"It’s a new year . . . time to take stock and vow to be better," or so we’re told by all of the newsprint being assigned to the topic of "New Year’s Resolutions."
Wondering what folks were focusing on this year, I located "Top 10 Resolutions" on the Web. As I read through the list, I was amazed how easily those resolutions not only apply to individuals, but businesses as well, and how closely they link to lean manufacturing principles!
OK, before you tell me to "get a life," let me show you.
Resolution #10 talks about "getting organized." Workplace organization is one of the basic tenets of lean. Most often it’s called 5S (sort, set, shine, standardize and sustain.) Basically we’re talking about getting rid of stuff you don’t need or use. So "getting organized" can apply to your garage, or closet, or to your business. And business-wise, that extra floor space can now be dedicated to a new product line or process! Not to mention how more efficient your team will be now that everything is in its place.
Resolution #9: help others. And Resolution #8: learn something new. My mind just automatically combined these two – "help others learn something new." It’s exciting to approach a task, or a recipe, or even the laundry from a different approach, or with new tools. And launching a lean initiative does just that! Teaching your team how to reduce set-up times, or how to create a cell gives them a new way of looking at their jobs. Plus you benefit by reducing your lead times, increasing productivity and quality, gaining more floor space, and improving on-time delivery.
Resolution #7 is about money: get out of debt. Or from a business perspective, we can say, "improve your bottom line." How can lean help? How about inventory reduction? Or all the space you "find" after you throw away stuff you don’t need/ use? That falls in the "capital avoidance" arena – now you don’t have to expand your facility. Or it falls in the "increased sales" category – revenue from the new product line or process you launched. And don’t forget the orders your sales reps land because your team is able to build product more efficiently and you respond to the marketplace faster.
Resolutions #6, #4, #3, and #2: quit smoking, quit drinking, tame the bulge and get fit – all about getting healthy. You’re thinking that it’s going to be a stretch to equate these with lean manufacturing principles, aren’t you? Then how about considering unhealthy activities as distractions, or non value-added activities, or waste? And we know that lean is all about getting rid of waste! And "taming the bulge" is no different than "right sizing" your inventory – whether it’s in your warehouse, or around your waist.
Resolution #5 and #1: enjoy life/spend more time with friends and family. This is an easy one – if you didn’t have to spend so much time at work, you just might have more time to spend any way you want! A lean initiative will help you tackle overtime by minimizing/eliminating rework (because quality will improve), and ensuring deliveries are just-in-time (improved throughput, and higher confidence in your suppliers’ deliveries.)
So here’s the Executive Summary: We’ve just discovered a new way to tout the benefits of lean manufacturing!
The bottom line: if you launch a lean initiative this year, you will have time to:
- clean your garage
- volunteer
- take a class
- spend more money (because your business will have an improved bottom line)
- spend more money (you have more money available because you stopped drinking/smoking and you’re eating less)
- hang out at the gym
- travel (family and friends optional)
- enjoy new hobbies
WOW – the word "work" wasn’t even on the list! Happy Lean New Year!