When Steve Campbell joined S&B Metal Products, Lakeland, Fla., in the mid-1990s, he brought with him a lot of the smart business practices that he learned working for Parker Hannifin Corp. He helped to tighten up cost tracking, worked to empower employees, and introduced lean manufacturing techniques that made the shop floor more responsive to customer demands. Meanwhile, others didn't learn those lessons.In "The laser as a lean manufacturing tool," which can be found on p. 104, Campbell shares a story of a nearby metal fabricator that S&B Metal Products used to consider a healthy rival for many years leading up to the Great Recession. It had similar metal fabricating capabilities and served similar customers. Trucks, loaded with parts and assemblies, appeared to be leaving the competitor's facility on a pretty regular basis. All seemed to be going well from an outsider's perspective.
展开▼
