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~ GETTING STARTED IN LEAN ~
What is the best way to get started in Lean Manufacturing? Here are some quick start methods.
- Training. Here, we are talking about training for the management of the company.
- Find a Coach. In Lean, the coach is called the 'Sensei', which is the Japanese word for teacher.
- Planning. Hire a Lean Consultant to quickly develop a plan to produce "bottom line" results.
- Reading. Read some books on the subject of Lean. Two excellent books are "Learning to See" and "Lean Thinking", available at www.lean.org or at www.amazon.com
Some commonly asked questions:
- Why don't we just go out to the plant floor and reorganize a workcell? You can, but to what end? What have you accomplished by reorganizing a workcell, except perhaps annoying the worker? Did throughput increase? Were fixed costs (Overhead or OH) reduced? Did gross margin increase? Likely, the answer to all of those questions is: NO. So why do it?
- Why can't we do it ourselves? It looks simple. We can do it ourselves. While the concepts seem simple, it is difficult to implement the new practices in a systematic manner, such that the changes actually stick. In truth, few companies can do it themselves. It is best to hire a 'sensei' or coach who can lead the organization through the transformation. The role of the coach is to help people go to places where they would not go themselves.
Strategic Modularity Inc., along with its associates of the ACA group, can provide everything you need to get started, and can also support you throughout your Lean Implementation and Lean Transformation initiative. |
