Stability and
predictabilityStabilityandpredictability
15 years in sheet metal.
All of it on the floor.
I led a lean transformation that cut production lead time from 11 days to an estimated 48 hours for around 90% of orders. We reduced WIP and finished goods inventory, taking the production footprint from 39,000 to 15,000 sq ft, then to 9,000 about 6 months later. The final redesign had a $15k capital budget, with $60k in annual labor savings and $200k in cash released.
At Stratus, I built the Fab1 cell around a clear path from material preparation through welding and assembly to paint. In Fab3, I split complex builds across 4 stations with mixed-skill teams. Less experienced fabricators took on defined modules while an experienced technician coordinated the work. Most lead times fell by about half, measured from job records. Transferring tribal knowledge took longer, and that work was still ongoing.
How it works
Build a system your team can run.
Start with the real bottleneck, turn insight into standard work and keep the structure running every day.
- observe
- ask why
- find root cause
- fix system
- sustain
01
Diagnose
Find what is actually breaking flow
Map the real process. Separate the bottlenecks from the symptoms.
02
Design
Build standard work that people can follow
Clear handoffs, visible decisions and routines written down where the team can see them.
03
Stabilize
Make the operation run on structure
A system that holds under daily pressure, so the shift runs on routine.
Lean AI Tools
I evaluated the tools.
I built the rest.
Lean fundamentals first. AI only where it removes the slow parts. Everything on this page is built and on this site.
Also on this site: 30 Lean training modules Training · The Monday Floor Brief Newsletter
Start here
Start with one
bottleneck.
Where is flow breaking in your operation right now? That is the question. Everything else follows from there.
One practical conversation and one realistic first step.
Marek