Gary Katz, of Katz Roadshow, posted a summary of Scott Well’s (This is Carpentry) and Dan Parish’s (Millworks by Design) tour of FastCap on the This is Carpentry Blog.

“My brother is a year older than me, and because of that, he’s far more experienced and much smarter. But the thing that bugs me is that everything always has to be ‘just so’ with him. Sometimes, when I think about my brother I remember the last words in Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury: “…each in its ordered place.” Even the pencils and pens on my brother’s desk have to be ‘just so’ before he’ll answer a ringing phone; his door bench is the same way: every tool has to be razor sharp and in its proper place before he’ll start work on a door.

It took me years to understand why. I have to thank Paul Akers, from FastCap, for helping me see my brother in a totally new way….” Press here to read the entire post.

Just a few changes can make a big difference. Put your customers first!

Just a few changes can make a big difference. Put your customers first!

Paul Akers provides the requirements for a tour of FastCap and also provides an updated tour of FastCap. Check out all our lean improvements!

Are you interested in Lean Manufacturing? Well take a trip to the shop floor and see a lean factory tour at FastCap in Ferndale, Washington. Paul Akers is the founder and president of FastCap, based in Bellingham, WA. FastCap is an international product development company founded in 1997 with over 2000 distributors worldwide. A prolific inventor, Paul holds US and international patents. FastCap, launches approximately 20 new innovative products per year and has won business of the year multiple times. Paul and his wife, Leanne, have built FastCap from their garage into a multi-million dollar company. At its core, FastCap is a Lean company, determined to continuously improve everything, everyday. Our products reflect the idea that things can be improved and the best ideas come from the shop floor.

In the spirit of Kaizen (continuous improvement) we take a morning walk around the facility to see how, and what can be improved everyday!

The driving force behind the FastCap lean culture!

Andrey and Paul walk us through a simple yet effective lean improvement using our own FastEdge!

How to change the way you think about a conventional office. Lean thinking is a powerful way of thinking, that eliminates waste at every turn and where you would least expect. Paul Akers takes you on his lean journey to creating a lean work place and a super lean office.

Paul Akers discusses how they leaned out their bathroom at FastCap.