Preparation for Lean Manufacturing

Fix the obvious problems first

To prepare for Lean, you must “fix the obvious problems first�. Many times employers will know exactly what the problems and solutions are. They just don’t have the time, resources, or incentive to fix them. If you have an automobile that is constantly breaking down because of a bad transmission, then fix it! Repair or replace the transmission. Do not implement a Lean Strategy to fix the car. Just fix it. Lean is not used to fix broken processes. Lean is used to continuously improve working processes to eliminate waste. When all the obvious problems are fixed on that vehicle, it’s then time to fine tune it to become more efficient. It’s time to look at ways to cut waste (cost) to ultimately save money!

A Word about Six-Sigma

Some companies now mandate that Six Sigma be used to fix problems. Unfortunately, Six-Sigma isn’t always used correctly. Six-Sigma is intended to solve complex problems that have numerous variables that cause variation in a process, which ultimately cause defects. Six-Sigma uses statistics to systematically identify what the different variables are doing in the process and points to potential solutions. It eliminates guessing as to what’s causing the variations. Again, fix the obvious problems first. Many problems don’t have to be analyzed to detect solutions. In many instances, the solutions are obvious: i.e., If the light bulb is blown, then, change the light bulb.

Value Your People

Society generally refers to companies as entities. We speak of IBM, GM, and Microsoft as entities; however, they are really groups of people. GM doesn’t build cars, the employees of GM build cars.

To develop that culture as successfully as Toyota Corporation has, companies must first realize that they have to develop, nurture and value their employees. In order to build a culture of people wanting to continuously improve, people have to be engaged in their jobs. They have to feel valued by the company. They have to feel they are noticed and rewarded for their contributions. Ultimately, the company has to value having low employee turnover to create consistency. A company with high employee turnover cannot maintain a successful Lean environment.

To foster this type of environment in today’s business world isn’t easy. There is low loyalty between U.S. companies and their employees for a variety of reasons. Some companies look at employees as an expense that can be easily cut, rather than as an asset. If employees of a company do not feel the company values them, they will find other jobs. With today’s business world, it’s difficult to implement a long term Lean strategy. Yes, a company can dictate to it’s employees to use Lean tools to cut waste, however, to sustain that ideology long term require an engaged, loyal, consistent, work force.

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