The Lean Business Model is for Everyone: How To Avoid Undoing Continuous Improvement Progress
Managing a company using the Lean approach requires everybody at every level of the organization to think about time all the time. Lean enthusiasts think about ‘lead-time, ‘wait-time, ‘through-put time’, ‘on-time delivery’, ‘takt-time’, ‘set-up time’, ‘down-time’, etc. It is also about time that someone addresses how the Lean approach can…
How to Calculate the Financial Impact of Continuous Improvement Projects
A full-length version of this article was published February 22nd, 2021 in The Fabricator, From my early days working in a precision sheet metal shop and through my career as a lean consultant, I frequently have found it challenging to convince finance teams to allocate funds for continuous improvement…
ISCO Manufacturing Solutions Achieves AS9100D Certification
Established in 1973, ISCO Manufacturing Solutions (ISCO) is a precision machine shop and manufacturing facility specializing in CNC Machining, Fabrication and Assembly. Located in Bend Oregon, ISCO serves customers in many industries including Aerospace, Electronics, Medical Equipment, Industrial Manufacturing and Construction. Typical projects range from one-off R&D, to long…
Ten Important Considerations You Don’t Want to Miss In Your Manufacturing Facility Layout
It is common for manufacturers to reconsider their use of space for a number of reasons, including an expiring lease, outgrowing the existing space due to new products or increased sales, the addition of new technology / equipment, or the need to consolidate to a smaller footprint. Good news: there…
Payroll Tax Considerations for Remote Workers and a Checklist to Mitigate Risk
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased remote work arrangements and dramatically altered work sites and offices. Some of those new arrangements may include employees working in states where the employer hasn’t previously conducted business or had a taxable presence. If your employees are working from other states—or even other countries—there could…
Happy Thanksgiving from OMEP
This season, and always, OMEP is grateful for the Oregon manufacturing community we have the pleasure of serving. 2020, in particular, has held a myriad of challenges, and we want to congratulate all of you for working tirelessly to continue to build your manufacturing businesses in spite of the difficulties.
Adopting New Technology: A story of Starting Small and Iterating on What has Already Been Done
What’s going on here? We have an image of a middle-class guy in the early 1950’s pushing his flying car into a mid-century ranch bungalow. At the time this was published Popular Mechanics was the go-to magazine for futurists thinking about how technology would change society. Why would…
Manufacturing Matters Oregon – Season 2 of the Podcast
OMEP is pleased to announce the second season of our new collaborative podcast, Manufacturing Matters Oregon. Hosted by our very own Linda Wechsler, this podcast is dedicated to telling the stories of Northwest manufacturers. USiA and KAM Apparel Episode one of our second…
If You Connect It, Protect It!
Meet Humphrey Humphrey is a gray squirrel that a friend of mine rescued as an abandoned baby squirrel. For weeks, my friend and his family nursed the young creature by hand. While Humphrey was growing, he became very friendly with the family members, often perching on their shoulders and snuggling…
Pre-Purchase Guide to Equipment for Manufacturers
A survey from 2014 found that small and medium-sized manufacturers do not like to compromise on quality when it comes to communications devices, vehicles or tea (yes tea – the survey respondents were probably British) but were more likely to skimp when it came to things like manufacturing equipment…