Lehigh Valley manufacturers learn about Lean where it all started

A group of 32 leaders from Greater Lehigh Valley manufacturers took a trip to Kentucky recently to explore what people in the manufacturing industry consider the Mecca of Lean manufacturing.

Executives from Crayola, East Penn Manufacturing, Victaulic, Lutron, and Bosch Rexroth, all participated in the Kentucky Lean Culture Immersion, hosted by the Manufacturers Resource Center that took them to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Facility in Lexington, which was the first Toyota manufacturing facility in the U.S. and introduced the concept of lean culture to manufacturers in this country back in the 1980s.

Gene Kaschak, vice president of continuous improvement and leadership development for MRC, said this is the second time his organization has hosted the event, which he said will help participants take new ideas back to their own companies for improvement.

“When Toyota came to the U.S. they were doing something different than other manufacturers. That’s how lean got started in the U.S.,” he said “These [participating companies] are on their lean journey as well.”

The tour, which included Toyota operations, supporting companies and other manufacturers at different stages of their Lean journey, was led by Mike Hoseus, co-author of Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way and executive director of the Center for Quality People & Organizations.

Michael Dannecker, continuous improvement manager for Bally Ribbon Mills, said he has learned from Hoseus before and found the lessons he learned on this trip equally valuable.

“This was my third time working with Mike. I previously worked with him when I completed my Lean Masters and Sustaining a Lean Culture certifications, and now again for my Lean Immersion Certification. Each time I attend one of his classes, I gain new insights,”

Dannecker said. ”Visiting the Toyota plant, Hitachi Astemo and Linak was an incredible experience.”

Linak, is best known for the mechanism that is used for making sit/stand desks adjustable and is using Lean manufacturing ideals to improve operations as they grow and was a highlight of the trip said Kaschak.

“It’s a great example of a company stiving to be better in their operations, productivity and safety,” Kaschak said.

Kaschak said he has been practicing lean manufacturing for close to 20 years and one of the things he’s learned is that Lean is sometimes about the things you can’t see, such as empowering workers to be problem solvers and those unseen practices could be found in the companies they toured.

“The thing about Lean is that’s its different from firefighting. This is about making things better for tomorrow, engaging team members and empowering them to find the best ways of doing things,” Kaschak said.

With a combination of representatives from Lehigh Valley industry giants and smaller companies, it was important to show different ways lean can help a company improve its operations and Kaschak said he believed touring a diverse array of manufacturers in addition to the leader in Lean manufacturing, was an effective way to make sure everyone was able to have positive takeaways from the tours.

Brittney Price, who works in continuous improvement at Crayola, said she feels she leaned a great deal by seeing companies put Lean manufacturing into action.

“I really left feeling energized and wanting to make changes in our company after seeing it implemented in other places,” Price said. “The exchange of best practices was the biggest takeaway for everybody. It can be dautnting, especially when you’re starting from scratch. But watching them actually implemented and working like it’s supposed to it reminds you your goal is achievable.”

One side trip on the tours was to Blue Grass Community and Technical College.

Kaschak said it was a good way to show manufacturers how much community colleges can help them by partnering with them to train the next generation of workers.

By watching how that school helps build the local Lexington workforce, he’s hoping Lehigh Valley manufacturers will be inspired to reach out to schools in this area to bolster their educational programing.

“This plays such a vital role to move your team members into promising careers,” he said.