In this issue
CME members in the news
Diversification readies West for recovery In just one month, Michael Dopf saw several company signs in Calgary's Foothills Industrial Park replaced with "For Lease" notices. "[Calgary] went from an overheated market to nothing in the blink of an eye," says the co-owner of Ingrained Style Furniture Co., a custom furniture manufacturer. Read the full article on the Financial Post website.
LEAN and mean expected to thrive and survive
In business when the going gets tough, the tough get leaner and meaner. "(Our survival) is due to the fact that we have a LEAN corporate culture and we have cut out most of our waste," says net safety director of organizational excellence Kevin Falenda.
Mobile Augers & Research (Marl Technologies) celebrates golden anniversary
Congratulations to Mobile Augers & Research (Marl Technologies) — a full-service geotechnical and environmental site investigation drilling company — which has celebrated 50 years of business (1959).
Work-Sharing program puts the true flexibility of steel to the test
As any organization who applies to the government’s Works-Sharing program and is approved can attest, the primary goal is to keep an existing talented work force working. Standen’s Limited, a Calgary-based manufacturer, began its Work-Sharing program in March of 2009.
The program has afforded the Standen’s team opportunities that may not have been a primary focus otherwise, shifting a dedicated focus to workforce development. An extra four to eight hours a week has propelled leadership training, essential skills training and some extra time put towards the biggest task any manufacturer faces — a flexible work force.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
For additional information on consortium meetings or any events, contact:
CME Alberta office:
780-426-6622
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Taking the stress out of kaizen
As stressful as kaizen events can be, they are critical to evolving your workforce into a culture that successfully embraces LEAN principles and continuous improvement. The key for any organization is to continue driving forward. A LEAN sensei once told me that LEAN has a bias for action. That is, as the teacher explained, if you aren’t doing something, you are not continuously improving.
With that in mind, consider these stress-reducing steps for kaizen events:
Chose events that highlight an ongoing effort to change the business. Your approach may be simple, everyday kaizen, but be sure to learn from each event.
Involve people from all areas and perform activities in all areas. Perform pre-event planning activities to create understanding and support for the event. During the event, make it special for those who are participating.
Develop quick summaries of events to show what was accomplished. Track the number of improvements to see how far you have come — provide before and after pictures when possible.
Manufacturing Our Future
Take your MP to Work as part of nationwide campaign
Manufacturing in the 21st century is high tech, highly skilled, high value, high paying and much more than just assembly. Today, manufacturing encompasses the complete business system that incorporates the life cycle of the project – from design to engineering; marketing to distribution. The new age of manufacturing is what CME is conveying to federal and provincial decision makers during its Manufacturing Our Future national campaign, from now until February 2, 2010 – the day manufacturers and exporters from coast to coast will meet in Ottawa for CME’s Economic Recovery Summit.
Join us in this exciting initiative by inviting your MP to tour your manufacturing facility to raise awareness of manufacturing in Canada and the need to build a world-class business environment in support of manufacturers in this country.
Download the Take your MP to Work guide and tell us your Take your MP to Work story. You could win a Rogers BlackBerry Bold and be featured in CME’s 20/20 magazine.
For more information, including your MP’s contact information and easy-to-use sample invitation letters, please contact Marie Morden at 613-238-8888 ext. 4222 or email marie.morden@cme-mec.ca.
Having trouble obtaining credit? Tell us
If you are experiencing serious difficulties in obtaining credit, CME wants to hear from. Please e-mail jeff.brownlee@cme-mec.ca
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