Here's a real parting shot

U.S. manufacturers often translate the 5S lean manufacturing practices that contribute to visual control and lean production—seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke—in their own, distinctly American way. Although they’re serious, dedicated professionals, in their hunt for lean perfection the lean-thinking machinists at Hommer Tool & Mfg. Inc. (Arlington Heights, IL), a growing manufacturer of custom tooling components featured in this issue, use creative types of signage to mark territory around their facility.