Culture in a successful manufacturing operation is key.  Jon Meighan unpacks the ideas of lean manufacturing and 5S by highlighting by the effectiveness of these initiatives comes back to culture every time.  For those new to these topics he explains that the essence of what you are trying to accomplish is remove those items that do not add value to your customer from your process. 

Jon gives meaningful examples of how he has implemented lean manufacturing into his process at Lake Erie Rubber and some of the metrics that he finds value in monitoring.  Creating a process map is a great way to begin and one of the benefits from this practice is the knowledge that all parties bring to the table to determine success.

5S programs have been around for a while and Jon highlights how they began working the system and some of the headwinds faced to get user alignment.  He speaks to how getting the team involved is crucial but how staying persistent is where many fall short. 

This conversation is full of real world insight on how to start, implement and maintain initiatives that make a huge impact to manufacturers.  Before you begin your next lean manufacturing or 5S project learn from the expert directly to put you on the path to success. 

Guest: Jon Meighan - President at Lake Erie Rubber

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Host: Chris Grainger
Executive Producer: Adam Sheets
Audio/Video Editor: Andi Thrower