Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

May 2019 — The Lean Issue

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In this four-part Lean Issue, we dive deeper with Oregon growers to share tactical examples of the new ways they are being efficient in their work. Learn how to identify process steps that add value and those that are wasteful, find the best work flows, read about 5S methodologies for storage and work space arrangement, […]

Native plant production and marketing

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There are barriers to full adoption of these plants, but also opportunities to promote their adoption By Aaron Anderson Native plants represent an area of untapped growth and expansion for the nursery industry. For example, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) ranked native plants and native/adapted drought-tolerant plants as the top two landscape and […]

Building your Lean team

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These analytical tools can help nurseries reach the next level of efficiency Last May, Digger presented the Efficiency Issue. We examined ways in which Oregon nurseries are making their operations more efficient, and we showed examples. Each nursery is unique. Our goal was to show off the ingenuity of some growers and inspire others to […]

Identifying value and waste

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The key is in knowing what the customer is actually willing to pay for The central concept of Lean is to identify process steps that add value and those that are wasteful, eliminating the latter to become more efficient. It sounds simple but isn’t. Rick and Elizabeth Peters own a Wilsonville, Oregon-based Lean consulting firm, […]

Creating ‘standard work’

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Finding and reinforcing best work flows helps nurseries run a tighter ship Walk into JLPN Inc., a seeding operation and nursery in Salem, Oregon, and even if you’re not familiar with how to harvest or grade container seedlings, you’d soon be doing it like an experienced hand. How? Simply by looking at the laminated diagrams […]

Organizing spaces with 5S

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The 5S methodology for storage and arrangement makes waste reduction far easier Many nurseries deploying Lean to make their processes less wasteful have found that organizing work spaces is a crucial part of their approach. To do this, they are deploying a Lean methodology called “5S.” The letters stand for 1) sort, 2) set in […]

Keeping things moving

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The Lean concept of continuous flow delivers big for Oregon’s nurseries Twenty people to five. A quarter-mile span to 20 feet. One week to 20 minutes. What do these all have in common? They are all some of the head-scratching efficiencies that individual nurseries across Oregon have realized since they’ve implemented one key Lean concept […]

Looking at your marketing strategy

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I have the privilege and joy of working alongside my brother Erik at our marketing agency, Pivot. He’s usually the one who sits in meetings, silently following the conversation for a while. Midway through the meeting he breaks his silence and asks a question that is so thoughtful, on the nose, and (often) paradigm-shifting that […]

Celebrating Mom

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During the month of May, I usually write about our industry’s labor needs. Normally, I express my dismay that Congress is kicking the immigration reform can down the road yet again. But on a personal level, it’s really Mother’s Day that defines the month of May for me. Mothers play a central role in molding […]