Testimonials

Duggan Associates assisted us in our global implementation providing training and guidance in both the office and in manufacturing. Working with them, we’ve seen strong results worldwide. Among these results we have achieved a reduction of internal lead time and manufacturing WIP inventories by over 50% and a reduced lead time in the engineering department from 29 to 19 days. More powerful than these results were the teachings of the Duggan team that allowed everyone to see the flow, creating a unifying factor throughout our organization.

“GKN sees that CI Culture can only be sustained if all the leaders act as teachers and coaches in Operational Excellence. Duggan’s methods for teaching the application of lean thinking using the 8 lean guidelines and learning by doing are no doubt the best approach I have seen. All of our executives have been educated using this method for value stream design, as well as mixed model, shared resource, business process, and supply chain flow. It’s three weeks of training [for the executives] and it has been well worthwhile to our organization, as it allowed our company to progress along the roadmap to achieving Operational Excellence.”

"Parker has used external training resources for years to supplement our Parker Lean System implementation. Our plants follow a structured value stream transformation process to improve business processes and reduce lead times. Throughout these transformations, specialized training resources are applied as we reach critical points in our implementation plans. To help guide us through these difficult stages, Parker has engaged Duggan Associates for advanced training. This includes Duggan’s Creating Mixed Model Value Streams class, as many of our value streams are high mix and low volume. We also utilize Duggan’s Creating Flow Through Shared Resources course to show team members proper calculations for FIFO lane implementation and how to flow through processes that are shared by multiple value streams. In addition, Parker has utilized Duggan’s online training resources to provide education to team members at our locations worldwide to supplement in-person training sessions."

“Kevin and his team were a class act and genuine experts in their field. I learned a tremendous amount of knowledge on lean and Operational Excellence from them. The Duggan team made training fun and interesting. I appreciate the time they spent with us. It was a great week.”

“I was first introduced to Duggan Associates after hearing Kevin Duggan speak about Operational Excellence at a conference. Kevin’s deep knowledge and charisma was evident in his ability to keep his audience captive for three hours! I was able to take the information from Kevin’s presentation back to my company and kick-start our lean journey the next day. We were able to apply Kevin’s principles of Operational Excellence and see bottom line results within weeks!

Since then we've used Duggan Associates for our training and guidance in implementation, which has greatly accelerated our journey to Operational Excellence. I’d recommend using Duggan Associates to help drive bottom line results quickly in any operations.”

"Creating Mixed Model Value Streams is the source of knowledge that you have probably been waiting for. If you have overheard someone express frustration on how to implement lean in the “real world,” Kevin’s book shows you how to think your way through the challenges and act upon them through achievable future state design.

By presenting the thinking along with a case study approach, he guides you through key considerations in designing future states that deal with the complex issues of high product, demand fluctuations and balancing in the real world.

Value stream mapping enabled us to see waste from door-to-door and create a future state with less waste using the concepts of lean. Cell design taught us how to design true one-piece flow cells that were the ‘pacemakers’ in our future state. Creating Mixed Model Value Streams takes these concepts right to the shop floor using real-life complex environments. It is a must read for anyone on the lean journey who needs practical "how to" knowledge."

"Finally a book that addresses the real world complexity of implementing lean in a mixed model environment. Must read for anyone who is trying to make improvements beyond a basic value stream map. From selecting a product family to scheduling and dealing with customer demand, this book shows you how to implement a lean value stream in a way that everyone will understand."

“Duggan Associates has provided us with the in depth education as well as hands on application which allow us to create door to door value streams that flow, even in our complex operations."

"With the downturn in the economy and the availability of resources, Alcan Cable has engaged Duggan Associates to facilitate our Lean journey. We are completely committed and focused on creating flow through our facilities and we are changing our culture to see and eliminate waste in all our processes in the factory as well as in the office."

"Kevin's book provides answers to the challenging questions one encounters when applying principles of the Toyota Production System in a complex, high mix-low volume manufacturing environment.

This book is a much needed resource for lean practitioners. It details a practical approach to addressing the mixed model situations that one finds in many industries. It is an absolutely essential reference for defining a future state that minimizes waste.

This excellent how-to guide will help set free those of us who have been handcuffed by complexity in our manufacturing systems. Translates theoretical lean into practical guidance for use in the trenches."