RETURN TO INSTEP

Not everyone is clear on what it means to be Lean. So it’s best to begin any Lean initiative by establishing a definition. In a nutshell, Lean Manufacturing is continuous improvement focused on enhancing quality, cost, delivery and people.

Lean is:

• A way of thinking…
• Focused on providing value to the customer…
• In the minimum amount of time with the minimum amount of waste…
• Using the talents of all people employed by or involved with the enterprise...
• Based upon a set of rules and principles that center on the elimination of waste
  (with waste being defined as anything that does not add value for the customer)

Lean is not:

• Indiscriminate inventory reduction…
• Head-count reduction…
• Unchecked cost cutting…
• Just a set of tools…
• Confined to use only on the shop floor…
• Confined to use only in high-volume automotive operations…
• To be used only by a select group of highly trained individuals…