Continuous Improvement
ISO 9001:2015 Certification: What is it and why is it important?
What is it? ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization and is a group of committees that set national standards for a wide range of industries. In this blog, we will be focusing on the 9001:2015 certification. This certification sets the requirements for quality management systems. Any organization regardless of size or types of…
Read MoreWhat is a good catch?
What is it? Foundry experts explain that a good catch program is a proactive way of increasing safety awareness at a plant. It allows everyone to be engaged and be more safety conscious at all times. The result of a good catch is to point out any safety concerns that can be addressed quickly and…
Read MoreA Conversation with Alex: Reflections on the state of the economy, the foundry industry, and the future of Lawton Standard
The last three years have been a wild roller coaster ride. From COVID-19 and supply chain issues to a roaring recovery and global uncertainty, it’s been one of the most challenging times in recent memory. But the challenges also contain seeds of opportunity. Despite the disruption, we’ve been making steady progress toward building a new…
Read MoreTransformation Calendar: Continuous Improvement
The C.A. Lawton Co. strives to improve continuously. Today we examined the Transformation Calendar with industrial engineer Tricia Berg. What is a Transformation Calendar? Lawton’s Transformation Calendar is a visual listing of all activities sponsored by the company to improve the company’s safety, performance, and productivity. It covers every company area from quotation through the…
Read MoreLearn all about a Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese expression meaning “change for better” or continuous improvement – whatever you are doing, you can do it better. At The C.A. Lawton Co, we strive for continuous improvement every single day. Breaking apart and putting together The first part of the word, kai, means “to break apart,” and zen means “to…
Read MoreInter-company kaizen success
The Lawton Standard Co. held an intercompany kaizen event during the week of April 12-16 at Penn-Mar Castings, LLC in Hanover, PA. This was a first for Penn-Mar since joining The Lawton Standard family of foundries in February 2021. Participants from all the Lawton family sites were involved in this exciting project. As the first…
Read MoreToolbox Talks: What are they?
Toolbox Talks are the new method of communication for employees at the C.A. Lawton Co. Each week, a handout is designed and posted by our compliance coordinator, Katherine Jungwirth. This handout is specifically created to freshen everyone’s memory and remind them of specific safety precautions. Lawton’s team digs deep when designing these Toolbox Talks because…
Read MoreLawton’s continuous transformation
An organization that is committed to continuous improvement needs a visual plan that gets and keeps everyone going in the same direction. At The C.A. Lawton Co., that plan is the transformation calendar. It’s a key tool the company uses to manage its commitment to continuous improvement and strategy deployment. The first step is to…
Read MoreLawton uses EBI Lites for quick and easy kaizen
Lawton’s EBI Lite program carries on the tradition of quick and easy kaizen, empowering our workers to seek out and make incremental improvements to their work areas. According to Barry Adamski, EBI Lite may be the most critical path to a better future for the five-generation, family-owned foundry: “We believe each person has unlimited creative…
Read MoreHow to reduce the cost of your casting
A lack of casting knowledge is at the root of nearly every cost driver for large castings. To complicate matters, even if you have general knowledge or experience in casting, every foundry uses different processes. What works to reduce cost in one operation can drive the cost up in another. Even if you have general…
Read MoreEXPERT’S OPINION: Fill the Bench and Balance the Pyramid
The C.A. Lawton Co. periodically publishes input from professionals both within the foundry industry and outside the casting world. These Expert Opinions may be casting related, Continuous Improvement (CI / LEAN), Operational Excellence (Op-Ex), or just working through the challenges of today’s business environment. The goal is to present you with differing viewpoints of how…
Read MoreOne-to-one meetings help employees succeed
At The C.A. Lawton Co., weekly one-to-one meetings with all employees have become a key element in cultivating remarkable people. Human resources manager Lori Goemans explains how they work, what makes them unique, and their power as a recruiting and retention tool in this interview. *This interview has been updated from its original publishing in…
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