Lets face it, the majority of ERP software suppliers today are focused on push based software applications and have been doing so for the past 30+ years.

Sabino Creek's primary focus is on supporting and providing the enterprise with a "common sense approach" to lean software applications and technology.

Integrated Lean is a core design criterion of all Sabino Creek software products. Every product must facilitate lean thinking techniques and be flexible enough to allow a program of continuous improvement.

Sabino Creek provides software products that support both Traditional (push) and Lean (pull) Manufacturing.

Traditional ERP - WinMan

Lean ERP - VisualQueueERP

Lean Shop Floor - VisualQueueShopFloor

The 5 Elements of Lean

Value. Anything that does not add value to the product or service as seen by the eyes if the customer, must be identified and eliminated.

Value Stream. Companies must manage by the value stream to best serve the customer. The value stream starts with the incoming phone call and ends with collection of cash.

Flow and Pull. These are the enabling techniques that produce shorter lead times, higher quality and better response.

Empowerment. This is the recognition that the best process engineers are the people doing the job. Empowerment means teaching people new tools and methods and allowing them to implement process improvements.

Continual Improvement. A Lean implementation is a revolution that never ends. Lean creates a team culture that does not accept the current methods as the best and believes that everything can be improved over and over again.

What do we think Lean is and isn't?

Lean is a methodology that strives to balance production to demand, while minimizing cycle times, waste, lead times, and inventories. It is a continuous journey, where improvement is an ongoing effort shared by the entire company from top management to production line workers and all those in between. Workers and production lines must be flexible; management must stay true to the principles of lean. Everyone in the company must be working towards the same goals (as opposed to having conflicting goals where purchasing gets bonuses for favorable PPV causing them to buy in large quantities to get discounts, while manufacturing gets bonuses for low inventory levels, etc.).

The true beauty of lean lies in its simplicity and results. It is so simple, that many of its proponents feel a truly lean factory can run without the aid of computer systems. This is accomplished by creating a “visual factory” where the factory workers know how much to make by visual cues rather than a printed schedule. We only make stuff at the rate our customers buy the stuff.

Coming from the world where not everything is quite so simple, we feel that a properly designed enterprise system will aid in the lean plant. Though we strongly believe in the visual factory, we recognize that there are places where this isn't possible. Some companies have requirements to track lot and serial numbers. Hence, a system that allows order less manufacturing (that is not having to create a work order or repetitive order), has lot and serial number tracking, and can produce electronic pull signals (kanban), and can do traditional push of MRP for those operations not converting to lean (it is not practical to believe that the entire plant can always be instantly converted to lean), is the perfect fit for a company on a learn journey.

Sabino Creek staff has been part of many lean journeys. We are aware of the great benefits that can be reaped as well as what needs to be avoided. Sabino Creek would be happy to help guide you on your journey

In the News

4.15.09

Sabino Creek launches VQ Partner Programs for Lean Application Suite of Software Products.

1.15.09

Sabino Creek Announces Acquisition of WinMan Product and US User base.

1.1.09

Sabino Creek launches "Visual Queue©" a shop floor scheduling software product with lean techniques and processes's designed for small to medium sized manufacturers.

9.1.08

Congratulations to Jean Cunningham and Duane Jones, Their book Easier, Simpler, Faster Wins 2008 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Lean Manufacturing

view all news articles

Are you or your company looking to become Lean?

Manufacturers have made huge investments over the past two decades on IT infrastructure from business systems to shop floor control systems yielding substandard results for the investments made.

Manufacturers of all types from simple to complex products, from small to large have not been able to synchronize the floor with the ever changing customer order and product mix with the swings in the economy. Along the way the ERP or shop floor control system will become out of synch with customer demand, procurement of materials or services to meet the demand, engineering changes to support unique configurations or all to frequent quality issues. Reality sets in that there must be another way than the "Old Way".

Sabino Creek has been innovating new ideas to synchronize manufacturing, engineering, purchasing and quality to sustain product levels driven by variable order mix and the limited production capability since the late 80's. As a result the VisualQueue Technology was born. The new way!

VisualQueue Technology is built on Lean Manufacturing principles by integrating demand order build sets (ERP) with shop floor/plant floor execution systems. With the VisualQueue Technology you are able to see ongoing and significant performance improvements. Improvements from improved customer service, production cycle time improvements, reduced inventory, improved throughput in the factory and overall bottom line of the company.

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