FROM THE FACTORY FLOOR
Blog
Notes, lessons and field-tested thinking on offsite manufacturing, lean operations and building businesses that last.
Knowing the Ideal Manufacturing Cycle Time
By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies Building components is really great! It was a lot of fun in the 1970s when several plants had competitions on who could build the fastest run of trusses (for example, see Joe Kannapell’s article on Vertical Presses--The World Record). Back then, it was really easy to calculate cycle time, because we...
As the Market Changes – Plan Now for Continuous Improvements
By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies No doubt that as I am writing this, many of us have had to turn our focus to our families, our friends, and our businesses as the COVID-19 virus has rapidly spread throughout North America. The impact to many has been requirements to shelter families in their homes, except for critical...
Strategy, Culture, and BCMC
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC Two manufacturers walk into the BCMC Show. One is a seasoned manufacturer who has been attending the show for many years and will learn something new, but really just goes to shake hands and be seen. The other manufacturer is new and eager, ready to learn and network with others at the show....
What Tools Are You Using
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC I really enjoy local county fairs and local attractions, because they give us an opportunity to see cool things from the past or something related to the area (and our fair has fresh roasted corn!). Recently at our local fair, the Stanwood Fair, I walked into a building showcasing tools used by lumber...
The Importance of Our Leadership Actions
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC Recently, a Pastor at our church, Morgan MacPherson, shared a teaching from the Book of James talking about how our Actions Speak Louder. Though there was a lot of “meat on the bone” from what he shared, one of the additional thoughts I brought home was how important our actions are as leaders...
Measure the Tempo of Your Operation
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC My wife Dianne and I were recently going through some of our old family photos and I came across this photo of Dianne’s Dad, Jack Hendershot, as a teenager on his bike delivering ice in the early ’50s. For those who may not know, before the advent of refrigeration and freezing technology, ice...
Empower Your Team to Success
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC When I recently started some restructuring work for a client, I saw a sign posted on the wall. As shown in the image here, it took a sad approach to giving 100% at work. How many of the associates on our teams show up to work on Monday with this attitude and energy...
Looking at Your Operation from a Different Perspective
By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC My Wife recently saw a book online (direct from the publisher) that she thought I would enjoy reading: “Lean Production for Competitive Advantage,” by John Nichols. There was, though, a funny thing about the book; it was printed upside down compared to the binding. I considered sending the book back to the publisher,...
Effective Ways Leaders Solve Problems
With as many problems as we all face in our work and life, it seems as if there is never enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way. Problems keep mounting so fast that we find ourselves taking shortcuts to temporarily alleviate the tension points, so we can move onto the next problem. In...
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