Genie Completes California LEAN Manufacturing Program

It has been three years since Genie Scientific Inc., California's leader in the laboratory furniture manufacturing business, completed the California LEAN manufacturing program. LEAN is a state run program focused on cutting down waste in the production process. Any activity that consumes time, space, or resources but does not add value to the products is considered waste. Since the finish of the program Genie has drastically cut down waste and increased production capabilities.

Genie has stopped all unnecessary movements of material and employees. The manufacturing floor was redesigned to remove useless steps due to the inefficient layout of the plant. This has been most beneficial to the sanding teams that sand the steel cabinets and a lab fume hood superstructures prior to powder coating. Genie also cut back on its inventory and basically eliminated overproduction. Greater attention to specifications and craftsmanship has led to fewer mistakes. A motto at Genie is "Build it Right the First Time." These steps reduce waste and save money.

Genie products can now be fabricated in a shorter amount of time resulting in quicker lead times. New products like walk-in fume hoods and steel casework are able reach the market in half of the time it used to take. With the goal of installing manufacturing systems LEAN helped Genie cut down waste and streamline the manufacturing process resulting in more money saved.