Resources

The Continuous Improvement Conference is part of the Printing Industries of America’s larger effort to assist companies with implementing the philosophy and concepts of Lean Manufacturing and other management systems. A considerable number of resources have been developed in the process. Click on the links below for access to articles and the glossary or to product descriptions and prices.

Free
Articles
Glossary of Lean and Related Terms
Lean Manufacturing Assessment Tool

Available through Online Store

• Article Collections
• Hot Topics: Lean Manufacturing, Volume 1
• Hot Topics: Lean Manufacturing, Volume 2
• Books

• Lean Printing: Cultural Imperatives for Success
• Lean Printing: Pathway to Success
• Setup Reduction for Printers
• Lean Book Bundle
  
  System Busters: How to Stop Them in Your Business
• Total Production Maintenance: A Guide for the Printing Industry, 3rd Edition

• Webinars
• The Lean Toolbox: 5S and Quick Changeover
• Lean Manufacturing: TPM for the Printer
• Building and Sustaining a Lean Culture the Toyota Way

Consulting Available through Printing Industries of America's Center for Technology and Research 

• Lean and Productivity Assessments
• Determine current state of processes and workflow
• Recommendations to slash waste, reduce downtime, solve print problems, and improve quality
• Value-Stream Mapping
• Identify waste in the value stream
• Find the constraint process
• Identify where to target system improvements
• 5S:  Sort ® Straighten ® Shine ® Standardize ® Sustain
• Achieve clean and organized processes
• Implement visual management systems
• Quick-Response Makeready
• Quick Changeover—Single Minute Exchange of Die
• Implement 5S quick changeover
• Streamline changeover procedures and methods 
• Total Production Maintenance (TPM)
• Maintenance and Critical cares
• Pit Stop Maintenance
• ISO 9001

    Complete a gap analysis
    Define goals and objectives appropriate to company
    Work with staff to define and document processes/methods that activities should follow
    Organize and document processes and systems
    Develop methods to measure and monitor processes
    Help hire a registrar

Training Available through Printing Industries of America's Center for Technology and Research

• Lean Manufacturing Overview for Printers – What is waste? Jump Starting Lean Implementation
• Searching for Waste – Revealing Waste in the Printers Hidden factory
• Improving Equipment Uptime through Total Production Maintenance – Total Production Maintenance in Print Production
• Slashing Makready Time – 5S & Quick Changeover – Maximizing Press Operations
• Lead Sheetfed Press Operations – Control, Optimize, and Troubleshooting the Press Process
• Process Controls for Decreasing Waste – Quality at the Source and Error-Proofing

To inquire about consulting and training services, contact Karen Keller at kkeller@printing.org or 412-259-1711.