Getting Lean for the Summer

Summer is upon us. For some people that means weekend getaways to the cottage; for others who have felt cooped up for far too long, it’s just time to enjoy the outdoors again.

There is something we can all agree on as we look forward to another summer season, however: Getting lean is hard.

Attaining that perfect beach body aside, getting lean is so hard that it has spawned an entire industry in the manufacturing marketplace. Gurus and black belts provide training, resources, and expertise, but to truly harness the power of lean, companies need a lean champion.

A lean champion is someone in your shop dedicated solely to making every aspect of your business leaner. A particular set of skills is required, though.

Knowledge of lean manufacturing techniques, problem-solving skills, and an understanding of the work flow and processes in the shop will make your lean champion successful. However, the success or failure of this endeavor – like many other gains or losses in your shop -- will be anchored in leadership.

If you’re a lean novice, a good place to start is by reading Toyota by Toyota: Reflections from the Inside Leaders on the Techniques That Revolutionized the Industry, a book written by Samuel Obara and Darril Wilburn.

It’s a lean manufacturing cheat sheet of sorts.

Not only does it explain the theories and practices of jidoka, kanban, and kaizen, it offers real-world examples of lean manufacturing successes and failures.

The book’s ninth chapter, “Adapting Lean for Made-to-Order/High-Mix, Low-Volume Organizations” will probably yield the most fruit for small and midsized Canadian manufacturers.

Many shops across the country may say they are too small to implement lean manufacturing, or they are too busy to stop making chips and start making changes. But the true power of lean is that it doesn’t use a bazooka’s fire-and-forget approach. It can be introduced slowly and incrementally.

Lean manufacturing in a job shop is process-focused, not product-focused. Each step along the manufacturing path can be examined and, if necessary, tweaked. Several such tweaks equal a change, and several changes made over time equal an evolution.

Chances are if your company doesn’t evolve, it will stagnate. Stagnate long enough, and it won’t survive.