The 30-Inch View  Fri, 01/25/2008 - 8:30am The 30-Inch View How
to connect lean thinking with ergonomics  For many manufacturing
and industrial companies, ergonomics remains a pressing issue
due to the chronic nature of musculoskeletal injuries and rising
medical care costs. At the same time, Lean thinking is being
embraced throughout industry to drive substantial gains in
production quality and cost. This hopes to address the reasons
why ergonomics can be a powerful accelerator of Lean, benefiting
both safety managers and production leaders.  Lean Thinking
Lean is often introduced as a tool to "optimize value streams"
and "create production flow." This is misleading- Lean is not
just a way to organize your production activities; it's a way of
improving your entire operation.  Lean thinking requires you to
drive waste from every aspect of your operation, every day. It's
not a job for people with special skills; it's a job for
everyone in your organization. Fundamentally, Lean thinking is
built on the basis o