Companies of all sizes are now implementing lean manufacturing. Businesses as small as a dentist office are blogging about using lean manufacturing techniques to improve the process and lower costs.

If a company is contemplating hiring a lean manufacturing consultant, they probably need one. If the expertise does not exist within the corporation, valuable time will be lost and money spent unnecessarily until the lean manufacturing consultant is hired.

If the company has lean manufacturing expertise in-house, the question then becomes one of execution and implementation. Can the in-house expert execute the lean implementation plan within the required time frame and budget? Additionally, will the expert receive the required management commitment to implement lean manufacturing?

It is common to see organizations hire a consultant and commit the resources that otherwise not be committed. Is that fair to the in-house consultant? No, but as they say, “it is what it is”. If it takes an outside lean manufacturing consultant to launch a system of massive waste elimination and value creation, does it really matter in the long run?

From a corporate view, all that matters is that the waste elimination occurs and value is created.

Lean manufacturing consultants are often good at motivating the organization into action. Sure, one reason is the corporation is paying for services so it is more compelled to make the most of it. Also, unless the lean manufacturing consultant is going to be paid to wander around, the corporation will probably make a concerted effort to implementation.

If the organization has an in-house lean manufacturing expert and top management commitment, the only reason to hire an outside lean manufacturing consultant would be for additional resources or ideas. A good outside consultant has seen many improvements in various types of organizations with different products. The consultant has undoubtedly witnessed or been involved with a few failures, and thus has the experience and knowledge to prevent or minimize it.

The first step in determining the need for a lean manufacturing consultant is an operational analysis. All areas of the organization should be assessed, including manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, shipping, purchasing, administration, and sales. The magnitude of the waste should be quantified.

Upon completion of the assessment, the need for a lean manufacturing consultant will become transparent.

It is critical for the organization and managers to keep an open mind. This cannot be mandated, but encouraged through written examples, benchmarking visits to and from other companies with successful lean manufacturing implementations.

It is not uncommon for a good lean manufacturing consultant to reduce cost of good sold by 10%. This extremely large number should not be shown to the entire organization up front. It shouldn’t be hidden, but any large number would initially bring fear into the organization.

All lean manufacturing implementations should be preceded with a promise of no job loss as a result. The company should be up front and hones about waste elimination, job combinations, and position elimination, but should also commit to keeping all employees through the process.

Obviously, potential outside circumstances would not permit a guarantee, but if a corporation wants total involvement and maximum success, they will not put people out of work as a result of a lean manufacturing initiative.

When positions are eliminated through lean manufacturing tools, those employees should become part of the 5S or kaizen teams. This only increases the resources and focus enabling more waste elimination.

Almost all successful lean implementations will lead to business growth, enabling the displaced workers to again become direct labor.

When companies “do the right thing”, they are almost always rewarded. The excellent morale and pervasive commitment will fuel additional business, products, or markets.

As stated in the title a business consultant should have five main qualities and if you are looking at bringing in a consultant then you will want them to have the following qualities and traits.

1. First of all you will want your business consultant to have remarkable presentation and communication skills as they will be explaining new ideas and concepts to your senior staff and if they can’t convey ideas effectively then they are not the consultant for your business. A good way to figure this out is to have them present to the senior management in the first meeting to see how they perform under pressure and how the managers rate their performance as well.

2. A good quality they should have is good people skills and also the ability to connect to all aspects of a company. This is extremely important as good people skills will allow them to get the staff working with them and not against them which is essential to the success of a consultant. The ability to connect with all areas of a business is vital again to successfully solve a company’s problems as it requires seeing the whole picture.

3. Good references are a definite quality that you want your consultant to have as these are your best guide to selecting a good consultant. It is vital that you get at least three references and it is also that you verify these by talking directly with the managers in other organisations. You need to find out how they performed and whether they successfully helped them out and also how long it took. This is arguably the most important trait you need to be positive and if it is not then alarm bells should be going off.

4. They also need to have a good solid skill set which includes good preparation; good time keeping, reliable and most importantly they need to be contactable and responsive so that you are kept up to date on progress and any potential problems that may occur.

5. Lastly consultants need to simply deliver results as they should have a great deal of knowledge and expertise to help them accomplish this in a fairly swift timescale. When a company is paying a consultant they want results and that is what you need any potential consultant you employ to do.

There are many more qualities a business consultant could or should have however these are some of the major ones to look out for initially.

Consultants focus their attention on human behaviors that occur during a blaze. The fire engineering consultant will assist with establishing a tenable environment where all people in the presence of the fire can be safely evacuated. Being a consultant requires an immense amount of discipline. Consultants must put on a variety of hats in order to properly perform their jobs.

These consultants are responsible for establishing a proper fire detection protocol, assisting with active fire protection, passive fire protection, establishing evacuation protocols, and helping to mitigate smoke and manage it. Other areas that consultants assist with are fire modelling, prevention programs, and performing risk analysis of the location they are surveying.

Establishing A Fire Detection Protocol In Your Property

There are many common ways to detect a fire. Many adults are familiar with the various products that they can use to alert them of a fire brewing. Fire detectors are special pieces of equipment that are designed to recognize fire phenomena. Devices are designed to pick up on smoke, gas, ultraviolet lights, and heat.

Smoke detectors are one of the most popular types of fire detection products that are available to the general public. These smoke detectors in dwellings, serve as standalone items. When they catch a whiff of smoke, the detector will sound an alarm informing anyone within the nearby vicinity that there is a fire phenomena occurring. In commercial buildings, fire detection devices are normally modeled in an entire fire alarm system.

The system will incorporate several devices that are designed to recognize fire phenomena. The automatic devices that are normally deployed by corporate businesses can be one or more of the following: smoke detectors, heat detectors, fire and gas detector, or a flame detector. Obviously, it is based on the building owners preference what type of detector that they wish to employ.

Assisting With Active Fire Protection

Active fire protection differs in comparison to passive fire protection. With active fire protection, there are certain systems and items that are employed that require motion and response to the devices to work. There are five different categories of active fire protection.

These categories include: fire suppression, sprinkler systems, fire detection, hypoxic fire prevention, and construction and maintenance. Suppression reviews over the various ways that fires can be extinguished. There are two ways, either through manual intervention or automatically on their own. Sprinkler systems are a device that can be employed to prevent the spread of fires. Detection items are your basic smoke detectors.

Passive Fire Protection Assistance

Working with a fire engineering consultant, building owners will receive passive fire protection assistance along with active fire assistance. Both of these protocols are important and must be employed for the safety of the building that a commercial entity resides in. Passive fire protection is important when it comes to protecting structures and promoting fire safety within the building.

Passive fire protection differs from active protection in the extensive approach that it takes. Passive fire protection focuses on containing fires and slowing their spread through utilizing the building as a barrier. With this type of model, the walls, floors, and the doors of the building will be equipped with fire-resistant materials.

There are many different types of fire-retardant materials that can be used in a building to prevent the spread of a fire, if it were to occur. Some of the things that can be incorporated in the design of the building to safeguard it from spreading fires include: fire-resistant glass and walls, fire stops, grease ducts, special enclosures, and occupancy separators. The fire engineering consultant will be responsible for communicating and working with architects to ensure the proper passive protocols are set into place.

Establishing Evacuation Protocols

One of the main reasons why people get hurt whenever there is a fire in a building is because they panic. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. A fire engineering consultant will work with business and building owners to establish proper evacuation protocols for their center. It is vital that in the event that a fire does occur, that the people in the building know what to do.

Panic can only make things worse. Therefore, it is important that there are proper evacuation protocols set into place. Emergency exits should be highlighted, informing people of where to go. Fire lifts should also be installed along the outside of the building to help people who are on higher levels, escape the area safely.

Controlling and Managing The Spread of Smoke

Most adults are aware that in many circumstances where a fire breaks out, the fire is not what hurts the people in its presence, instead it is the smoke. Smoke inhalation can cause a person to become disorientated and pass out. In grim situations, an individual exposed to a fire will pass out because of the accumulation of smoke, and be unable to evacuate the building successfully.

A fire engineering consultant can help building and business owners control and manage how smoke spreads within their building. This is a vital component to any fire detection program that is employed. While working with consultant business owners will be informed of the proper steps to take to eliminate smoke in their building, either through ventilation systems or other means.

What Is The Purpose of A Fire Engineering Consultant?

Owning a building or business of your own is an incredible feat. It is important that the building you own and operate out of is safe for anyone that enters its premises. This is why it is vital to have an expert, such as a consultant come by and perform a risk analysis and ensure that proper fire safety protocols are employed and adhered to.