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Presentation

Wrecking Yard Lean

Uncommon sense lean

Presentation Code: VS2-06

Value Stream: VS2 - Sustaining Lean & Delivering Results

Day & Time: Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 - 1:30 PM

Length: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Seven years ago, Combine World was just breaking even financially and knew it had to change if it was to survive. When they saw what lean could do for them, they were more than happy to adopt its tools and vision. They adopted value added and non-value added value stream and found the waste in what they were doing and how they were doing it. Lean helped them see what and how they needed to change. The speedy results showed them that they were on the right track, and Combine World continues to use lean to drive and sustain their successful and profitable momentum.

In this presentation:

  • Hear how lean turned a break-even business into a profitable company.
  • Learn how Combine World applied lean to its farm machinery manufacturing business.
  • Find out how lean changed the company from a reactive company to a proactive one.
  • Hear how lean has helped the company to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.
  • Take home lessons that can make your business more profitable and successful.

Combine World

Founded in 1986, Combine World started as a salvage yard selling used parts to supplement their fledgling farm operation. By 2005, they had grown their business from a husband and wife operation with two part-time employees to a business with 20 employees and a farm of 4,000 acres. As the business prospered, the company moved to concentrating entirely on its parts and equipment sales business, and it now employs 15 people and sells parts and equipment globally. Sales now exceed 6 million dollars a year. That's more than double the company's sales of three years ago, yet they haven't had to hire any more employees.

Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and started his salvage business with his wife, Marjorie, in 1986. Since that time, Charlie has been involved in a number of business ventures, most of them successful, though not all. Charlie has three children, and all of them are involved in running Combine World. It is a business that continues to accelerate its implementation of lean. In fact, the family eats, lives and breathes lean. Being such a keen lean advocate, Charlie was asked to present at last year's AME Canada Conference and received positive feedback from attendees.

Coleman Murch

Coleman Murch has been with Combine World since 2004. He was hired as an accountant and later assumed the role of parts salesperson/controller. His farm background and university education bring a unique mix of practical experience and knowledge of the numbers, which makes him a significant asset to the organization.

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