Charles Walker

Another great week here at Supply Chain Now! Have you listened to all the episodes? If not, no worries! Check them all out here: On Monday, we welcomed Dan Reeve with Esker to the show to talk about how organizations can leverage AI effectively to win in uncertain times. Supply Chain Now · “Leveraging AI Effectively to Win in Uncertain Times: Dan Reeve with Esker”   We continued our Today in Manufacturing series on Tuesday, and welcomed Rebecca Bowman with The Clorox Company to Supply Chain Now, along with special co-hosts Jason Moss with Georgia Manufacturing Alliance and Laura Madajewsli with HLB Gross Collins.   Supply Chain Now · “Today in Manufacturing: Rebecca Bowman with The Clorox Company”   On Wednesday we published our popular Supply Chain Buzz, with Scott and Greg sharing and discussing the latest news and events in Supply Chain and beyond.   Supply Chain Now · “Pharma Supply Chain, Reshoring, & TP: The Supply Chain Buzz for May 18th”   Thursday we welcomed back Latia Thomas via livestream as she shared what the future of supply chain has in store. A bright future indeed!   Supply Chain Now · “Latia Thomas: Leading the Charge into the…

Lean manufacturing is all about reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Manufacturers have been implementing lean practices for decades and have stood the test of time. Now, with technological advancements, lean methodologies can be more transformative than ever before. “Integrating automation into lean manufacturing is a powerful strategy. Unlike traditional automation, which often aims to increase production capacity without considering real needs, lean automation focuses on the smart and selective application of technologies to meet specific continuous improvement goals and eliminate inefficiencies,” the Kaizen Institute said. “Digital transformation provides an unprecedented opportunity for implementing lean,” it continued. “When applied within lean, tools like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics can revolutionize how organizations detect and eliminate waste.” What is Lean Manufacturing? In “The Machine That Changed The World,” published in 1990, lean production is hailed as “Toyota’s secret weapon in the global car wars.” The Toyota Production System was developed following World War II from “a series of simple innovations … to provide both continuity in process flow and a wide variety in product offerings,” according to the Lean Enterprise Institute. In “Lean Thinking,” a 1996 follow-up to “The Machine That Changed The World,” authors James…