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The lean stands alone: How to stand out globally via lean labor tactics
One methodology has recognized the importance of placing the workforce at the center of a manufacturing transformation: Lean. Lean has done so by recognizing that the people who do the work are the same ones who will originate the ideas for improvement and put them into place. Lean, a continuous improvement methodology, is built upon three pillars: Purpose, Process and People:
- Purpose: The reason the company exists.
- Process: The method a company uses to add value to its product and services.
- People: The people that participate and improve the process.
Lean’s power is in the simplicity of its objective: If an activity adds value – keep it; if it doesn’t – eliminate it.
This book will focus on the workforce and its interaction with the other resources required for production. We follow Graham, a production executive at a manufacturer who is challenged to reduce his company’s product unit cost by 10% in a year. Along with Graham’s story, we describe ideas, techniques and examples of how manufacturers have changed the way they manage the workforce and then standardize those changes through the use of technology.