Tag Archives: eBook

It’s a double-edged sword for the building products industry today.

The production and demand slump during the pandemic has turned into a boom. Residential and commercial building is on a high.

Yet, challenges still exist for the building products industry as it navigates these uncertain economic times.

While each company has its unique issues, our team of subject matter experts have compiled the most common challenges we’re seeing for the building products industry today, and share productive solutions we’re recommending to our clients to tackle them.

In this eBook you will learn how to overcome the following:

These strategies will help you get started on combating industry challenges and carry you through these uncertain economic times. If you need more in-depth help or would like to discuss specific issues you are experiencing, give us a call today. We listen first and then advise on how we can make your operations more efficient.

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How well do you know Lean? The concept is nothing new. Pioneered back in the day by Toyota… or by Henry Ford even earlier, depending on who you ask, Lean manufacturing is the art of maximizing customer value while minimizing waste. It’s about cutting costs, eliminating waste in both processes and products, and generally becoming as “lean and mean” as possible to reach optimal efficiency.

Another, newer term is often bandied about when talking about Lean: Six Sigma, a methodology designed to tackle defects in manufacturing and product/service development. Two sides of the same coin, while Lean looks at making processes more efficient and reducing process lead times, Six Sigma focuses on cutting down on defects. In fact, they’ve joined to become one methodology in some circles. Lean Six Sigma, or LSS, which aims to cut defects and shorten lead times. What is it? Are they stronger together? Could they clash? Who should use it? And who shouldn’t?

For answers to these questions, read USC Consulting Group’s eBook Lean Six Sigma: Do You Really Know These Methodologies? We’ll look deeper into Lean Six Sigma through the lens of Dr. Frank Esposto, USCCG’s Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Senior Director of Quality, and a certified LSS instructor. You think you know Lean Six Sigma? Download the eBook below to find out.

Dr. Esposto discusses Toyota’s classic Lean manufacturing model that identifies “seven wastes” and he recommends you expand your mind to add one more. Furthermore, he will advise you on the best strategies for LSS training, the key challenges you will face, and the factors that lead to successful LSS implementation in your operations.

Applying the Lean Six Sigma methodologies effectively in your processes is not a one-size-fits-all and may require help. Dr. Esposto elaborates on the tools, techniques, and methods to use and the benefits you will gain from it.

So, how well do you know Lean Six Sigma methodologies? A whole lot more once your read this eBook.

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S&OP is a business management process that involves sales forecast reports, planning for demand and supply, and other factors. The goal is to help companies get a better, more clear look at their operations and create better-informed strategy decisions, allowing them to deliver what clients need in the most profitable way.

It’s a useful process, but we’ve found a lot of our clients do not include inventory as a strategic tool in their S&OP process. Therefore, they leave the “I” out of SIOP.

“A key to SIOP is to emphasize inventory as a strategic tool to help offset variation in either demand or production issues,” explains David Shouldice, senior vice president and managing director of USC Consulting Group’s global mining and metals practice. “One lever of control in the SIOP process is to make inventory harder working as a strategic tool.“

Adding inventory into the mix is just one additional step, but we find it can be the key to the whole process. When you’re focusing on inventory, it requires more careful planning and elevates the entire planning process up a notch. When your inventory is optimized, which is not an easy mark to hit in these days of supply chain disruption, things tend to fall into place. With SIOP, you can make your inventory work harder for you.

You will learn the principles of SIOP that include:

The Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning process assists USC Consulting Group in helping our clients become more efficient, profitable and competitive. If you’d like to find out more, contact us today.

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