Posts Tagged ‘continuous improvement’
Lawton’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 MoreContinuous Improvement double take: the shakeout in shakeout
Continuous Improvement is, by definition, a never-ending process. At The C.A. Lawton Co., as with all CI organizations, the mindset of this philosophy becomes part of the culture. Every team member is trained and prepared to participate in improvement events. The week of May 18-22, 2020, the Lawton team embarked on a very ambitious kaizen…
Read MoreManaging for Daily Improvement
In the past few years, The C.A. Lawton Co. has placed a great deal of importance on its Lean journey. Over summer 2018, Lawton took the next step by implementing the use of MDI boards. MDI stands for Managing for Daily Improvement. Lawton’s goal is continuous improvement, and a great way to reach that goal,…
Read More6S: A powerful engine for improvement at Lawton
An organization is like a machine and its departments are like the cogs that make it run. In order to function effectively, it requires proper tools and maintenance. At The C.A. Lawton Co., departmental 6S audits are one of the Lean tools we use to maintain continuous improvement. It enables us to operate like a…
Read MoreLean and green at Lawton
At the core of both sustainability and Lean is the concept of waste reduction. Lean focuses on reducing process waste. Sustainability focuses on reducing environmental waste. By acknowledging the similarities between these two frameworks, we open new doors for how organizations can integrate both Lean and sustainability into the workplace. In order to successfully employ…
Read MoreThe history of Lean – fun facts
The Lean mindset drives everything we do at Lawton and keeps us improving to better serve our customers. That’s why we’ve been exploring its roots in this article series. Now that you understand how Lean has evolved during the last seven centuries, it’s time to take a closer look at some little-known but fun facts…
Read MoreHow EBI Lite generates incredible momentum for improvement
In 1898, only 19 years after The C.A. Lawton Co. was founded, George Eastman of Eastman Kodak created the first known corporate suggestion system. It was focused on saving the company money. Kodak employees responded by turning in good ideas for years to come, helping the company to thrive for many years. The Japanese studied…
Read MoreHow continuous improvement streamlines contract reviews at Lawton
Continuous improvement affects every part of our operations at The C.A. Lawton Co. – not just manufacturing, but front office processes, too. An excellent example is the contract review process that helps our company achieve remarkable results for our customers. The contract review is an interdepartmental review of each order to ensure all details are…
Read MoreKaizen inspires a world of change at Lawton
Kaizen is a Japanese expression meaning “change for better” or continuous improvement – whatever you are doing, you can do it better. Here at The C.A. Lawton Co., we strive for continuous improvement every day. Through kaizen, it is achieved. The first part of the word, kai, means “to break apart,” and zen means “to…
Read MoreShipping Gets First-Class Treatment at Lawton
The shipping department is often one of the unsung heroes in many manufacturing companies. It performs a critically important job: Preparation of the products whose next inspector is our customer. They are asked to get these products delivered cost effectively, without damage. Recently, the casting prep and shipping departments of The C.A. Lawton Co. were…
Read MoreWithout the right playbook, transformation is just a dream
Like a professional football team’s playbook, an organization that is committed to continuous improvement (CI) needs a visual game plan that gets and keeps everyone pulling in the same direction. At The C.A. Lawton Co., that playbook is the transformation calendar. It’s a key tool the company uses to manage its commitment to continuous improvement…
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