101.Lean.Welds Applied to Welding Operations - What is it and How can it help the Industry

In day-to-day management situations, the first instinct is to hide or ignore the problem, rather than to correct it. Those who create problems are often not directly inconvenienced by them, and often adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards them. They tend to take the inconvenience for granted. For example, excessive grinding in a job shop is taken for granted and often ignored.

For butt welds on fracture critical components, massive repairs are taken for granted. This happens because a problem is an unwelcome event in a non-Kaizen organization. Simply put, a problem is an opportunity for improvement. This is where Lean and Kaizen start.

After a short review of Lean principles, the participants will be exposed to five specific lean principles applied to welding operations. Several examples will be used to illustrate the principles of lean and control of waste applied to welding operations.