Did you know that 93% of manufacturers we surveyed had taken steps to reduce downtime?

Well how about the fact that only 43% reported that these measures were effective?

Downtime happens in manufacturing, it's a fact of the industry. But reducing your unplanned downtime (and improving your planned downtime) is one of the highest ROI actions that teams can take on the shop floor.

In this episode, we're joined by our own Annika Björkholm and Eric Whitley to take a deep dive into our brand new 2025 Downtime Report - where we ask more than 600 manufacturing professionals:

❓Why do you struggle with downtime?
❓What are you doing to fix it?
❓And how much is it really costing you?

Find the answers, and much more, in the report.

You can download it here: https://hubs.li/Q03MWwSB0

l2l.com
Youtube: @leading2lean

A good process is...

One that involves everyone using it. Seems simple enough, but designing effective processes for manufacturing demands a winning combination of experience, empathy, and iterative thinking.

This episode of Manufacturing Stream features Tom Williams, Head of Design and Process Engineering at Pandrol, and L2L CMMS/MES Implementation Consultant Michael Hurd. Both have decades of experience leading teams and improving processes on the shop floor.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

- How to build an effective process and generate frontline buy-in

- The art of balancing effiency and labor costs in manufacturing

- How standardization drives quality

- How solving process hangups often starts with the frontline

- The similarities and many, many differences in process design between a modular housing start up and a global industrial supply chain

- How implementing better tech takes buy-in and a good set of ears (and eyes)

Key moments:

00:00 Introduction to Manufacturing Experts

05:48 Global Challenges in Manufacturing

11:37 Flexibility in Production Processes

17:01 Defining Effective Processes

23:05 Process Improvement Strategies

24:32 Diverse Processes Across Manufacturing Locations

26:17 Memorable Problem-Solving Experiences

26:54 Learning from Failures in Maintenance Planning

28:52 Comparing Startups and Established Companies

31:26 Building a Maintenance Team from Scratch

35:11 Engaging Teams in Process Improvement

36:47 Implementing Better Tech in Manufacturing

42:46 Measuring ROI

Make sure to subscribe for more content about reducing downtime and improving your processes on the shop floor!

l2l.com
Youtube: @leading2lean

From the manufacturing Reddit community to our podcast: we have Lean experts Mohsin Saeed and Eric Whitley react to the best threads from the past couple of months.

We explore everything from improving shift handoffs to dealing with overworked maintenance technicians.

🧠 Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Effective systems are crucial for smooth handoffs in manufacturing.
- Data-driven decision-making is essential for identifying root causes of issues.
- How skills gap in manufacturing often lies in troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.
- Lean philosophy should be ingrained in the culture of your organization.

📍 00:00 Introduction
03:08 Story 1 - Getting handoffs right
14:47 Story 2 - The problem with Lean transitions
27:37 Story 3 - Unhappy technicians and a friendly wager
40:07 Story 4 - Who's responsibility is it, anyways?

🎧 Make sure to subscribe for more content about reducing downtime and improving your efficiency on the shop floor!

l2l.com
Youtube: @leading2lean