MINNEAPOLIS—Despatch Industries, a manufacturer of industrial ovens and furnaces, has reduced lead times by 50 percent after implementing a kanban system and other lean methodologies.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists recently delivered a clutch assembly line to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. The line integrates both fully and semiautomatic processes.

To move your company to a better place, it matters more where you are than where you want to go. And before you can see clearly where you are, you must clarify your perspective.

AUGUSTA, ME—The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped a medical device manufacturer here reduce product introduction time, achieve $500,000 in retained sales, and save more than $250,000.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation recently delivered a lean, 21-step assembly and test system to American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.

WICHITA, KS—Case New Holland’s assembly plant here is among the best of the best nationwide, according to an industry trade publication.

Design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) does well as a stand-alone methodology for simplifying product designs and lowering production costs. However, DFMA should also be hailed as a pathway to lean manufacturing.

America’s manufacturing sector gained 14,000 jobs in February, according to the latest data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Manufacturers vigorously seek out best practices because they can improve metrics, such as stock price, sales and profitability. There’s only one problem: Best practices are the actions that solved yesterday’s problems.

Today’s global marketplace requires manufacturers to profitably respond to the dynamics of market demand in a timely manner.