Furniture Industry Research Association publish new Lean Manufacturing Training Toolkit

The Furniture Industry Research Association has released their latest project for members.

The five-part Lean Manufacturing Training Toolkit aims to support furniture manufacturers looking to introduce lean principles into their organisation or re-energise their current lean programmes. 

Part 1 of the training toolkit, which focuses on 5C Workplace Organisation, is now available. 5C is a technique that enables you to set standards and spot abnormal conditions so that corrective actions can be taken before they cause problems. All processes require a stable workplace, and this technique aims to maintain and improve the standard of the workplace.

Parts 2 to 5 of this Lean Manufacturing Training Toolkit, which will be released over the coming weeks, will provide training for the following topics:

• 7 Wastes
• Visual management
• Standardised work
• Quality, Cost, Delivery, Measures

Each toolkit will contain the information needed to carry out practical and theoretical exercises in lean principles and include a combination of the following:

• Agenda to plan a training course
• PowerPoint presentation with notes
• Interactive games/exercises
• Various templates related to the lean principle to help document, record and analyse continuous improvement

The training toolkit was authored by Bruce Lovell, Consultant at FIRA International (the Service Provider to the Research Association). Speaking about the toolkit he said, ‘The content provides training presentations, interactive games, agenda and documents that will enable a budding lean practitioner to carry out their own in-house activities with a team from the shop floor. The training and implementation should be carried out at the process to give bottom-line lean results, training the people in the process area so they are motivated and engage in continuous improvement.’

Part 1 of the Lean Manufacturing Training Toolkit is available to Furniture Industry Research Association members here.

Non-members can purchase from the FIRA bookshop priced at £120.