The integrative improvement blog discusses and provides commentary on the latest topics in the business performance improvement sector.
Over the years, organisations with legacy ERP systems have been trying to keep up with expanding global markets by continually updating and customising their on-premise systems. But, according to Gartner, these legacy systems – some as old as 20 years – are proving increasingly expensive to maintain and difficult to manage.
To meet or beat the often-changing demands of your customers consistently, you must be flexible, reliable and valuable. This is where centre-lining can help. Applied properly, centre-lining not only reduces variability in quality, it also increases machine efficiency and stabilises production.
Industry 4.0 won’t change manufacturing overnight: instead, it is likely to evolve as new technologies emerge over time. But to really future-proof your operations, you will need to look beyond traditional manufacturing execution systems (MES).
Past experience tells us that too often it was a problem, not an opportunity that brought IT and operations together. Such encounters did little to breed mutual trust and collaboration between the two teams. But the world of manufacturing is changing. And to keep up, the relationship between IT and operations must change with it.
In today’s disruptive and competitive environment, organisations are increasingly facing demand variability challenges. If not properly managed, these variations can mean increased costs, decreased revenues, increased risk and reduced profit margins. Here are seven ways to improve your demand variability management.
Like the first, second, and third industrial revolutions before it, Industry 4.0 will precipitate major changes in the way products are manufactured. But it also signals an important shift in quality processes and systems from being isolated to following an integrated quality management approach.
It’s important to instil the discipline of setting aside regular quality time for learning activities at a leadership level. An ideal way to focus on the concerns and challenges of leadership is by establishing a learning community. By meeting on a regular basis, the collective intelligence and talent can then focus on resolving critical issues.
Ask any young employee in your organisation how they spend their free time and the answer most likely will have something to do with board games or video games. This affinity for games and rewards provides fertile ground for introducing gamification as a tool to improve organisational effectiveness.
Digitisation, automation, analytics, design thinking – all are competing for the attention of lean leaders in a constant search for new ways to improve customer experiences. These capabilities all matter. But to find the right combination, you need every worker to be more engaged and productive than ever before.
Conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. You can’t escape it – it is natural and expected. But conflict rarely resolves itself. In fact, conflict normally escalates if not dealt with proactively and properly. Resolving workplace conflict takes strong negotiation skills, patience, and a healthy dose of emotional intelligence (EQ).
