Lancaster, PA – Breeo, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based manufacturing company that builds nearly smokeless wood burning fire pits has announced that the company adopted the LEAN manufacturing system that was pioneered by Toyota.

Breeo officially started the LEAN program in January of 2018, a year ago this month. The focus was on improving inventory management and turnover, improving quality, and providing faster lead times. An additional goal was to make better use of the manufacturing space and be more efficient with storage.

The first step in the process was to train the Breeo team on what LEAN is. The LEAN process focuses more on culture and behavior than on specifics and shop layout. All of the physical manifestations of LEAN (organized workspaces, kanban cards, labeling) are the tip of the iceberg; the important parts of LEAN are what you can’t see. Culture, leadership and teamwork are the foundation of the process and Breeo spent much of the winter months working on these items.

Changing the shop layout was the next priority. Breeo builds a variety of nearly smokeless fire pits, and in the past focused on building the units in “batches.” For example, the Double Flame fire pit is very popular on Amazon and Breeo would produce this product in large batches in order to fulfill demand. Under the LEAN approach, the focus is on just-in-time production and inventory management, so building large batches no longer works. Instead, Breeo builds the products on a more as-ordered basis, which allows for lower inventory levels. This required changing the shop layout significantly to reach these goals.

So far the LEAN system has produced significant improvements in all measurable categories, and the team is optimistic that this will continue. One of the principles of LEAN is constant improvement and that means Breeo can never be satisfied, no matter how good it is.

Another reason for adopting LEAN was to keep up with the growing demand for fire pits. North American consumers are continuing to use fire pits more and more each year, and the research shows that most backyard & patio projects include a fire feature. Breeo strives to be an industry leader in this space by providing quality fire products to their customers. The line of fire pits allows customers to cook food, entertain guests, and stay warm in the colder months. A fire is always the center of any gathering, and Breeo’s goal is to make that center more useful, more inviting & more beautiful than ever before!

Media Contact
Company Name: Breeo, LLC
Contact Person: Jonathan Clair Miller
Email: Send Email
Phone: 1 (800) 413 9848
State: Pennsylvania
Country: United States
Website: http://www.breeollc.com