March 10 2011 Archives - Modern Distribution Management

March 10 2011

Volume 41, Issue 5 - A Practical Approach to Lean

Volume:

41

Issue:

5

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Features
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This is the pdf of this issue of Modern Distribution Management. Apply the full $24.95 pay-per-view cost of this issue toward an annual subscription, which includes two issues a month plus access to more than eight years of online archives and market data. Call 1-888-742-5060 or email info@mdm.com to subscribe. Subscribers log-in to download this issue.

A lot of the talk around lean in distribution has revolved around determining how a concept used primarily in manufacturing can be applied elsewhere in the supply chain. But the reality, according to lean expert Chuck Emery, is that lean has always worked with distribution in mind. In a recent MDM webcast, Emery provided a practical approach to implementing and measuring the returns of lean in distribution.

This is an exclusive summary of the webcast, Lean for Distributors: Improve Process, Eliminate Waste.

Lean is not about manufacturing more efficiently; lean is about making the supply chain work more effectively, according to lean expert Chuck Emery. “It’s always been about distribution,” he says in a recent MDM webcast.

Emery spent 16 years working with Toyota – the generally accepted leader in lean – before founding Lean Quest, a consulting firm focused on lean.

Distributors continue to ride tailwinds through the first quarter of 2011, following a fourth quarter that surprised many distributors and turned a do-or-die year into a turn-the-corner year. This year will be a pivotal year for many distributors, as we’ll see the results of investments made to gain market share take hold as economic conditions improve.

In part one of MDM Editor Lindsay Konzak’s interview with Lewis-Goetz and Company CEO Jeffrey Crane, Crane spoke about the industrial rubber products distributor’s acquisition strategy. In part two – below – he talks about the role of technology as the company grows and the importance of training the distributor’s employees to effectively use that technology to add value for customers.

MDM: What role have technology tools played for your company as you have grown?

Crane: We like to make decisions with data. We have reporting tools we use consistently to understand what trends are taking place in our business and to understand the data behind what’s happening in our business.

According to the MDM/Industrial Market Information MRO Market Analysis, the U.S. market size in 2010 for the 126 MRO product groups is $XXX billion. The Canadian market size is $XX billion. Click download pdf at the bottom of this article after logging-in to see the full market analysis.

Indicators showing the rate of recovery for the construction industry have been a mixed bag. Overall, recent numbers remained subdued compared with pre-collapse figures. But some indicators seem to be heading in the right direction.

The construction industry added 33,000 jobs in February, the largest monthly increase since March 2000, according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America.

PDF Download
4105Cover1

This is the pdf of this issue of Modern Distribution Management. Apply the full $24.95 pay-per-view cost of this issue toward an annual subscription, which includes two issues a month plus access to more than eight years of online archives and market data. Call 1-888-742-5060 or email info@mdm.com to subscribe. Subscribers log-in to download this issue.

A lot of the talk around lean in distribution has revolved around determining how a concept used primarily in manufacturing can be applied elsewhere in the supply chain. But the reality, according to lean expert Chuck Emery, is that lean has always worked with distribution in mind. In a recent MDM webcast, Emery provided a practical approach to implementing and measuring the returns of lean in distribution.

This is an exclusive summary of the webcast, Lean for Distributors: Improve Process, Eliminate Waste.

Lean is not about manufacturing more efficiently; lean is about making the supply chain work more effectively, according to lean expert Chuck Emery. “It’s always been about distribution,” he says in a recent MDM webcast.

Emery spent 16 years working with Toyota – the generally accepted leader in lean – before founding Lean Quest, a consulting firm focused on lean.

Distributors continue to ride tailwinds through the first quarter of 2011, following a fourth quarter that surprised many distributors and turned a do-or-die year into a turn-the-corner year. This year will be a pivotal year for many distributors, as we’ll see the results of investments made to gain market share take hold as economic conditions improve.

In part one of MDM Editor Lindsay Konzak’s interview with Lewis-Goetz and Company CEO Jeffrey Crane, Crane spoke about the industrial rubber products distributor’s acquisition strategy. In part two – below – he talks about the role of technology as the company grows and the importance of training the distributor’s employees to effectively use that technology to add value for customers.

MDM: What role have technology tools played for your company as you have grown?

Crane: We like to make decisions with data. We have reporting tools we use consistently to understand what trends are taking place in our business and to understand the data behind what’s happening in our business.

According to the MDM/Industrial Market Information MRO Market Analysis, the U.S. market size in 2010 for the 126 MRO product groups is $XXX billion. The Canadian market size is $XX billion. Click download pdf at the bottom of this article after logging-in to see the full market analysis.

Indicators showing the rate of recovery for the construction industry have been a mixed bag. Overall, recent numbers remained subdued compared with pre-collapse figures. But some indicators seem to be heading in the right direction.

The construction industry added 33,000 jobs in February, the largest monthly increase since March 2000, according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America.

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