The Manufacturing & Export Enhancement (MEE) Cluster kicked off its first LEAN for Leaders workshop at Red Deer Polytechnic on Wednesday, November 23. Over 20 attendees from throughout Alberta came to learn about Lean manufacturing best practices. Attendees from Grande Prairie to Lloydminster, Calgary and Central Alberta, listened during the morning portion of the workshop to Bruce Ennis, a patriotic Canadian passionate about manufacturing, share his experiences of building quality and continuous improvement programs for small fabrication shops to Fortune 500 companies.
Equally interesting, as it was refreshing, Bruce imparted a less commonly held perspective that Lean is not a religion! He recommends that companies learn about the ‘Lean Tenets’, use what works for you and leave the rest. Bruce guided attendees on the key concepts to reducing waste, complexity, and manufacturing lead times. He encouraged participants to question, “If your customers knew what you were doing it…would they pay for it?”
Recognizing waste is its own unique skillset; one which Bruce, a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Senior Member of the American Society for Quality, demonstrated through many poignant examples. For one particular company Bruce worked with, wait time was more than double the value-added time; there was nearly 70% waste! Bruce described many examples of real Alberta businesses where elimination of previously unrecognized waste was achieved in a systematic and deliberate way. As the MEE Cluster Process Improvement Guru, Bruce’s 30 years of industry experience brings home the lessons of Lean applicable to all kinds of manufacturing.
In the afternoon, participants were able to learn about the programs and supports available through Red Deer Polytechnics Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing (CIM-TAC). Manager of the Centres for Innovation in Manufacturing (link CIM-TAC) and Energy at Red Deer Polytechnic, Dr. Tonya Wolfe presented on the latest developments in Smart Manufacturing. This was followed by a unique hands-on-experience trying out three Smart technologies at the CIM-TAC; digital work instructions, augmented reality, and 3-D scanning. One attendee commented the demonstrations of the selected technologies were ‘very applicable’ and helped better understand how these technologies can apply within their operations and how they may impact their productivity.
Participants also got a jump start on the Lean Accelerator Program (LEAP), by completing the MEE Cluster industry intake questionnaire. David Rist, Program Integration Director for the MEE Cluster, explained how LEAP is focused on improving Western Canadian manufacturers’ productivity and competitiveness by offering onsite-assessments, mentoring, and customized workshops supporting Lean and technology adoption. The onsite assessment can play a vital role in kicking off a company’s digital and Lean transformation. LEAP program participants receive an actionable recommendations report post assessment with short term, medium term and long-term objectives. Short-term recommendations can have an immediate impact on a company’s productivity and allow for quick wins that can be built on.
Sign up for the MEE Cluster’s free Associate Membership to receive the latest information on upcoming workshops, news, and other cluster initiatives. Sign up for the Annual Membership to receive discounts on cluster workshops and services. Don’t hesitate to contact us to learn how your company can take advantage of the Lean Accelerator Program (LEAP).
