Daily News

Visiting Students from El Salvador to Learn About Lean Manufacturing

AMHERST — A visiting group of college students from El Salvador, in a program organized by the Amherst-based Institute for Training and Development (ITD), will visit a Western Mass. manufacturer to learn about the world of lean manufacturing, and how precision and quality also lead to improved decision making and innovation.

Sanderson MacLeod is the world’s largest manufacturer of mascara brushes, plus many other uses of twisted wire brushes, in industries including medical, cosmetics, and firearms. The students are from Monica Herrera School of Communication and visit the Pioneer Valley and elsewhere for the purpose of learning about how business is done in the U.S.

This day of training, including lessons on lean manufacturing and an exercise involving Ohno Circles (developed in the early days of the Toyota Production System, by Taiichi Ohno), is organized by Ira Bryck, president of the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley. The FBCPV and ITD have collaborated regularly over the years, as teams of business students and owners visit via ITD’s programs. ITD’s purpose is to provide inter-cultural experiences that bring together professionals and/or students from around the world to share cultures, exchange ideas, deepen understanding, and spread knowledge.