Principles included in the Lean program have been around for years, and a number of EBSCO manufacturing facilities have employed those principles in some form or fashion. Vulcan Information Packaging, loose-leaf binder and information packaging manufacturer, took it a step further, conducting on-site “Lean Manufacturing” training and obtaining a grant from the U.S. Federal Government to assist with training costs. Vulcan Industries, point-of-purchase display designer and manufacturer, has introduced lean and is following a similar path.

With these successes in mind, EBSCO invited key personnel from Wayne Industries, PRADCO Outdoor Brands, EBSCO Media, Valley Joist, Tinker Business Forms, Vitronic Promotional Group, Green Mountain Rifle Barrel and Information Systems and Services to attend a Lean Manufacturing training session held at International Headquarters in May.

For some, the program reaffirmed time-tested principles and renewed enthusiasm for applying these concepts on the plant floor and educating employees about them. For others, it was an eye-opening introduction to a different way of thinking.

While Valley Joist’s production lines are already configured according to the principles included in the Lean program, General Manager Fred Steele saw potential applications in other areas, such as housekeeping. “We discarded some old equipment and performed a total shop assessment looking for clutter to eliminate.”

Valley Joist invited the Lean training team to tour its Engineering Department and interview employees on July 25 to see if Lean office principles could be applied to improve flow. “We will assess if Lean’s “Engineering to Launch” program could be beneficial to Valley Joist,” Steele said.

Steve Hill, Wayne Industries general manager and former general manager of Four Seasons (now part of Vitronic Promotional Group), has applied the principles included in the Lean program for years. Hill praised the program saying, “They did a good job of presenting the program. Their techniques and learning methods were good.” The class consisted of half-hour instructional sessions followed by 30-45-minute exercises where participants worked in teams to solve a problem using the principles covered in the preceding instructional session.