Arda's Uriel Eisen on the Gemba Academy Podcast

Arda’s Co-founder Uriel Eisen joined the Gemba Academy podcast for Episode 570, “How Kanban Exposes Problems with Uriel Eisen.” 

About Gemba Academy

Gemba Academy is a US‑based e-learning organization that specializes in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, operational excellence and leadership training for organizations of all sizes. 

Transcript Highlights:

Intro & Theme: Kanban’s True Value 00:00–2:30

• Host Ron introduces the episode's focus: Kanban as a powerful tool not just for inventory control, but for exposing organizational problems.
• Analogy: Like lowering water in a pond to expose rocks, reducing inventory exposes issues previously hidden by excess stock.

Favorite Lean Quote2:33

• Uriel shares a key principle from Taiichi Ohno: “Without standards, there can be no improvement.”
• Emphasizes that standardization makes discovering improvement opportunities possible and prevents blame from falling on individuals rather than processes.

Personal Background 5:14

• Uriel recounts his journey through prototyping, aerospace, robotics, designing NASA space suits, and open-sourcing face shields during the pandemic (over three million made in three months).
• Started Austere Manufacturing to produce high-performance buckles, a niche he couldn't find met by the market.

Tripling Production, Identifying Non-Value Added Waste 9:03

• Discusses rapid growth and new bottlenecks in production, especially between CNC, painting, and assembly.
• Realization: Shop “overproduction” and an operator’s desire to avoid changeovers lead to hidden inventory and misallocation of resources.

Focusing on Non-Value-Added Activities 14:01

• Instead of investing in automation to improve “core” steps, looked for improvements in secondary steps.
• Example: Halved paint department cycle times by painting in both directions (not just one), a process change based on customer value.

Measuring Inventory & Process 19:13

• Transition from extreme low inventory (2 days’ worth) to a balanced increase (8–10 days) to match the business’s improvement capacity.
• Used “inventory dollar days” to prioritize which items mattered most; small or inexpensive inventory less critical than bulky or costly items.

When Increasing Inventory Makes Sense 14:01–22:14

• Kanban reduction initially exposed too many problems for the organization to solve, causing constant “firefighting.”
• Slightly increased inventory to reduce chaos, now works proactively to fix one significant problem per day.

Expediting and Standards 19:13–24:00

• Warns against “expediting”, workarounds that bypass Kanban, undermine standardization, and distract from systematic problem-solving.
• Stresses benefit of sticking to standards and using issues as improvement opportunities rather than relying on ad hoc solutions.

Adapting Kanban: Digital & Physical Improvements 19:13–28:00

• Built custom software to print/improve Kanban cards, streamlined manual and digital ordering, later shared similar solutions with clients.

Financial Viewpoint 22:14

• Sales doubled as a result of smoother workflow and increased inventory, making the case clear even for accounting/finance stakeholders.

Scalability & Big Companies 24:00–26:00

• Observes that with company scale, operational challenges multiply, so process discipline is even more critical as businesses grow.

Advice for Getting Started with Kanban 22:14 & 36:00

• Most important: Start simple. Don’t wait for a perfect solution, use basic cards and iterate one step at a time.
• Only about 7% of businesses use purpose-built Kanban tools, the biggest competitor is often “just a whiteboard.”

ERP vs. Kanban Mindset ~30:00

• Compares global/ERP data (hard to maintain, top-down) versus local Kanban data (easier to implement, delivers value even in partial rollouts).

Success Stories & Broader Applications 36:00–38:00

• Many clients double throughput in 6–8 months after implementing basic Kanban.
• Kanban brings value to both industrial and office/business contexts, standardizing replenishment (e.g., break room supplies) can save significant time.

Final Words & Contact Information 38:00–end

• Uriel shares contact details: Austere Manufacturing (Instagram, website), Arda cards for Kanban software, and LinkedIn.
• Encourages listeners to get started with continuous improvement and use standards and Kanban as tools for lasting change.