FDM
GETTING LEAN
company. Everyone has to be committed to the change process, even
stakeholders outside the four walls
of the company. To achieve that end,
start with a vision that exemplifies the
intent of the company and one that is
clearly understood by every person in
the company. Don’t assume that the
fancy words on the framed document
on your bulletin board and in the front
lobby truly reflect company values and
attainable objectives, or that everyone
in the company has transcribed the
words on their heart and mind in a
way that ensures all of their decisions
exemplify the vision. The vision has
to address what your company stands
for, where you want to go and how you
intend to get there.
The next step is implementing a
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training program for all stakeholders
focused on an introduction to the lean
philosophy. Don’t get into more detail
than you intend to implement or pursue
beyond the next 12 months. Lean education should be gradual and phased-in
in a timely manner. When everyone is
on the same page, introduce a couple of
fundamental tools of lean that will allow
individuals and small groups to begin
to stretch their innovative and creative
intellects by taking classroom training to
the shop floor for immediate implementation. The initial lean tools that apply
to everyone are Workplace Organization
(5S) and Changeover Reduction. They
provide the foundation for eliminating
waste and creating more available time
to do productive work. More information on both tools is available in the
FDM archives.
Defining priorities for lean should
be done in conjunction with the Value
Stream Map process that preempts any
team-based activity such as a Kaizen
Event or team project. Moving forward
with an implementation before Value
Stream Mapping is like throwing darts
at a blank wall hoping to hit the spot
where the target is going to be placed
later. The efforts will not bring about
the desired results. Again, you can
search FDM ’s archives for more information on Value Stream Mapping, or
you can obtain a copy of my latest book,
Story of a Lean Journey, at www.sme.org
or Amazon.com.
I recently had someone tell me that
his boss pulled the plug on their lean
initiative because he heard some bad
reports about lean. He also stated their
plant was a production shop, not a one-piece-at-a-time plant. That manager
clearly doesn’t understand the lean
philosophy. To put lean in the proper
perspective, you need to appreciate the
value to be gained from the investment
and commitment of resources. Here’s
an example of some of the results that
