Implementing LEAN training, safety, and Team Empowerment with Katie Sanders of SwedePro
CMMSradio catches up with Katie Sanders — original CMMSradio correspondent — who’s now deep in manufacturing as Professional Product Specialist at Grand Forest, makers of SwedePro chainsaw protective apparel (chaps, pants, FR gear, etc.).Katie just completed Lean 101 training and shares her biggest takeaways: Tact time, the 8 forms of waste, 5S, and how they directly apply on the production floor. LEAN isn’t just about making stuff faster; it’s about maintaining equipment, maintaining people, eliminating/exploiting bottlenecks, and keeping quality high while protecting lives and limbs.Her role has evolved into full boots-on-the-ground mode: selling, building customer/dealer relationships, product development, marketing, and actually working the line so she can genuinely represent the gear to arborists, DOT crews, wildland firefighters, and more.The episode highlights the strong family culture at this woman- and veteran-owned company, getting production workers involved in improvements, and why safety + Lean + maintenance all have to work together for real results.Practical, real-world talk about manufacturing, Lean principles, and protecting people who keep the world running.
