construction trades. While we may be on a jobsite to build a home, our primary focus should always be on eliminating waste because that is the best way to improve not only productivity but craftsmanship, too. If you don’t believe me, think about that older carpenter you may have once worked beside. While you were hustling and rushing, he was moving slow and steady; while you were breaking a sweat, he never broke stride; at the end of the day, that older carpenter always seemed to get more work done, and unlike many younger carpenters, he was never worn out.

For carpenters, waste is the worst enemy. Something magical happens when you focus on eliminating waste and improving methodology—the job becomes secondary to your own creativity, and through exercising creativity, along with the creativity of your co-workers, we nurture self-respect and respect for others, appreciation for the contributions each of us make to improving our craft.

The Three S’s: Sweeping, Sorting, Standardizing

For Paul and the folks at FastCap, every day begins with the Three S’s: sweeping, sorting, and standardizing, so that every work station is clean, uncluttered, and ready for work—regardless of which employee is operating that station, and they are all cross-trained to operate each work station.

FastCap’s focus on organization and the Three S’s reminds me again of my brother. I’ve visited countless carpenters, shot both video and photographs in their shops and on their jobsites. Don’t freak out! I won’t mention any names. But I’ve watched too many carpenters hunt for their tape measure—for the third or fourth time; I’ve helped find pencils, glasses, ear protectors, router bits, and notebooks, too. And those unorganized craftsmen often share the same type of shop, the same jobsite conditions, the same chaos in their trucks and trailers. It’s a disease.

Being organized and developing systems that avoid waste allows you to move beyond the immediate task—what tool to pick up next, what step to take next. Instead you are free to think creatively, how to improve the task you’re accomplishing. It is those moments, when you’re using your creative mind, that you are most powerful, most productive, and having the most fun at your job.

All the tools at each work station are color coded so that they can not end up at another work station, and every tool has a place.

Reactions from the TiC FastCap Tour Group

What really blows my mind is that Paul invests SO MUCH time and money in Lean principles—and most people would say he’s totally nuts, he’ll never get that money back. But not only does he recoup the investment, that investment raises his profits exponentially, and that isn’t even the best part— that isn’t even the valuable aspect of Lean. The most rewarding part is how Lean affects his employees, how each of them takes ownership—all of his people are eager to pitch in, to improve their jobs and the jobs of their co-workers. He has created an entire team focused on supporting each other, on respecting each other, on listening to each other. Imagine that in today’s crazy world. Some readers might misapprehend my point, and they might think that Paul is like some cult leader. No way. Nothing could be further from the truth. He simply respects his employees enough, as people, to provide them with an environment where they are encouraged to exercise their creativity.

Out of everything I learned from the tour, that sticks with me the most. Lean is like compounding interest. Over time, even a one-second improvement per day builds into something solid, meaningful, and valuable, something that actually affects future success. I learned to be okay with small gains, and not search for huge leaps. For my company—with over 80 employees, more than 60 finish carpenters in the field, this means celebrating every small improvement and every employee who generates an improvement; it means encouraging our team to act like a real team—to focus on eliminating waste certainly, but primarily to focus on supporting each other.

After attending the FastCap tour, I learned how important it is to include your employees in those planning sessions. We’ve instituted our own version of the “morning meeting.” We haven’t taken the leap to meeting every morning, but we’re formally meeting every other Wednesday to eliminate waste in our trailer and practice the Three S’s.

Each of us picks an area of the tool trailer and figures out how to organize it in a way that makes it easier to use. We spend 30 to 45 minutes cleaning, moving unused tools, fasteners, and equipment to my storage shed, adding little features that make our work more organized and easier, and/or building new boxes or drawers or tool totes. It seems like a small thing, but it all adds up fast.

Though we only meet formally every other week, in truth, my crew has started practicing the Three S’s almost every day, because once you recognize the benefits of being organized and eliminating waste, it’s a hard habit to break—and why would you want to!

It can be as small as taking a five-second task and making it one second quicker. For example, instead of walking three steps away from your work station to throw a piece of trash away during your assembly process, move the trash can into your work station, so you don’t have to walk anywhere. It might seem like a small thing, but if you have to walk to the trash can ten times a day, that adds up to a lot of wasted time over a week, a month, a year!

I was seriously impressed at the level of organization. Every desk, every tool kit, every drawer—even in the kitchen—was organized with Kaizen Foam , making it nearly impossible to misplace a tool or object. That level of organization and standardizing I won’t soon forget. If you have everything organized and clean, it makes it faster and simpler to find what you need, and that helps you stay ‘in the groove.’

That level of organization, and Paul’s determination to allow his employees the freedom to not only develop improvements but to initiate them immediately—that approach has changed the way I work. Too often I recognize a roadblock or a chokepoint in a specific process, but I struggle through it, thinking I’ll solve the problem later. Now there’s no more later. I am re-training myself to act immediately when I recognize a snag or a complication. Now I almost seek that feeling of empowerment from acting instantly and solving problems, knowing that’s one less hassle I’ll have in the future.

For more about “Lean Manufacturing”, please (PLEASE), watch Paul’s inspiring presentation:

Comments/Discussion

6 responses to “fastcap tour: lean & mean”.

Very interesting.. thanks

That was AMAZING !!!! I plan on learning more about this and seeing where I can make changes to help my team. Thank you !!!!!

Working alone or with a small crew, this approach to work and job site has made work less of a struggle and more enjoyable. It’s meant being able to roll onto a job and get right to work without countless trips to the truck for a tool.

Agree 110% with this. Organization of truck, tools and job site is key to efficiency. The Pre Planning and purchasing for the project is even more important.

Such a cool tour, I definitely picked up some stuff from it, esp the coloring coordination. Love how Paul touched on the hiring process and explained hiring for character and training the skill. Thanks guys! PS… Scott is that torque wrench in your trailer lean video for getting your Simpson ties perfectly tight or for your tablesaw arbor nut? Lol

I like how at the product assembly table everything is within reach. The drill is hanging from a line, all tools and parts don’t even require a head movement. Every second counts. Great work Paul!

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Just today I responded to threads twice regarding FastCap products. That brought me to their website which enticed me to take the video tour of their facility in Bellingham WA. It must be a left coast thing, but these folks really think outside of the box. Very interesting, it is definitely worth your while to take 13 minutes to view. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. They seem to specialize in short production runs of many innovative products. There is a "FastCap Factory Tour" click box on the left side of their home page. Click on the Products tab too to see the the array of products they put out. I assumed they were just a facility that processed orders from Chinese made goods, not so. Pleasantly surprised. I have no affiliation with these folks, except that I have a couple of their products, two tape measures and a flush cutter. http://www.fastcap.com/

NOW you tell me...

Very innovative approach to just in time manufacturing -- excellent video.

______________________________ Rob Payne -- McRabbet Woodworks

Thanks for sharing. Incredibly efficient and clean place to work. They all must wear quality shoes. I didn't see any rubber mats for them to stand on in their work areas.

I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."

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Lean is like having a picky condo association for employee's cubicle and desk.

Pretty cool! At least you can sit when mother nature calls. Nice slider...couldn't tell what kind they had. I do love their efficient use of space.

Wood: a fickle medium.... Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

I looked around more of the site during a meal break. Their video section has some great "lean" videos with all sorts of time-saving ideas. It definitely triggered some ideas on how things can be improved around the house, barn and shop to make everyday chores & projects easier. Thanks again for sharing the link!

A company that uses lean and kaizen has my vote. I get stressed out when I see a mess. Cool find, Ole. I own a few Fast Cap items as well.

I may be the only person who says this, but I wouldn't want to work there. Maybe it's a little less rah rah when the boss isn't around, but the processes as they're described would be better suited to a robot mentality than a person. I worked at a cabinet factory that went JIT back in the 1990s in the middle of the housing boom, and it didn't cause much in terms of problems. We did it because people were fascinated with japanese companies at the time. There were people working there from 18 to 78 years old and we had a quick meeting every morning to announce the stuff for the day and then everyone did stretches (haha) because the japanese were doing it at the time. Those were a waste of time for the kind of work we were doing on an assembly line, but they wanted to do everything exactly the same way as toyota and others were doing it. The only problem with it was that if you had a cabinet that had a face frame problem or something, and no more of that stain, you had no face frames in reserve, or doors, and if the truck with that cabinet was leaving that day, you had to wait for another face frame to come through finish over the next couple of days and then send that cabinet UPS to the distributor. I don't own any fast cap stuff, but i don't see any of it that would make a difference in a hand tooler's shop.

Realizing that my comment above could come across as "too rah rah" or "too robotic compared to what"? Lie Nielsen would be one where I saw the factory tour and thought that it looked like a place with a bit more humanity and a bit less cog in the wheel kind of mentality. But presuming that they're assembling (fast cap) stuff in the united states vs. just sourcing from China, I'd still say good for them.

The videos were pretty interesting. I don't have any Fastcap products. If I were a business owner producing items, this would be how I approach it. For my hobby work, I prefer to savor the experience. I do like some of the techiques for organization. Having everything on wheels is great for flexibility or customization of a particular workflow. I supect many of us employ some limited dimension of lean thinking (if nothing else, where and how tools are stored). I haven't worked in a production environment for years as I am on the knowledge work end of things for the last 20 years or so. For a production shop though, I like what they have done. Personally, I like the standing height format. My office is a standing height and I love it. Actually, I love the standing format period. I would prefer that I had no walls to separate me from my team. My team is responsible for portfolio and workplace design. Were are constantly exploring new environments for work. Our company utilizes Lean and OE techniques (one of which is Kaizen) in our production processes as well as some transactional processes. Unfortunately, when one tries to apply this thinking to some types of transactional work or all knowledge work, it becomes the wrong tool for the wrong job. I have had numerous senceless discussions with a colleague who tried to Kaizen a transactional process of lease negotiations. I knew we were never going to get any where when he or she tried to ask what the right length of time was needed for lease negotiations. As the negotiations involve another beyond your control it became a senseless discussion. Another party who is recalcitrant, blows the timing out of the water. As to knowledge work, it was very evident that they had their mind made up and and no data to the contrary was going to pursuade them from their viewpoint. They would state, "everything in the world is a process that can be streamlined." When I asked them to describe the process of creating the theory of relativity (as opposed to proving it). They stammered and feel bad. I can create a lean process to paint a wall. I can create a process for painting a copy of the Mona Lisa. But I cannot create a process for creating the next "Mona Lisa like piece of art." i see this a the typical gulf of understand between R&D and production organizations. The mindset is completely different. Off of soapbox now.

Last edited by Shawn Pixley; 10-11-2014 at 12:39 PM .

Shawn "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced." "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

Yeah, well............ The reason it works so well at this operation is the all-consuming focus on the part of the top guy. You have to have long-term, 100% commitment at the very top. At one point he made the comment about a simple face-palm improvement "We have been doing this 12 years, and we never thought of that before". It takes time and dedication. Most organizations that go into this fail, because the don't understand what it really means, are not willing or able to make the organizational/cultural changes necessary to succeed, and don't understand what it really is going to take to succeed. And - most important of all - they do not have a good understanding of how to go about making the changes in a way that will let them succeed. David's observation on "... if you had a cabinet that had a face frame problem..." is a perfect example. He makes an excellent point. The problem, however, was not with the concept of JIT or Lean, the problem is that company dod a lousy job of analyzing, planning, and implementing. And, from his first 2 paragraphs, they clearly did not take the correct approach toward changing an age-old culture. David - a classic example of mgmt failure, which poisoned the well for most of eternity. Some bits and pieces are always applicable to any particular operation. For one example - the hand tooler's shop - tell me if the tools all have an exact home, and are always in that home? If not, how much time is spent digging through the tools on the bench to find that frog adjustment screwdriver? I alsays know exactly where mine is - and the punch-line is that it is not used very frequently, so I have to know where to find it when I eventually need it. At the same time, I use my 3/8" bench chisel frequently, so I have to know ​ where it is. Shawn - the person that wanted a standard time for lease negotiations did not understand that process, and did not understand what Lean/JIT is supposed to do. Your points about the theory of relativity and the Mona Lisa are correct, of course. But I would maintain that there are improvements to be made, but not in the fashion, and not in the scope, of what you are describing. Rather, the approach I would take is this: What are the tasks assigned to the creative talent? Which of those do not involve creativity? How can those tasks be re-engineered to eliminate time wasted by the talent, so they can spend more of their time where we need them? And yes - it gets down to stuff as trivial as where is copier located, where is the copy paper located, etc., etc. But if you were to take a few days, and stand back and objectively analyze where time is spent, I can pretty much assure you you would be surprised. Or - if we think about it, can we cut in half the time it takes to clean the paintbrushes at the end of each day, so he talent can spend more time painting the Sistine Chapel? So guys - I agree with your observations on why it has not worked in your situations. However,it ain't the system or concept that is flawed in your examples, it is the knuckleheads driving it. I have been involved in many, many lean/JIT projects. On the shop floor. In R&D. In the Accts Payable department. You name it - I've been there. When I had the buy-in from top-level mgmt, we succeeded. When the top-level mgmt viewed it as just another corporate edict requiring just enough lip service to make them go away, it failed - in fact - I would walk away from participating in those.

When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

I'm not working anyplace where the only time I can sit down is lunch and the restroom. My knees are okay now but I'm not ruining them because the guy at the top is OC. Give those people ergonomic stools for God's sake. Especially the ones that stand at the pallet racking all day long. And the foam is ridiculous. The tools should be on retractable lanyards. They're wasting sooooo much time on the foam. Foam is fine for longer-term storage, not for production.

Originally Posted by Kent A Bathurst David's observation on "... if you had a cabinet that had a face frame problem..." is a perfect example. He makes an excellent point. The problem, however, was not with the concept of JIT or Lean, the problem is that company dod a lousy job of analyzing, planning, and implementing. And, from his first 2 paragraphs, they clearly did not take the correct approach toward changing an age-old culture. David - a classic example of mgmt failure, which poisoned the well for most of eternity. I wouldn't say it failed. I'm sure it saved money, and it was generally made possible in the environment due to computers and a scan system that could put every single production item in order at every step of the way. If you were running the "clamp" in assembly, your cabinet sides and backs were stacked in order due to the computerized tickets. Same with the face frames. Doors came on carts in order of production (though they did have door inventory where they were pulled from, it's too hard to do JIT with every part, because doors often don't quite match face frames and you need to try another door). At any rate, it worked. The cabinets that got stuck waiting for parts fit between the assembly lines without issue, and I don't know what percent didn't leave on their trucks, but it was a fraction of a percent. Maybe one in 250 or one in 500. We made 3350 cabinets a week while I was there. We had about $750 a week of waste (broken panels, doors that had bad color and got WB sanded too many times to use), and when it would get to $1000, it would cause a big ruckus. Everyone there got paid peanuts (including most of the office people), and when the credit crisis hit in 2008, the factory was closed. that was 10 years after I last worked there, though. Anyway, the JIT worked fine there, it just wouldn't have been a very nice place to work in the long term for both physical reasons and because being in production in a place that is lean everything is pretty miserable.

Originally Posted by David Weaver I wouldn't say it failed........... Anyway, the JIT worked fine there, it just wouldn't have been a very nice place to work in the long term for both physical reasons and because being in production in a place that is lean everything is pretty miserable. With that as the final evaluation, I would say it did fail. When done right, the results are exactly the opposite. Employee well-being, commitment, and job satisfaction are the prime drivers of "the big picture". I have seen the situation you describe on more than one occasion. If everything is miserable, then they were driving a different agenda. You and I don't have an argument here. You and I have had different experiences, coming from different angles.

Originally Posted by Phil Thien I'm not working anyplace where the only time I can sit down is lunch and the restroom. My knees are okay now but I'm not ruining them because the guy at the top is OC. Give those people ergonomic stools for God's sake. Especially the ones that stand at the pallet racking all day long. And the foam is ridiculous. The tools should be on retractable lanyards. They're wasting sooooo much time on the foam. Foam is fine for longer-term storage, not for production. Yeah - the "everyone stands" schtick is at the edge, I'd agree. But - I strongly recommend it for "meetings". I hate meetings. HATE. MEETINGS. If the players have to stand up, they get to the point quickly, and their group members will cut off the story about the big bass on Saturday. Also - they wouldn't hire you [or me] in the first place, because job requirements include the ability to stand on your feet for the entire workday. We would wash out in the application phase. On the lanyards - yep, no doubt, on a traditional production line dedicated on one product, or a family of very similar products. You will recall that their situation was precisely the opposite. He did not get into it in detail - I was hoping for more on that bit of their business. But - they were a small-quantity producer of multiple items - trying to get down to the holy grail of one-piece-flow. When you have that situation, as opposed to the dedicated line, you need to be able to access many tools, as needed for the product being produced that minute, and switch tool sets quickly for the next product. Your approach is exactly on-target given the correct circumstances. Turns out, that is not their business model, so a different solution is needed. The foam tool boards are applicable in a traditional production line - for setups. You have to move the tools with you to the machine, and there are a lot of tools that may be needed, but won't always be needed, depending on the details of the from-to changes.

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Lean Manufacturing – Lean Factory Tour – FastCap

Lean manufacturing is a method of production that aims to minimize waste and maximize efficiency in the manufacturing process. The goal of lean manufacturing is to create value for the customer by eliminating unnecessary steps and activities in the production process.

A lean factory tour is a visit to a manufacturing facility that has implemented lean manufacturing principles. During a lean factory tour, visitors can observe the different elements of the lean manufacturing system in action and learn how they contribute to the overall efficiency of the facility.

FastCap is a company that specializes in manufacturing and supplying woodworking tools and accessories. They are known for implementing Lean Manufacturing principles in their factory. Visitors can take a factory tour and see first-hand how they use Lean principles to minimize waste, improve efficiency and increase productivity.

During the tour, visitors will see how FastCap uses visual management techniques such as Kanban boards and Andon cords to manage production flow and identify potential problems quickly. They also use 5S methodology to keep the factory organized and clean, and have implemented a Pull system to ensure that materials and products are produced and delivered in a timely manner.

In summary, a lean factory tour is a visit to a manufacturing facility that has implemented lean manufacturing principles, to observe the different elements of the lean manufacturing system in action and learn how they contribute to the overall efficiency of the facility. FastCap is a company that implements lean principles in their factory, and visitors can take a tour to learn more about the implementation of lean manufacturing in real-life scenarios.

Lean Manufacturing Quotes

• “All we are doing is looking at the time line, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we collect the cash. And we are reducing the time line by reducing the non-value adding wastes.”  ~ Taiichi Ohno
• “If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution.”  ~ Steve Jobs
• “A relentless barrage of “why’s” is the best way to prepare your mind to pierce the clouded veil of thinking caused by the status quo. Use it often.”  ~ Shigeo Shingo
• “Why not make the work easier and more interesting so that people do not have to sweat? The Toyota style is not to create results by working hard. It is a system that says there is no limit to people’s creativity. People don’t go to Toyota to ‘work’ they go there to ‘think”   ~ Taiichi Ohno
• “I say an hour lost at a bottleneck is an hour out of the entire system. I say an hour saved at a non-bottleneck is worthless. Bottlenecks govern both throughput and inventory.”  ~ Eli M. Goldratt, The Goal
• “Time waste differs from material waste in that there can be no salvage. The easiest of all wastes and the hardest to correct is the waste of time, because wasted time does not litter the floor like wasted material.”  ~ Henry Ford

Lean Manufacturing Resources

• Continuous Improvement Tools: Lean and Six Sigma.
• How Toyota Changed Manufacturing – Lean Thinking .
• Lean Manufacturing | A pursuit of perfection.
• What is Lean Manufacturing?

Toyota Production System Jidoka: Stopping Production, a Call Button and Andon.

China shows America the smartest automation in manufacturing and production

What is Just in Time (JIT): Smartest Production System in The World

FastCap: A Company that Sticks with Inventions

For a company that started less than a decade ago with one product, a peel and stick screw cover,  FastCap  is certainly a growth enigma. In the short time since Paul Akers created this company, his product list has grown exponentially into an eclectic mix of astonishingly clever, yet seemingly unrelated, products. All they have in common is that they make woodworking go faster and easier, and make us mutter “why didn’t I think of that?” Still, you have to wonder how one person came up with so many slick inventions in so many venues in such a short time.

The answer is simple. He didn’t. Instead, Akers has done something far better. He’s fashioned his company to be a supportive conduit for all the frustrated inventors working as cabinetmakers.

There’s a legion of woodworkers who have come up with clever ideas for products, but who can’t get anyone to listen. Paul listens and, if the idea is good, he manufactures it, sells it, and pays the inventor a fair royalty. It’s the ultimate win-win situation, helping the inventor, the company, and even those of us who are loyal users of the rapidly growing inventory of FastCap timesavers.

“Our products are different,” Paul said, “because they are not designed by designers, but by users. The best ideas come from the shop floor. Our items come from the people who do the work. I let cabinetmakers call me personally on my cell phone to tell me their ideas. If they are good, we make them. If not, I tell them to try again and call back when they have something else.” That’s a pretty unusual business model, and Paul’s path to creating it started soon after high school.

“I built a guitar while still in high school,” Paul recounted, “then, at age 17, went to work for Taylor Guitars as a luthier, or guitarmaker. The owner, Bob Taylor, was probably one of the most influential people in my life. After two years, I went back to school and got a degree in education, paying my way through college by working as a cabinetmaker restoring Greene and Greene homes in Pasadena. I taught woodshop in high school for two years, then started my own high-end cabinet and construction company in San Diego.” Later, he moved to Bellingham to enjoy the more bucolic environs of western Washington.

“I was in my shop, exhausted, at eight one night,” Paul continued. “I had a huge white melamine job to deliver in the morning, and was facing a sea of screw holes to hide with press-in screw caps, all the while wondering why someone hadn’t invented a peel and stick cap. I sprayed contact cement on the back of some edge banding, cut it into disks, and FastCap was born. My wife was usually skeptical about such things, but this time, even she agreed that it was a great idea.”

“The next day, I turned over the day-to-day activities of the shop to my crew, and spent the next two months perfecting this new product. I took it to AWFS [Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers] in 1997, as green as I could be, and was fortunate to be allowed into the Mepla booth. I stood there and handed out a cheesy brochure to their customers. The irony is that Mepla is a very polished and sophisticated company. I did that for four days, and ended up with half a million in sales in the first year, all from that one product.”

“The second product I invented was the Laser Jamb, a laser level, and the first company I showed it to stole the idea and had it on the market in six weeks.” He was so offended that he decided to protect others from what happened to him. “As FastCap grew, I got some recognition telling of how it began. People started coming up to me to tell me they heard my story, and that they had an idea, too. I knew there were lots of others who did not have a venue for their inventions, so I created a company to give them one. We pay a royalty to people who bring new, marketable ideas to us, patented or not. As a result, our company is growing at 50 percent per year based on validating the creativity of other people, both our own employees and those on the outside.”

Paul is no slouch on his own — eight of the items in the catalog are his — but the rest are from other cabinetmakers. Over a dozen inventors are represented, with 20 new products in the works and many more in the pipeline. Popular items include FastCap, Accuscribe, Third Hand, Powerhead screws, a proprietary cyanoacrylate glue formula called 2P-10, and a host of tape measures in every imaginable configuration, including their popular Storypole, which lets you mark dimensions directly on it instead of reading and remembering numbers.

With so many intentional inventions, there are bound to be fortunate accidents; their popular Flatback tape measure is one such example. “I asked our factory in China to make a peel and stick tape measure,” Paul recounted, “by taking the curve out of the blade, adding an adhesive back, and eliminating the case. Because of a translation error, it came in a case, just like a regular tape measure. At first, I was furious with them for the mistake, but when I saw it, I realized how practical it was.” The tape lies flat on wood for accurate marking and wraps around curves without distortion.

About half the products are made by some 50 employees in his factory in Bellingham, which itself is run by a rather unusual set of parameters. “Two years into the company,” Paul explained,, “we were having internal inventory management issues. I called the Washington State Business Association and asked them for help. Their guy walked into the shop and said, ‘Your problem is not with inventory. You don’t know how to manufacture.’ I was shocked.

“I thought I was on the cutting edge of technology. The week before, we had gotten our first small business loan for a quarter of a million dollars because the bank president was so impressed with our factory. ‘I’d loan you any amount you want,’ he told me ‘because I have never seen a facility so well run.’ Nevertheless, we hired a Japanese consulting company. They came in and dismantled the plant, put it all back together differently, and increased our profits by 200 percent. Thank God I did not think I knew it all.”

These days, he regularly sends groups of employees to the Toyota plant to learn from them. “They are an unbelievable company. Toyota believes that everyone’s goal is to do something great for society. That’s why they allow us into their plant and donate their time to teach us kaizen.” The term kaizen refers to a collection of lean manufacturing methods including continuous improvement, just-in-time inventory, and other manufacturing and business strategies. “We’ve even moved to a stand-up office for greater efficiency,” Paul explained “and are now moving toward a paperless office as well.”

Manufacturing prowess notwithstanding, the real strength of FastCap comes from an appreciation of the people his company serves, both inventors and customers. “Our goal is to uncover the potential of people,” Paul told me. “There is greatness in every human being. People need to realize that, never sell themselves short, and never give up until they find it.”

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Lean Manufacturing – Lean Factory Tour – FastCap

In this video, it is possible to do a virtual tour of a Lean Factory.

Fastcap is a Lean Factory that shows on Youtube a lot of Lean Applications. See now.

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Take a tour of FastCap

Paul Akers provides the requirements for a tour of FastCap and also provides an updated tour of FastCap. Check out all our lean improvements!

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About FastCap

FastCap was founded in 1997 by Paul Akers, a veteran in the cabinet-making/woodworking industry for over 20 years (read Paul's bio ). One day, while Paul was building some cabinets, he got an idea for a self-adhesive screw cap cover and the Fastcap was born. Over the past five years, FastCap has grown exponentially and has expanded its products base from the Fastcap to a vast array of woodworking products and tools to accommodate the professional cabinet maker and woodworker needs. We at FastCap strive to bring you not only the most innovative, but most practical & relevant tools and products. And the coolest thing is that most of our product ideas come from people just like you! If you have an idea or a better way of doing something, give us a call! We are here because we want to revolutionize the woodworking industry, and the only way we can do that starts with you!

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Flint will open treatment plant for tours on 10th anniversary of water crisis

• Updated: Apr. 23, 2024, 3:53 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 3:15 p.m.

Flint’s only elevated water storage tower, long a symbol of the city’s water crisis, has a new look and a message for visitors and residents. As part of the rehabilitation of the tower, located on the grounds of the water treatment plant off Dort Highway, the structure has been painted with a baby blue color and the words “Flint Water Plant” have been replaced with “Flint Strong.” (Jake May | MLive.com)

• Ron Fonger | [email protected]

FLINT, MI -- The city is planning to spotlight the same water treatment plant that was in the public eye for all the wrong reasons a decade ago.

City workers are planning to guide tours of the facility from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, and Thursday, April 25, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the start of the Flint water crisis.

Stories by Ron Fonger

• Flint residents deserve to see evidence against Snyder, mayor says as water crisis anniversary nears
• Flint city attorney says new water consent order isn’t tied to new violations
• March on Flint City Hall will start commemoration of water crisis anniversary
• Flint in hush-hush talks to resolve alleged violations of Safe Drinking Water Act
• Two lanes of northbound I-75 closing for emergency repairs in Grand Blanc Twp.

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Oberweis to continue operation under new ownership pending court approval of stalking horse offer

By nbc chicago staff • published april 23, 2024 • updated on april 23, 2024 at 7:46 pm.

Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Days after announcing layoffs and a plant closure following a bankruptcy filing , Oberweis Dairy has revealed the brand will continue to operate under new ownership, pending court approval of a stalking horse offer, a statement from Oberweis said.

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"Oberweis is pleased to announce that it has received a stalking horse bid to purchase substantially all the operating assets of the company pursuant to section 363 of the bankruptcy code and subject to court approval," the statement said in part.

Oberweis said the stalking horse bid came from entrepreneur Brian Boomsma, who plans to "operate and grow the business," according to the statement.

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The company said they anticipate the reorganization process and sale to conclude in late June, when the brand is expected to emerge under new ownership.

The family business was founded in 1915 by Peter Oberweis, an Aurora dairy farmer who began selling milk from the back of his horse-drawn wagon, according to the company’s website.

It opened its first ice cream shop in Aurora in 1951. The company has more than 30 locations in Illinois, as well as shops in Missouri, Michigan and Indiana, according to its website.

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Oberweis Dairy is owned by the family of Republican state politician Jim Oberweis.

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