Plant Services - December 2007 - (Page 9)

THE PS FILES Pressed into innovation Productivity improvements are being led by Lean KEN SCHNEPF Shaft alignment in a Flash® I (63%) and ISO certiﬁcation (84%) also nternationally, manufacturers are ranked among the top three methods. optimistic about the future, however Manufacturers say the plant ﬂoor is they’re losing conﬁdence in the U.S. one of the top three areas where innovaeconomy, according to a recent survey. tion is most active. When asked where Respondents are conﬁdent about value innovation is most active in their value chain improvements, but concerned chain, 39% of them say new product deabout cost pressures, say the results of velopment, 25% identify the plant ﬂoor the ﬁfth annual Multinational Manuand 11% name new technology. facturing Pulse, a survey by the TBM Recognizing that innovation occurs LeanSigma Institute (www.tbmcg.com) on the factory ﬂoor reﬂects a beneﬁt of in Durham, N.C. Lean that manufacturers hope to ex“To compete in the global economy, tend throughout their leaders in these countries value chains, says TBM. are under increased pressure to ﬁnd innovative The plant ﬂoor In a Lean culture, where everyone continuously ways to manage the cost is one of the strives to improve, emof doing business. By contop three most ployees must be innovacentrating on value chain active areas of tive in their day-to-day improvements, companies activities and in getting can sustain proﬁtability innovation. closer to their customers and become nimble at reto understand and meet sponding to changes and their needs, develop new products and opportunities in the marketplace,” says services faster, and deliver solutions. Anand Sharma, CEO of TBM Con“ e value of human capital to an sulting Group. organization should not be underestie TBM survey polled 3,082 execumated or overlooked, there should be tives from mid-sized to large ﬁ rms in continuous awareness of the state of the six major manufacturing countries in workforce and its level of engagement, the western hemisphere – the United empowerment and integration,” says States, U.K., Germany, Spain, Mexico Mike Serena, managing director, TBM and Brazil. e majority (91%) of manuLeanSigma Institute. “Today there is a facturers surveyed reported productivity toolbox full of techniques in the lean gains during the past year and identify factory to activate and compel workers. continuous process improvement (Lean) By encouraging all workers to think, as the leading source of improved proeliminate waste and ﬁnd ways to conductivity (United States, 52.5%; U.K., tribute and add value, companies will be 50%; Germany, 47.4%; Spain, 75%; Braable to create a compliant, fully engaged zil, 36.8%; and Mexico, 36.3%). When workforce.” asked to specify the productivity/quality improvement programs being used, nearly three-quarters (72%) identify E-mail Managing Editor Ken Schnepf at kaizen as their primary method. Lean kschnepf@putman.net. .PLANTSERVICES. New! Measure and correct for dynamic growth in a Flash. Now, when you add the patented “OL2R” (offline-to-running) hardware+software expansion kit to the revolutionary XA alignment system, you can measure the dynamic movement of critical machines as they reach operating conditions from a cold start. The resulting data is stored in the XA and is readily accessible to automatically adjust future alignments. Onscreen animated graphics make accurate alignments of critical machines fast and easy. www.vibralign.com 800-379-2250 Flash is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. D 9 http://www.tbmcg.com http://www.vibralign.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - December 2007

Plant Services - December 2007 Contents From the Editor: Orange Alert The PS Files: Pressed into Innovation Up and Running What Works: Samuel Adams Facility Refreshed in Cincinnati Energy Expert: Energy's "Perfect Storm" Technology Toolbox: Know Your Position Cover Story: Get a Grip on the Steamer Piping: Outside Looking In Web Hunter: Potpourri X In the Trenches: Making a Big Stink Boiler Room: Getting Educated

Plant Services - December 2007

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