Baker Hydraulics

Baker Hydraulics is implementing Lean principles to provide our customers with hydraulic cylinders of the highest quality in the industry, to improve quote responsiveness, to excel at customer service, and to eliminate waste and variation throughout the organisation. For Baker Hydraulics, our starting premise is we want to build "to demand" with le... ss inventory, and to provide customers with hydraulic cylinders with "zero defects," 'world class' value, and arriving at the right time. The foundation of Lean (the Toyota Production System) identifies the following forms of waste: defects, over production, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion and excess processing. Our Lean Enterprise system uses Strategy Deployment, Value Stream Mapping, and Kaizen events to drive the elimination of variation and waste and ensure we continue to improve on our goal to exceed our stakeholders' expectations. Further lean practices and principles we use are Lean Planning, Safety, Continuous Flow, Product and Process Quality, 5S, Visual Management, Standard Work, Process Design, Total Productive Maintenance, Material Flow, and Supply Management. What we want is not just "Lean Manufacturing" but a Lean Business. "Lean Manufacturing" encompasses everything on the shop floor; Lean Business takes the concept company-wide and envelops every activity and process: from the moment we get a customer call to the moment we receive payment, and then to after sale support. Our strategy was developed with input from our customers, ownership group, suppliers, and employees. We are concentration our initial efforts on Operational Excellence and focusing on four main criteria: Safety, Quality, Delivery and Value. Safety is the most straightforward. We believe by taking care of our employees, we are taking care of our customers. Safety is our paramount concern, and the focus of many continuous improvement efforts. This has paid off handsomely. Baker Hydraulics injury rate has decreased 50% in the last year, from a level that ...Read More