A popular misconception is that Lean principles of maximising customer value whilst minimizing waste are suited only for manufacturing. We have found that actually it applies in every process in our business.
The word Lean can cause concern as people automatically assume that a Lean programme will lead to job losses. In fact, it is not a tactic or a cost reduction program, but a way of thinking and acting for an entire organization. We believe that it really is all about people – our employees and customers. Often too much emphasis is placed on the processes, forgetting that they must be implemented by people and contribute to a great customer experience.
Creating a better working environment with simpler processes (which should be designed by employees themselves) enables staff to do the best job possible.This will in turn contribute to increased productivity and cost efficiencies.
Lean is also a journey https://www.eta-i.org/valium.html which doesn’t have a final destination or STOP sign. Customer needs, which drive business, are ever changing and so we need to be agile in order to respond and keep up. So our challenge is to sustain interest and embed lean thinking into our organisational culture. One of the ways in which we are doing this is by appointing different Lean Champions each month from different areas of the organisation.
This month’s champions are (L to R) Fiona, Diana, Josef and Marta. We are so happy to have such a positive and enthusiastic group of people working in Abcon, who are open to ideas and willing to take part and contribute to our continuous development. Wish us luck on our journey!
For more information on lean visit Enterprise Ireland, lean.org and leanmanufacturingtools.org
(A version of this article appeared originally on Abcon‘s website)
Abcon’s Lean Journey Continues…
July 5, 2017 By
