How to apply the 5S method of lean manufacturing to your sheet metal shop. 

One of the most common misconceptions about lean manufacturing techniques is that they only apply to large-scale operations. Lean is the continuous improvement of operations to cut down wastes. “What lean tends to do is look at the system and try to identify what adds value,” explains Robert Van Til, Ph.D., professor of lean studies at the Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science and chair of the Industrial Systems and Engineering Department. 

Today’s challenging work environment needs managers who work smarter and don’t let the old ways get in the way of improving the quality of how they manage. 

Many HVAC distributors didn’t waste time passing along price increases that they blamed on the new 25 percent tariff on imported steel entering the U.S.  

If you haven’t started applying lean construction techniques to your sheet metal shop, it’s not too late to start and get ahead of your competition. A few years ago, many ductwork fabrication shop owners wondered if lean manufacturing techniques actually could apply to job shops (high mix/low volume).

There are many myths about how sheet metal shops can improve. Many of these are built on the faulty assumption that contractors want shop efficiency.