If it's lean, it's generating a lot of interest these days.
Lean
manufacturers are said to be improving quality, improving customer
service, all while reducing costs.
Is it worth the investment?
Do lean
practices really pay off?
Or is it simply a lot of marketing buzz
designed to help consultants...like me...to sell services?
Lean manufacturing methods and concepts can make a big difference to your manufacturing firm, whether you're a Tier One supplier to a Big Three automotive firm or a small job shop. Simple methods like 5S, Quick Changeover, Visual Factory, Value Stream Mapping, Consistent Work Practices, and Manufacturing Cells can provide big dividends. These methods can allow a company to increase its capabilities and capacity at the same time costs are reduced.
Lean companies are better at making and delivering high quality
products and services at a lower cost than their competitors are. They
respond to both positive and negative changes in the market more
quickly. They introduce more products in a shorter time. They have
lower inventories and they turn raw materials into cash more quickly.
They do all this while increasing employee safety, health, and
satisfaction.
It's important to talk about what lean is not. It
absolutely, positively is not force reduction. It isn't just
about cost reduction. It isn't about working faster or
harder. It isn't the old "time and motion study" approach to
improving productivity. It certainly isn't a magic wand or a
panacea. It does, however, take a long time to implement and it
does require a substantial change in practice and culture.
Not all companies are successful at implementing lean methods but the
companies that are successful have a strategic advantage over their
competitors.
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