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When running any sort of physical production based business, you will often have stock on hand. Instead of only stocking for a short time, there will be a "backup" supply of products that can be called upon as demand changes. This is known as "just in case" manufacturing and is highly common in most industries. However, several decades ago, the rise of lean business gave way to the concept of "just in time" manufacturing. In a just in time, or JIT, system, products are made as they are demanded and there is little to (ideally) no back-stock at any time. Why go lean? The idea behind JIT manufacturing is that one can eliminate several kinds of waste by taking away the need to keep inventory of excess stock. From now on, equate "stock" to "excess stock" or the concept of having too much on hand, because in a JIT environment "stock" doesn't really exist outside of individual orders. When you don't have to keep inventory, employees free up their time for other projects and tasks. Also, you have less paperwork to manage, and can focus on other things, like workplace safety, new profitability angles and marketing strategies, etc. Another reason to go to a JIT model is that you increase accountability of management. Because you have no inventory to fall back on in a JIT situation, inventory cannot be used as a crutch to make up for other problems. Slow, inefficient production is often masked by a stockpile of inventory, making it harder to realize certain areas of production may need improvement - these may include machine functionality, worker habits, reliability, and inadequate space management. Another huge place you save by adopting this method is in transportation. Materials do not need to be stocked at various sites and you need to do much less transporting. You will eliminate time wasted in transit when there is traffic or road congestion, and you'll even be more environmentally friendly by reducing fuel burned for shipping purposes

Enterprises across the board have a lot of untapped potential in their data. The data is not only relevant and useful within the enterprise but can be a valuable source of insights for the enterprise partners and customers. In some cases, the value of this data can be high that partners and customers are willing to pay extra to get access to this information at a certain fidelity, freshness or scope. Enterprises that do not have a clear and coherent monetization strategy are leaving money on the table. In addition, they stand to lose customers to competitors who gain the first movers advantage by addressing this market need. The Value of Data The first step in determining a monetization strategy is an audit of the enterprise data assets and a determination of the customers who are interesting and willing to pay a premium for access to this data. The Value of Data is proportional to the following: Freshness The more "fresh" a dataset is higher its value typically. This is because there is an advantage in the early visibility provided by first access to new information. 'Freshness' is defined the latency between the creation of data and the delivery of the data to the consumer. Consumers of data will pay a premium for fresh data if it fits into their decision and action strategy. Fidelity Higher the "fidelity" of data i.e. how much detail a particular data point carries also increases the value of the data in the eyes of the data consumer. Higher fidelity data offers more information and detail enabling the consumer to design highly valuable analysis that leverages the additional details offering a deeper insight into the situation at the present or historically. Raw The more "raw" a data set, higher its value as it can support a much larger set of analysis scenarios that a processed data set could support. Data sets that are aggregated, sampled, filtered or transformed can have a lower value as they can severely limit the type of analysis. Raw

Lean Management - A Guide To Starting Out Right Much like anything over-used and spread before those singing praises have done a lot of research, Lean is a concept that sometimes, despite the best of intentions, misses its mark. Lean principles aren't particularly tricky, but with many offshoots and brands of the ideology, it can be easy for new Lean managers to get caught up in misinformation. At its core, lean is about eliminating all kinds of waste from your business. It sounds simple enough, but one of the biggest problems for many newbies is changing your concept of just what "waste" is. Once you've got a grasp on that, you need to move onto individual strategies that can help you eliminate that waste. In this article, we're going to go over how to accomplish both of these tasks as a manager who may be new to Lean by exploring unique facets of this management type and how they interact with elements of your business. One of the largest differences between Lean management and traditional styles of management is that in a traditional methodology your primary (and nearly sole) concern is the end of the line result. While Lean is of course concerned with achieving superior end results, its focus is on the processes that get you there. In this sense, what you learn and practice as a Lean manager is more about making individual pieces work together efficiently than having a tunnel-vision focus on numbers and figures at the end of the cycle. The Relationship Between Lean management, Waste Elimination, and Continual Improvement "If someone tells you that "lean management is this" and not something else, if someone puts it in a box and ties a bow around it and presents it in a neat package with four walls around it, then that someone knows not of what they speak. Why? Because it is in motion and not a framed picture hanging on the wall. It is a melody, a rhythm, and not a single note." - Lawrence M. Miller, Management Meditations While perhap

Not to be outdone by their Mars roving compatriots, Jason's Koebler's article, "Air Force's 'Waverider' Could Cross Atlantic in an Hour" in U.S. News online reported about the U.S. Air Force's test flights of a new kind of unmanned aircraft, the X-51A Waverider, which is expected to be able to reach mach 6 today, or 6 times the speed of sound. That is approximately 4,500 mph, folks, and that is REALLY fast! Just for some perspective, the supersonic Concorde jet could only go about 1,500 mph, and a bullet can travel the equivalent of about 800 to 1500 mph, on average. This aircraft uses an engine with no moving parts and a hydrogen fuel that ignites with oxygen in the air to propel it on its own sonic wave. That's neat! Obviously, there will be no human test pilots for this projectile. Frankly, I honestly don't see how this could, in any way, make for a comfortable commute from New York to Paris, which they estimate would take this aircraft about an hour. I imagine passengers plastered to their seats and the food cart blasting a hole through the tail of the plane, like in a cartoon. I don't believe humans were supposed to reach that kind of velocity, and I think there would be some kind of biological fallout if one were to ride at those speeds for extended periods of time.

You have installed Google's Pie software in your Android phone, but since then, you are noticing small issues which has a common theme with Android updates. Android 9 has made significant changes, but unfortunately, not all the adjustments are easy to follow. In this article, we will discuss four Android 9 problems plaguing users. We suggest to follow the best Android website in India for up to date news about Android and available apps. The Smart text selection If a new overview is not working in text selection, then it is the time to troubleshoot. You have to long press at an open space anywhere in your home screen. Select "settings", then "suggestions", move your cursor a little bit down to check whether the overview selection is turned off or not. Turn it on and your problem will vanish. If this trick does not work for you, then go to "settings" and select "languages and input". You need to check whether you have selected English (United States) as your language. If you have selected any other language, then it may be the source of the issue. The current hypothesis is that Google has set limits for this feature and hence, why it works best when in combination with United States English. Steps to activate split screen mode This is a common complaint, but unfortunately, at this point in time, there is no satisfactory solution to this issue. You do not need to get disheartened because there are third-party apps which will fill the void. These apps will make it easier to activate split screen function in your Android 9 device. There are free apps as well as paid which will allow you to initiate the split screen mode in your device. Adjusting the ringer volume If you are facing this issue, don't worry, you have company. Many Android enthusiasts miss old ringer volume adjustment. They wish to get it back and they are looking for different ways to get the same old behavior of the ringer volume. In order to do it hassle-free, you can make us

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is a wonderful moment, but it also involves duties. Proper training is one of the most important things you can do for your new pet. These 10 essential tips will help you raise a well-behaved and happy companion, whether you're starting with a playful puppy or an elderly rescue dog.

At Creative Safety Supply, we appreciate how our military personnel give up a good portion of their freedoms in order to serve the American public in foreign lands, distant seas, and hostile airspace. Our company just recently released a new line of military condition tags for sale. They're designed to be used by military members to accurately display the conditions of operational supplies, such as weapons, ammo, and equipment.

In the past decade, cell phone usage while driving has sprang up as a major driving safety issue in the United States and many other developed countries. Originally, teens were the primary target of anti-texting and driving campaigns, but now that cell phone usage is standard amongst a multitude of demographics, the issue has become more broad and is impacting a larger population. According to OSHA's page on Distracted Driving: The human toll is tragic. DOT reports that in 2009, more than 5,400 people died in crashes linked to distraction and thousands more were injured. "Texting while driving" has become such a prominent hazard that 30 states now ban text messaging for all drivers. OSHA - Distracted Driving From checking Facebook, to making phone calls, to checking in with friends and loved ones via text, cell phones have become distracting in the workplace as well, and many companies have, in recent years, implemented cell phone policies on usage to help to maintain productivity. Just like with regular driving, however, cell phones also present a safety risk to workers on the job, especially when machinery and vehicles are being used. In this blog post, we're going to cover various aspects of cell phone workplace safety with regard to work sites. Cell Phone Workplace Safety and Transportation Many of the most problematic workplace instances of cell phone distraction, just like in the rest of the world, come from those who are constantly driving. In your company, this might mean that a delivery truck driver gets distracted and hurts a worker on their way in or out of your warehouse, or it could mean that they injure a civilian or damage someone's property while out on a delivery. Either case you want to avoid, and with damage or injuries to outside parties, you have even less coverage (no worker's compensation, etc.) than if you had an incident contained to workers and company property. The best way to void these distractions are to set hard rul

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Frankly speaking, Microsoft's newest operating system has come with lots of new cool features that were previously non-existent in all the other previous versions of Windows. A good example is how Microsoft decided to move from the Start feature of the older versions to a whole new Metro Start feature. Some long term users of Windows 8 might require such an Administrator Account.In this article we are going to learn on how to enable the Administrator Account in Windows 8 because in real sense it is not missing but it is disabled.

” 77 years man rapes a 12 years old domestic help several times in Malka Ganj, New Delhi.” The news item seemed to scream at me in the morning

Independent Fire Services Ltd was founded in 2002 by Dominic Cook. Dominic worked as a fire officer in the fire brigade. He worked for many years with Chubb in a variety of senior management roles before looking after Kidde's South East operation. Independent Fire Services is staffed by ex Fire Brigade personnel who provide a range of fire training and services to SME's and Blue Chip companies through-out Scotland and the UK. In March 2007 we achieved ISO 9001:2000, and in January 2009 we gained the new current standard ISO 9001:2015 the scope being: The supply and delivery of fire training. The supply, installation and maintenance of fire protection equipment. To conduct and report upon findings of business fire risk assessment. In choosing a BAFE registered company for your fire equipment and services you are investing in quality protection that provides nationally recognised Third Party Approvals. BAFE registered companies acknowledged in new Government legislation as the sure way of demonstrating competence. BAFE is recognised and endorsed by: Association of British Insurers Chief Fire Officers Association Health and Safety Executive Trading Standards British Standards Institution Government

It's not too late to jump on to the Blockchains trend. We often hear from customers whether it is too late to get behind blockchain. The number of startups in this space is growing rapidly and the number of large ISVs and SIs providing blockchain capability and expertise is also increasing. However, the market and the technology space for blockchains is far from saturated, settled or stable. Here are three reasons why now is a good time to get into blockchains Early Mover Advantage Blockchains are bound to disrupt fundamentally how business is done. By enabling trust in an otherwise trust-deficient environment, blockchains enable transactions between two or more enterprises who otherwise might not know about each other. Blockchains offer solutions to several common problems faced by the enterprise such as Digital Identity, Secure Data Storage, Secure Data Sharing, Distributed Ledger, Distributed Databases etc. Blockchains are based on strong cryptographic standards based in mathematics, cryptography, and encryption. Building blockchains as a core competency requires a deep understanding of the mathematics behind it and an internal process for deploying, managing and developing on top of the blockchain. Early mover advantage can be generated by taking small steps in this area and targeting simpler scenarios initially. Nascent Technology It is going to take another few iterations of the blockchain technology before it can truly be enterprise-ready. There is a lot of ongoing work to make blockchains more secure, scalable and performant. Innovations are constantly being made and added to the core blockchain technology that is constantly increasing the type and complexity of applications that it can support. As the technology matures, enterprises can be well suited and ready to leverage the advancements by building a core competency in not only the blockchain technology but by becoming a member of the blockchain community, standards and keeping up to date with th

Creative Safety Supply Blog Keep current with news in the safety industry, find out what's happening at Creative Safety Supply, and learn more about our products. Browse news below to stay in the loop or search by topic.

Make Construction Safety a Priority Everyone knows that construction sites can be very dangerous. The more you know about the types of danger you will face, however, will help you to take steps toward keeping everyone safe. Look over the following 10 safety facts and see what you can learn about how to improve the overall safety of your facility. In addition to using this information to help you to make safety improvements, you can also show these items to the workers at any site so they can be more aware. Some of these facts may surprise people, and cause them to be more aware of their surroundings. According to OSHA, "Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this category for all industries." 10 Tips to Improve Construction Safety Fact #1 - Losing your Load On construction sites people use machines to lift and move all sorts of things on a regular basis. Whether it is lifting wood or metal beams, or you are digging out dirt to prepare to lay a foundation, this is an essential part of most jobs. The vast majority of times this type of activity goes very smoothly and the jobs are completed without incident. The fact is, however, that having loads come loose while in transit is actually a leading cause of injury on construction sites. You need to keep in mind that even if you don't lose the entire load, people can be severely injured from even one thing falling out of a crane or back hoe. With this in mind, people working on site need to know to stay well away from this machinery, and the machine operators need to know to avoid moving items when people are nearby. Fact #2 - Entering and Leaving Heavy Machinery Another safety issue related to working with heavy machinery is related to operators getting on and off of the rigs that they will be working on. While this is something that they of

Outdoor air can be filled with pollutants from vehicles, industrial processes and plenty of other sources, so outdoor air quality should be our biggest air quality concern, right? Wrong. If you work indoors, the air you breathe all day long in your office building, warehouse or manufacturing facility could actually be the bigger threat to your health and safety. Indoor air can have pollutants like carbon monoxide, ozone, radon and asbestos in it. It can also contain dust, mold and other substances that irritate the lungs, sinuses and eyes, causing health effects ranging from headaches to asthma. Some air pollutants cause short-term effects, while other health problems-like cancer or lung diseases-don't materialize for years.

One of the biggest hurdles to Digital Transformation and Digital Innovation is the organization's inertia and tendency to optimize for self-preservation. Self-preservation can exist in the enterprise at the individual, team, divisional or the organizational level and can have a devastating impact on the organization's ability to innovate and grow. Self-preservation is not a new phenomenon however, it is more deadly for an enterprise now than ever. This is because the speed of technology change has increased geometrically. In the past, self-preservation would automatically get corrected as the technology was generally learned and adopted slowly with enough time for the enterprise to become aware of the change and implement it. However, the rate of technology change has magnified tremendously and the enterprises no longer have the luxury to take their time with the change. Inaction risks getting left behind and other competitors who leverage and change faster stand to capture the largest market shares and customer mind share. Self preservation is the tendency of the enterprise to ignore, undermine or postpone the adoption and integration of new technology in the enterprise to avoid a change in the status quo across technology, products, services and most importantly, day to day operations and organizational structure. Self-preservation can lead to what is termed as "politics" in an org, it can stifle innovation and innovative individuals & teams and it can favor business driver stagnation over risk taking. 5 Signs of Self-Preservation The following are signs of self-preservation Highlighting the Journey of Innovation as Failure Adversarial teams and individuals within an enterprise who are interested in self-preservation often go out of their way to highlight the tough, risky journey of true innovation as a failure citing the cost and the time being taken to address the real problems in a truly innovative manner. While the individuals and teams trying to