5 Principles of Lean
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Where do I start?
This may sound strange but Lean is unusual in that there is not one specific starting point.
There are many places to begin.
For example, one company may want a complete Lean audit before they begin. Another company may want to set up a small, pilot area where students may learn by doing. And another client may want to begin with a 5S activity.
Regardless of where you begin Lean, there are certain “Lean Principles” to keep in mind.
When looking for steps to follow, we must look at factors such as the type of company, or the type of product being made. For example, when implementing lean in a commercial bakery you would take a very different approach than you would take when implementing Lean in a hospital.
But Dr. Toyoda did give us certain principles to follow when implementing "The Toyota Production System" and today we use these same principles in "Lean" regardless of the type of business.
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Lean Principle #1
The first principle is to add value, from the eyes of the customer.
We must know our customers, both our “internal customers” who are often the next person in line in production and our “external customers” the ones who finally purchase our products.
It is important that everyone in production produces to the needs and wants of the customer.
Stop and ask yourself, “Would my customer be willing to pay for the work I am doing right now?” There are times when employees appear to be very busy walking and carrying things from one place to another but is that “work” really adding value for the customer? Would the customer want to pay for that walking?
In this series of emails we discuss each of the 5 Principles of Lean in detail as we offer examples of how each of the principles is being used today.
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