The fabric of success [lean manufacturing]

Achieving productivity improvements is the goal of most manufacturing companies, but having achieved them, the real business benefit comes from sustaining the improvement. One company that has succeeded admirably in that department is Skelmersdale-based Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics UK, which manufactures fibreglass reinforced drywall joint tape. The company recently received recognition for its continuous improvement activities from the Manufacturing Institutes, which handed them the prestigious 'Sustaining Continuous Development' award at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Manchester. According to Peter Appleton, the operations manager of Skelmersdale, the keys to their success are the basic skills of lean manufacturing philosophies and culture - TPM, just-in-time, and 5S.