Home >
Services
> Consulting
> Lean Practices
Lean
Practices
What are lean
practices? Ways to attack typical business problems faced by
companies in all environments, whether they make to stock or to
order, are high or low volume: long lead times, low quality levels,
high inventory levels, inadequate customer order fill rates.
Lean
practices are best thought
of as a toolkit of methods, each of which addresses specific
problems in the areas of waste, low quality and long cycle times.
Not every method is appropriate for every company; choosing the
right elements and order in which they are introduced are key to
creating ongoing improvements. Some typical elements of lean
practices include:
Planning- pull systems, constraints management, production
rate equal to demand rate, balanced flow, preventive maintenance,
value stream identification
Production- plant layout, one piece/small lot production,
setup reduction, rhythm or TAKT time, visible controls
Partners- supplier partnerships and certification, VMI,
collaboration in planning, forecasting and product development
People- problem solving skills, flexible workforce, 5S, six
sigma and total quality programs, proper performance measurement
systems
::
Implementing Lean Practices
Many organizations are
not satisfied with their payback from ERP system implementations.
Similarly, introducing lean practices may not achieve the desired
results for many of the following reasons:
-
Focus on technology
instead of people/process
-
Incorrect perception of
"all or nothing"
-
Selecting inappropriate
lean practice elements
-
Not integrating changes
with legacy ERP systems
-
Lack of education and
commitment
-
Conflicting performance
measurement systems
-
Creating a one-time
event vs. ongoing process
The Bridgefield Group
can help you select the proper elements, path, and process that help
achievable measurable results and set the stage for ongoing
improvement. We offer incremental, quick turnaround projects where
the payback and your investment is identified in advance. For more
information, contact:
info@bridgefieldgroup.com
