Cara Gabris, Director of Distribution at the Houston Food Bank, and Monte Mitchell of the Lean Enterprise Institute of North America, discuss a six-month project to improve the food bank’s kitchen operations. The project aimed to increase meal production to 10,000 meals daily while maintaining quality and timeliness. The goal was to get consistent results by ensuring […]
An interview with Michael Areola, who is a Product Development consultant and Agile Coach at Cenmic Management in Katy, Texas (near Houston). He uses Agile processes and frameworks to streamline development processes, increase team efficiency, drive collaboration and reduce wasted time. He worked in large organizations like SAP and Bank of America, as well as government agencies […]
Written by Brion
The Sustainable Development division of IISE conducted an interview with Brad Miller, who is Senior Professor of Practice in the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. He shares his success with teaching students how to apply lean and Six Sigma methods in their homes and at their part-time jobs, including two projects […]
Written by Brion
Project C.U.R.E. (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) collects and sorts donated medical supplies and equipment from manufacturers, hospitals, and surpluses. They distribute the supplies and equipment to developing countries based on a needs assessment of the local hospitals and clinics in those countries. Students in the Supply Chain Management program at the University of Houston were […]
Written by Brion
A student group at the University of Houston uses Lean concepts to improve the setup process that a services organization uses for weekly outreach volunteer events.
Written by Brion
Heeling Soles is a nonprofit organization that distributes shoes and clothing to those in need. A group of students from the University of Houston found a way to reduce setup and shoe distribution times by 41%, while increasing engagement and customer interaction using Lean. The students were taking a Lean course for their Supply Chain […]
Written by Brion
Toyota North America’s nonprofit group called Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC) felt compelled to help Houston in the same way it helped New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. TSSC has helped nonprofits become more efficient by applying Toyota principles called TPS, Toyota Production System. SBP (St. Bernard Project), a nonprofit that received help from Toyota […]
Written by Brion
Charities often rely heavily on volunteers, and the BW Food Pantry was fortunate to have Green Belt Darleen Grandison help them improve their Food Box process. The Food Box process took 20 minutes to pack a box, which limited the capacity of the organization, and risked the loss of volunteers. After Darleen analyzed the process, she applied […]
Written by Brion
Toyota’s Production System Support Center implemented logistics improvements at the Houston Food Bank that cost little to no money and resulted in production improvements. Some of the accomplishments of the partnership include: A new standardized work chart to organize volunteer hours and expectations for certain projects. Donated food is also used to fill backpacks that […]
Written by Brion