This article highlights advantages of Lean Manufacturing in the manufacturing industry. The U.S. Bureau of Census survey shows that leaner the company, the faster it grows and the more profitable, productive, and innovative it becomes. It is a constellation of interrelated processes that improve productivity and reduce waste through continuous monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. The successful results of lean implementation have shown that workers are going to have to take more responsibility for outcomes, and managers are going to have to treat workers like partners. However, lean brings out the skepticism in many engineers and owners of small- and medium-sized businesses. It takes a lot to convince them to invest the time and money needed to transform even a modest factory into a lean operation. Lean has proven to be a philosophy of continuous improvement, as learning how to expose and fix problems creates sustainable advantages that are expected to continue in the future.
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January 2016
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All Out Lean
Half Measures Get Less than Half Results
Gary Cowger is professor of engineering practice at the University of Michigan and chairman of GLC Ventures, a management consultancy. He is a former president of General Motors North America and group vice president of General Motors Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations. He is the 2010 winner of ASME’s M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal.
Mechanical Engineering. Jan 2016, 138(01): 30-35 (6 pages)
Published Online: January 1, 2016
Citation
Cowger, G. (January 1, 2016). "All Out Lean." ASME. Mechanical Engineering. January 2016; 138(01): 30–35. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2016-Jan-1
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