SASKATOON, February 01, 2018 – Superior Cabinets is pleased to announce that they have been named as the first company in Saskatchewan to achieve Lean Certification, as presented by the Canadian Manufacturing & Exporters (CME).
An internal Lean audit was conducted by the Canadian Manufacturing & Exporters (CME) on January 30, 2018. Superior Cabinets began its Lean Certification journey in 2012 as part of a complete business transformation focused on restructuring the company back to productivity and profitability.
“We are extremely proud of this accomplishment and this recognition is a reflection of the hard work and dedication our team members have invested into transforming our company into a Lean organization,” said Michael Kachur, Continuous Improvement Manager of Superior Cabinets.
“The CME conducts internal audits of companies all over Saskatchewan and I would rank Superior Cabinets as a world-class facility. They would easily rank in top 10% for 5S implementation in North America and Europe,” said Darryl Minty, Divisional Vice President of Canadian Manufacturing & Exporters (CME). “I would be proud to tour anyone through their manufacturing facility as a best-in-class example of Lean Certification and 5S implementation”.
LEAN CERTIFICATION STATS
LEAN PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
Superior Cabinets has transformed most of its front-to-back processes and has now fully embraced and integrated a Continuous Improvement mindset throughout the company, led by their manufacturing team. The deployment of programs such as Lean and 5S, partnered with a spirited and dedicated staff in all departments (Corporate, Stores, and Manufacturing), has resulted in a culture of constant innovation. With this foundation in place, they are well positioned to implement the changes necessary to drive an improved customer experience.
KAIZEN
Superior Cabinets does an average of 800 Quick Kaizens per year across the entire organization, including manufacturing, sales, corporate, operations, finance and marketing. These Kaizens result in either an improvement in productivity, customer experience or have a financial payback.
LEAN BELTS
Of Superior’s 220~ team members they currently have 210 White Belts, 10 Yellow Belts, 10 Green Belts and 2 Black Belts.
CYCLE TIME REDUCTION
12 employees are trained on CTR. This is where the team focuses on reducing Non Value-added activities by using Value Stream Mapping. Cycle Time Reduction projects are a great way to get their people to work as a team and overcome obstacles that often aren’t realized until they are mapped out.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
This aspect is so important to the team that it is one of their five company Values.
2018 LEAN AUDIT STATS
This was the fourth Annual Audit for Superior Cabinets. Superior Scored at a 3.0 average out of 5.0, based on Management Support, Culture, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Setup Reduction, Total Productive Maintenance, Pull Systems, Production/Information Flow, Plant/Facility Layout, Standard Work, Lean Product and Process Design, Accounting Support for Lean, Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement. [2015 – 1.2 Average Score, 2016 – 2.4 Average Score, 2017 – 2.9 Average Score, 2018 – 3.0 Average Score].
LEAN EDUCATION
Two of the Lean Experts at Superior Cabinets have spoken at various kitchen, manufacturing, home building and continuous improvement industry conferences throughout Canada on the topic of Lean and the Superior Cabinets Lean Certification transformation story.
Superior Cabinets will continue to empower its teams to drive Lean, Lean Certification and 5S initiatives throughout the entire organization including their manufacturing facility, corporate head office and 4 corporate stores.
From Left to Right: Michael Kachur, Continuous Improvement Manager of Superior Cabinets and Darryl Minty, Divisional Vice President of Canadian Manufacturing & Exporters (CME).
About Superior Cabinets
Superior Cabinets, in operation since 1980, is one of Western Canada’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of frameless kitchens with a long-held and well-earned reputation for fine quality products, outstanding customer service and dedication to employee success. Superior sells through their retail stores in Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton, as well as a network of 75 dealers with significant room to grow, leveraging their 55,000 sq.ft. cabinet production facility based in Saskatoon, SK.
About CME Saskatchewan
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is the country’s largest, oldest and most influential trade and industry association. In Saskatchewan, we are a team of leading experts — advocating for your interests, helping you build a culture of innovation, and accelerating your business performance in the core areas of productivity improvement and workforce development.
For more information, please contact:
Shahan Fancy
Superior Cabinets
Tel: (306) 667-6655
