The Lean Logistics Blog

A November 2012 survey found that distribution center managers understand that their warehouses aren’t entirely optimal, but they lack the time, resources and strategies to greatly improve operations. Specifically, the survey found that mid-sized warehouses (approximately 50 workers) lose almost 3,000 hours a year due to workforce inefficiencies. Additionally, while 89 percent of those surveyed […]

March 21-22, 2013 | Florence, KY Keeping with the true spirit of PDCA, we have improved this workshop to include additional gemba time – both in the Operations Center and now at a Lean Fulfillment Center warehouse! Modeled after the Shingo- award winning workbook Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream, this dynamic and highly interactive workshop teaches […]

I began my Lean Journey on April 26, 2010. I had no idea what lean was, but I knew I wanted to learn more about it. I left my previous employer after a year and was in search of more of a career within the supply chain. I began networking and was contacted by a […]

The ultimate goal of lean thinking is to reduce our reliance on warehousing. However, the fact remains that warehousing and distribution center management is necessary because of extended lead times and unbalanced business process connections. Consequently, we want to manage warehousing as efficiently as possible. To accomplish this goal, we must bring lean principles into […]

Creating a lean warehouse (or distribution center) is not something you accomplish overnight. It takes vision, planning, strategy, tools and tactics. Relative to people, you need to develop team members into problem solvers and then provide a leadership infrastructure to support their efforts. Identifying and solving problems may seem basic; however experience would suggest it […]

Faced with long lead times and high logistics costs? Looking to reduce waste and increase your profitability?  The Lean Supply Chain Practitioner Course At Laurier Executive Development Centre Laurier Executive Development Centre and LeanCor have partnered to bring you a three-day certificate course of hands-on, interactive learning, teaching you how to extend lean beyond the […]

As a Logistics Management major at Central Michigan University, I have completed my core logistics courses headed by Dr. Zac Williams and Dr. Robert Cook.  It was here that I was challenged to memorize Japanese terms such as kaizen, gemba, jidoka, and poka-yoke.  I understood their meanings and where they fit into the Toyota Production […]

By: Michael Koploy, Guest Blogger Michael Koploy is an ERP market analyst at Software Advice, a free online resource for wms software.  The original article can be seen at 2011 Market Trends Report: Warehouse Management Systems. Software vendors are offering enhanced products for logistics executives looking at new Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). These systems feature […]

Over the years I have heard front-line associates say, “It feels like they’re imposing lean on us.”  Middle managers often feel threatened as lean principles expose problems at their levels.  There is also a fear that making a process too lean can create a different set of issues or circle back around to the same […]

Whether you’re getting dressed in the morning or completing a complex job within a manufacturing facility, the power of standard work can often be  easily overlooked. When LeanCor opened its first lean sequence center in North Liberty, Iowa in the summer of 2008, the first task was to implement the house of lean.  Stability is […]