10/02/2014
IPI-Fort Madison has been awarded the
2014 Iowa Partners in Efficiency Award, presented by the Iowa Lean Consortium.
The award recognizes a team within a political subdivision that, through the use of Lean tools and techniques, significantly increases productivity and promotes innovation, resulting in the improvement of public services to the benefit of the citizens of Iowa and the private sector.
In 2012, IPI partnered with Southeastern Community College to help staff and associates learn the philosophy and tools of lean manufacturing. In less than one year, the Fort Madison team was able to increase cabinet production from 2 kitchen sets per week to 2 kitchen sets per day, a 5-fold increase!
Under the leadership of Becky Jones, Associate Warden for Industries, associates and staff worked in teams gathering data, problem solving, presenting findings, and implementing changes. Project updates were given to IPI leadership, and for many incarcerated individuals it was the first time in their lives using PowerPoint and having their ideas taken seriously by someone in a position of authority. It was dramatic evidence that Lean can be implemented virtually anywhere.
The Iowa Lean Consortium (www.iowalean.org) is a non-profit organization with more than 100 members dedicated to advancing Lean in all sectors of the economy. ILC is a leading resource to Iowa companies who seek to improve their organizational effectiveness and efficiencies.
Congratulations to the entire IPI team in Fort Madison!