Automation and Job Insecurity

A real estate agent and a pharmacist are standing in the “12 items or less” line at a supermarket. Next to them, where the other express line used to be,there is now a large scanning machine, resembling the ones you send your carry-on luggage, shoes, and laptops through: a conveyor belt on the bottom, and […]

The Future of Tedious Labour: Lean RPA

Tedious work has been an inevitable ingredient in many types of jobs for generations, but now there may be a solution in a new format: Robotic Process Automation (RPA). This is a type of software, not a physical robot, and it is designed to take over some of the more repetitive and dull elements of […]

Corrugated Containers and Plastic Bags

Case Study: Corrugated Containers and Plastic Bags Project Name: Rebuilding a Poor Performance within a Global Company Industry: Manufacturing – Paper Products Achievements: Improvement of process to meet global standard Elimination of wasteful processes The Challenge The client is a manufacturer of corrugated cardboard and carboard packaging products with 40 plants located around the world, […]

Electromedical Medical Equipment Manufacturer

Case Study: Electromedical Medical Equipment Manufacturer Project Name: Electromedical Medical Equipment Manufacturer Process Improvement                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Industry: Manufacturing – Medical/High Tech Achievement: Improvement of process to meet manufacturing sales goals Elimination of wasteful processes The Challenge Our client is a specialist manufacturer that creates electro-mechanical medical devices. These include highly specialized tools such as left ventricular […]

Ultraviolet Curing & Power

Case Study: Ultraviolet Curing & Power Project Name: Ultraviolet Curing 5S Application                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Industry: Printing Achievement: Improvement of process to meet sales goals The Challenge Ultraviolet curing is a photochemical process that uses high-intensity ultraviolet light to dry inks during the printing process. A Belgian-based company whose roots in printing stretched back three centuries, had […]

Automotive OEM Manufacturer

Case Study: Automotive OEM Manufacturer   Project Name: Automotive OEM Shift Change                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Industry: Manufacturing (Automotive) Achievement: Identified and eliminated wasteful shift changeovers The Challenge A well-known automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEM) was experiencing significant production slowdowns during shift changes. As a manufacturer of key dashboard components for a range of well-known European car marques, […]

Lean 5S in Food and Beverage Manufacturer

Case Study: Lean 5S in Food and Beverage Manufacturer Project Name: 5S Lean Manufacturing in Beverage Production Industry: Food Production/Packaging Achievements: Deployment of the 5S lean management method Successful expansion of product lines from two to seven Identification and resolution of production bottlenecks and switchover challenges The Challenge About four years ago, a Ghent-based juice […]

Lean Bakeries

Lean Bakeries Project Name: Applying Lean Management to a Bakery Franchise Group Industry: Food Production Management Achievements: application of Lean techniques across the production platform revolutionizing the approach to bakery management Although village bakeries have been a staple of towns for centuries, little attention has been given to the efficiency of the process. Most local […]

Label Printing Company

Case Study: Label Printing Company Project Name: Label Printing Company Industry: Printing Technology Achievements: Applied lean and 5S to a dated, error prone process Improved accuracy and output on all 8 presses Added revenue without need for layoffs or new purchases The Problems A Brussels-based flexographic label printing company was experiencing reduced revenues and increased […]

Lean Customer Management in a Construction Site Supplier

Case Study: Lean Customer Management in a Construction Site Supplier Project Name: Construction Site Industry: Construction Achievements: Identified several sources of delay and decline Established a process of lean education, project management and kaizen Built a lean operation into an overgrown family company  The Challenge X is a famous Brussels-based company that supplies material and personnel […]