Lean Blog | Sempai 2023

The 7 Wastes: are defects problems or treasure?

Russell Watkins

4 min read

The 7 Wastes: are defects problems or treasure?

The care of defects is a significant marker of whether your business believes in Built-in Quality

Reap the benefits of effective Gemba Walks (avoiding the fad trap)

Russell Watkins

3 min read

Reap the benefits of effective Gemba Walks (avoiding the fad trap)

As a lean community we’re at it again... ...the lazy business of reducing a very useful habit into a stand-alone tool to package up and...

Effective Gemba Walks - A key skill for Team Leaders

Russell Watkins

4 min read

Effective Gemba Walks - A key skill for Team Leaders

Effective Gemba Walks: A key skill for Team Leaders

The 7 step method for Practical Problem Solving skills & the 10 most common mistakes to avoid

Russell Watkins

7 min read

The 7 step method for Practical Problem Solving skills & the 10 most common mistakes to avoid

Practical Problem Solving models are often shared online BUT the pitfalls are rarely well explained. In this blog we’ll be drawing on our

How to implement 5s in your factory (with examples)

Russell Watkins

9 min read

How to implement 5s in your factory (with examples)

5S ACTIVITY 1.Sort 2.Straighten 3.Shine 4.Standardise 5.Sustain In this blog we cover: What is 5 s Examples of 5s before and after Why...

Reducing Manufacturing Costs - Where to look?

Russell Watkins

4 min read

Reducing Manufacturing Costs - Where to look?

Reduce Material Costs or Reduce Labour Costs? Manufacturing cost reduction is at the centre of lean thinking. It's by no means the whole...

Creating Standard Work - the tips you don't want to miss

Russell Watkins

5 min read

Creating Standard Work - the tips you don't want to miss

The ultimate guide to creating strong Standard work, templates, meanings and the typical pitfalls to avoid

Safety in SQDCP - stop fooling yourself that you behave safely in factories, you don't!

Russell Watkins

5 min read

Safety in SQDCP - stop fooling yourself that you behave safely in factories, you don't!

Almost all lean-minded people preach Safety first, Quality second. The same group of people routinely demonstrate dubious safety behaviour

Hoshin Kanri: How to get your manufacturing team aligned around your lean Strategy Deployment

Russell Watkins

7 min read

Hoshin Kanri: How to get your manufacturing team aligned around your lean Strategy Deployment

With Hoshin Kanri, less is more..."Hoshin is the discipline to de-select". The aim of this blog is to show you how less can be more.

How to hone your Problem Solving Method through watching movies

Russell Watkins

4 min read

How to hone your Problem Solving Method through watching movies

Practical Problem Solving in movies. 4 types of problems and real examples from Matt Damon's The Martian

Discovering kaizen examples and lean thinking in elite pro sports

Russell Watkins

7 min read

Discovering kaizen examples and lean thinking in elite pro sports

Investigate examples of elite sports embracing Kaizen (aka Continuous Improvement) thinking

Does Lean work outside of manufacturing?

Russell Watkins

3 min read

Does Lean work outside of manufacturing?

Lean thinking applies anywhere there's value to be delivered, to a customer through a process

Should we embrace Japanese Lean Words in Manufacturing?

Russell Watkins

7 min read

Should we embrace Japanese Lean Words in Manufacturing?

10 of the words that have been most useful in guiding Sempai's lean work, from working with Japanese manufacturers, especially Toyota Group

80/20 Pareto rule in manufacturing – A key skill for Team Leaders

Russell Watkins

3 min read

80/20 Pareto rule in manufacturing – A key skill for Team Leaders

80/20 rule in manufacturing – A lean skill for Team Leaders

Russell Watkins

5 min read

What is Lean Manufacturing?

It's helpful to understand what Lean Manufacturing is. However, Defining lean is useful, lean definitions are useless.

'Change Point Management' - A key skill for Team Leaders

Russell Watkins

3 min read

'Change Point Management' - A key skill for Team Leaders

Manufacturing Team Leaders who understand and deal with Change Points have far less problems to deal with.

An effective start-of-shift brief in manufacturing – A key skill for Team Leaders

Russell Watkins

3 min read

An effective start-of-shift brief in manufacturing – A key skill for Team Leaders

The first hour of any shift is the golden hour. A good Team Brief often leads to a good shift.

Toyota's thinking around Digital Manufacturing

Russell Watkins

3 min read

Toyota's thinking around Digital Manufacturing

Digital Manufacturing / Industry 4.0 is about more than just sensors, data, things and machines. People are at the centre of it.

Lean transformation starts with the ultimate Lean Scorecard

Russell Watkins

3 min read

Lean transformation starts with the ultimate Lean Scorecard

We’d invite any manufacturers out there to complete the lean scorecard. simply considering the questions will challenge you and give insight

Digital Manufacturing: 6 ways to build strong bonds between Technology Providers & Manufacturers

Russell Watkins

4 min read

Digital Manufacturing: 6 ways to build strong bonds between Technology Providers & Manufacturers

Well designed experiments with Industry4.0 solutions have the ability to generate significant value, but the learning curve will be painful

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