🏭 Over Production
Producing more than needed, ahead of demand. The most serious waste — it hides all other wastes.
What is Lean?
Lean is the practice of identifying and eliminating waste through continual improvement. It's not about working faster — it's about working smarter. At Pierson Workholding, we've been implementing Lean principles in our own shop for years, and the results have transformed our production.
Small Shop To Lean Factory
Jay tells the story of how we went LEAN
The 8 Wastes of Lean
🚛 Transportation
Moving materials and products that isn't required for processing.
📦 Excess Inventory
More material, WIP, or finished goods than needed right now.
❌ Defects
Errors requiring rework or scrap. Every defect costs time, material, and money.
⚙️ Over Processing
Doing more work, steps, or features than the customer actually needs.
🚶 Wasted Motion
Any movement by people that doesn't add value — walking, reaching, searching.
⏳ Waiting
Idle time caused by equipment, processes, materials, or approvals. The second most serious waste.
🧠 Misused Brainpower
Failing to utilize people's talents, skills, creativity, and ideas.
The 3-S System
Sweep — Sort — Standardize
Before you can improve a process, you have to be able to see it clearly. The 3-S system creates a clean, organized workspace where problems and opportunities become visible.
Sweep
Clean everything. A clean workspace reveals problems that clutter hides.
Sort
Remove everything that doesn't belong. If it's not used regularly, it has no place at the workstation.
Standardize
Create a consistent standard for how the space looks and operates. Then maintain it.
Rules for Continual Improvement
-
1
Safety — Nothing is worth doing if someone gets hurt. Safety first, always.
-
2
Quality — A fast defect is worse than a slow good part. Get it right before getting it fast.
-
3
Simplicity — The simplest solution is almost always the best one. Eliminate complexity.
-
4
Speed — The NUMBER 1 mistake you can make in production is to consider speed as most important! Speed is the reward you get AFTER you achieve Safety, Quality, and Simplicity.
How We Implement Lean at Pierson
Establishing Flow
Kanban Cards
Kaizen Foam
Order Alert System
5-minute Lean overview
Company tour
Mill setup cart
Topics Covered
- Establishing Flow — making work move continuously without interruption
- Kanban Cards — visual signals that trigger replenishment
- Pierson Boards — visual job tracking
- Kaizen Foam — tool organization using foam cutouts
- Carts and Bins — organizing materials for flow
- Part Trays — standardizing component presentation
- QR Codes to Training Videos — embedding Lean knowledge at the point of use
- The Part Picker — reducing picking time
- Order Alert System — visibility into production needs
- Communication (Signal app) — fast, reliable team communication
- 100 Things task list — prioritizing and executing continual improvement
Books We Recommend
2 Second Lean
The best introduction to Lean for a small shop.
The Toyota Way
The foundational principles of the Toyota Production System.
The Goal
A novel that teaches the Theory of Constraints.
Extreme Ownership
Leadership principles applied to business operations.
Atomic Habits
Building the systems for continual improvement.
Excellence Wins
Leading with excellence in every area of business.
One Final Thought
At Pierson Workholding, we prioritize: Family first. Then our employees. Then our customers. When people are cared for properly, excellent products and service follow naturally. All our products are 100% designed and manufactured in the USA.