"'To any company that’s thinking about embarking on a Lean journey - everybody will tell you that it’s really, really hard,' Kyser said. 'But it’s kind of like a rocket ship. To get that thing off the ground takes a lot of energy. But once it’s up and orbiting, it hardly takes any energy at all. One of the joys I get out of it is just seeing employees go from reluctance to showing initiative. People will support what they helped create."
- Rick Kyser, Gilcrest Jewett Lumber
Implement Lean Processes in Business
Successful process improvement requires a two-pronged approach: Improve the process while simultaneously listening to and developing the people who are closest to the process. When you engage team members in improving the processes they touch, you increase the likelihood of sustaining the change and improve employee morale and retention.
CIRAS offers a variety of services focused on helping Iowa businesses improve productivity via process improvement and the development of its people:
- Assessments to understand your current state
- Training programs to build team and individual skills
- Expert support to identify, implement, and sustain lasting change
- Connections with other organizations at various points on the process improvement journey for idea sharing and benchmarking via the Iowa Lean Consortium
Some of the common process improvement topics in which our experts can assist your organization:
- Lean manufacturing and Lean office fundamentals
- 5S – Organize your workspaces for maximum productivity and reduce employee frustration
- Value Stream Mapping and Process Mapping
- Structured Problem Solving for Continuous Improvement
- Six Sigma
- Automation
- Plant layout
- Supply chain management and improvement
- Warehouse management to improve processes
To get help with improving your organization's processes and people contact ILC Director Tracy Schuster.
CIRAS provides several related services, including:
