Tag Archive for: Productivity

Lean Leader Course Launches in February

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Registration is now open for the 2023 Lean Leader Course, a program to equip individuals to help lead a nursery/greenhouse transformation. The series begins in-person February 9.

The Lean Leader Course consists of four dynamic in-person workshops, on-site tours, and hands-on assignments to develop Lean and Leadership skills. Graduates improve their communication, get better results from their team, and adopt powerful tools to reduce waste in their organizations. 

“I was blown away with everything I learned,” said Stacia Lynde, Propagation Manager with Bailey Nurseries’ Dayton site. “And what a great group of people to network with! The future is bright in our industry knowing they are a part of it. Thank you for everything you taught us. What an experience. I’m a much better manager because of this course!”

Participants will join other business leaders on hosted tours of companies well into their Lean transformation. Students will see Lean concepts in action, such as standard work, visual controls, one-piece flow, and more, then participate in discussions immediately afterward for insight and application.

“This course gave me the best framework to make effective improvements,” said Elizabeth Brentano, Robinson Nursery Potting Line Manager. “I learned a thorough approach to change and gained the tools to communicate effectively with others in the company.”

In-class sessions begin on Thursday, February 9 and will be held at the Oregon Association of Nurseries, 29751 SW Town Center Loop West in Wilsonville, Oregon.

For more information and to register, contact Elizabeth Peters, 503-250-2235 or epeters@petersco.net. Details are available online here, or click here to download the brochure.

Lean Presentations from 2022 Farwest Show

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Several nursery-industry Lean practitioners shared their knowledge at the Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon August 25, 2022. We’re sharing their presentations as a courtesy to attendees, and those unable to participate.

(PANEL) Simple Improvement Projects Every Business Should Take On This Year

Mark Bigej, Al’s Garden and Home

John Lewis, JLPN

Chris Robinson, Robinson Nursery

Ben Verhoeven, Peoria Gardens

Case Study: Applying Lean Principles to Pulling Orders at JLPN (Spanish Only)

Aplicando Los Principios de Lean enExtracion de Ordenes

Is Going Lean the Antidote for Your Labor Shortage?

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These days, labor shortages top the list of daily challenges for just about every green business in the U.S. and Canada. But Chris Robinson says his company has not only won the struggle but is becoming an industry leader by centering its efforts on creating both lean production processes and a lean working culture.

In this story by Greenhouse Grower magazine, business leaders share why Lean is “a big advantage to growers who are having trouble finding labor.”

https://www.greenhousegrower.com/management/is-going-lean-the-antidote-for-your-labor-shortage/

‘Lean’ nurseries boost productivity

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Photo By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press – Published Jan 10, 2020

Mateusz Perkowski of the Capital Press newspaper recently highlighted ways nurseries have effectively applied Lean principles in the past year.

The story quoted three businesses who have deployed Lean principles to identify and reduce waste in processes: Peoria Gardens of Albany, Weyerhaeuser Turner Regeneration, and JLPN of Salem. Here’s an excerpt:

“In retrospect, the inefficiencies at Peoria Gardens near Corvallis, Ore., were hiding in plain sight.

Though the problems now seem glaring, the nursery’s managers and workers never noticed simply because that’s how things had always been done, said Ben Verhoeven, the company’s president.

The company’s eyes were opened to these issues last year while participating in the Oregon Lean Consortium, which helps nurseries and other businesses adopt the waste-cutting principles of “lean” production.

By “co-locating” all the necessary equipment in one place and clarifying each worker’s role in “sticking” cuttings into containers, Peoria Gardens developed a continuous flow of filling the plug trays with new plants. Trays were made available as needed, reducing the wait time and unnecessary inventory.

With these simple changes, the nursery was able to cut its “sticking” crew from 20 to 11 people, a labor reduction of 45%. Meanwhile, the amount of time required to plant each cutting decreased from about 8 seconds to 4.5 seconds per plug tray cell.”

Read the full story online here.