The end of the fall semester at the Woodworking Centre has come and gone, and all of our students have been through our finishing room with their projects. When it comes time to mark these projects, many find it frustrating that their finished unit doesn’t quite match the finishing step panel they were required to make earlier in the semester.

It is a generally accepted fact that kitchen and bathroom renovations provide the best return on investment and increase the value of any home. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want a new kitchen with all of the latest storage options and soft closing door and drawer features that are available today?

Switching to lean
The owner of Saskatoon’s SBC Case Industries Ltd., Patric Byrns, was already sold on the potential benefits offered by the lean manufacturing approach before participating in a multiple module lean training program. However, he needed help to raise the knowledge level of shop employees and to implement the concepts on the shop floor first. That’s where the technical expertise of an outside resource really paid off. 

When the economy slows, a business owner’s first instinct may be to hunker down and ride it out. Few see it as a time to step up their game by focusing on improvement. But investing in quality control, or quality assurance, can help strengthen customer relationships, reduce costs and maximize profits.