Made For Manufacturers Who Believe in a
Better Way
Manufacturing can be powerfully Transformational
Raw material can be transformed into finished goods. Customer needs into satisfaction. Employees can be transformed into Leaders. Communities into strength. Investments into growth.
Waymaker Lean Consulting is passionate about seeing manufacturing transform for good.
We partner with manufacturers who share this belief but just need some help in the transformation process.
We embed with your team, tackle the hardest problems, and teach lean methodologies.
We help you make a way!
How we can Partner Collaborate Synergize
Kaizen Workshops
Kaizen simply means “change for the better!” The power of kaizen or continuous improvement comes when you focus a team on a specific goal and challenge them to reach it in an accelerated time frame. By clearly stating workshop objectives, making problems visible, and empowering decisions, businesses can achieve amazing leaps forward in safety, quality, delivery, and cost initiatives in as little as 1 week!
There are many different types of Kaizen events that leverage different methodologies from the lean toolbox (Value Stream Mapping, 3P Workshops, SMED, Jidoka, etc.). But despite the tool utilized, the results are the same with savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually!
Waymaker Lean Consulting is highly skilled in facilitating kaizen workshops and this specialization remains our most popular service. Let us know how we can partner with you in your continuous improvement efforts!
Red-X Problem Solving
Some manufacturing problems are very difficult to solve! A traditional approach requires subject matter experts who can analyze the question, “What’s Wrong?”. And hopefully they point you towards the most likely culprits for root cause. This is called “X-to-Y” problem solving because you work from a fishbone or brainstorming list towards possible solutions.
But what happens when the experts don’t know? Or worse, what happens when you don’t have those experts within your team? Thankfully, Dorian Shainin introduced the world to a different approach to complex problem solving. The basic premise is not to focus on what’s wrong but rather to ask, “What’s Different?”. This approach creates “Y-to-X” thinking and works background from the problem to find the most significant root cause which is called the “Red-X”.
Red-X methods and statistical tools are especially effective in solving dynamic, time-bound complex problems in a manufacturing setting. If you are struggling with a problem that you cannot solve, let Waymaker Lean Consulting partner with you on Red-X Problem Solving!
Lean Daily Management Systems (LDMS)
Every business wants to win. But what’s the most effective strategy? Lean Enterprises believe that the people in your organization are your most valuable assets!
Therefore, a Lean Daily Management System (LDMS) is a manufacturing strategy that prioritizes winning through employee involvement!
More than just whiteboards, LDMS is a management operating system that requires new skills to effectively lead teams. Team interactions occur at a physical or electronic team board that are created and owned by natural work teams who are trained and empowered to use them for start-up huddles, problem solving, and continuous improvement. Team requests for management support are rapidly escalated through a system of leadership interaction “tiers” as leaders walk the shopfloor and engage with the team boards.
LDMS not only answers the question “Are we winning or losing?” through the eyes of the customer, but also addresses specifically “What can we do get back on track?” Waymaker Lean Consulting has helped many businesses design and launch an LDMS. So if you lack urgency in problem solving and feel stuck in old blue-collar/white-collar thinking where employees check their brains at the timeclock, let us partner with you to develop, train, and launch an effective Lean Daily Management System!
Training & Development
In Lean, Leaders are Teachers! Continuously developing leaders in your organization is critical to business success. Traditional manufacturing invests in carrying huge amounts of inventory (plus all its hidden costs!) to buffer problems. But lean manufacturing invests in its people by teaching them to be leaders who rapidly respond to and solve problems!
Sometimes companies need help figuring out the right leadership structure. Waymaker Lean Consulting has helped businesses reorganize their operations into small natural work teams supported by a system of frontline leadership (such as team leaders, group leaders, value stream managers, etc.)
Or sometimes companies need new / additional training for their leaders. Waymaker Lean Consulting has partnered with many businesses to deliver both pragmatic leadership training modules (teamworking, leadership, effective communication, conflict management, leadership standardized work, etc.) and technical lean skill modules (5S / 6S deployment, kata problem solving, error-proofing, job instruction systems, etc.). We pride ourselves on teaching through experiential learning which consists of core teaching topics reinforced through group activities and personal reflection.
Whatever are your training or development needs, Waymaker Lean Consulting can customize a solution that works for you!
LEAN
Lean is “all about the people!” For long-term sustainable results, it is critical that lean strategy deployments not only achieve performance targets but also teach and develop those doing the work. Therefore, all partnerships with Waymaker Lean Consulting will have a strong emphasis on equipping leaders and associates on both the “how” and the “why” of continuous improvement.
We offer pre-curated programs based on some common manufacturing needs, or we can provide custom project solutions as requested. Not sure where to start? Taiichi Ohno, the father of Lean, once said “start with need.” Let us know if we can provide an onsite assessment to discuss your needs and create a lean deployment strategy.
What are some of our Clients saying?
I very much enjoyed the interactive methods used to demonstrate each facet of the learning
Engineering Team Member
Ready to See What's Possible?
FAQs
How do I know where to start?
Sometimes transformation can feel overwhelming when not sure where or how to start. Waymaker Lean Consulting offers free onsite assessments to help you develop a strategy to improve your business where it matters most.
Will lean manufacturing really work for my specific business?
Lean manufacturing is a business strategy that invests in rapid problem solving through developing and empowering people. So if you have problems and if you believe your people are your biggest competitive advantage, then lean manufacturing is a great strategy for you! Waymaker Lean Consulting will work with you to adapt the lean principles to fit your specific operational requirements and unique constraints.
Could your consulting services be eligible for a government funded reimbursement?
Yes! Many states offer workforce development programs with incentives that can reimburse up to 100% of the total fees. Contact us to discuss more about your specific opportunities.
