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Four Lean Manufacturing Fundamentals You Can Count On


Originally imported from Japan in the 1980s, lean manufacturing continues to play a key role in every successful U.S. manufacturer. Lean companies make their products as efficiently as possible, using the least possible staff time, equipment and working capital.

Take just-in-time (JIT) inventory management. This efficient supply chain strategy reduces inventory costs — such as storage, insurance, pilferage and obsolescence — through inexpensive, reliable overnight shipping and online order fulfillment. When implementing JIT, however, plant managers need to understand the trade-off between reducing inventory carrying costs and meeting customers’ imminent needs.

Increased global competition and declining operating margins make these four lean manufacturing fundamentals especially important in today’s marketplace:

What Are the Four Lean Manufacturing Fundamentals? 

  1. Waste not, want not. Lean manufacturing limits the amount of time, materials and other resources that are used in the production of a finished product. Are your dumpsters full each week? If so, there may be an opportunity to cut back on the amount of materials that go into making your goods. Waste also involves underutilized labor and inventory, defective products, and disorganized assembly line layout. 

  2. Commit to quality. Poor or inconsistent quality can destroy your business. But ensuring the highest possible quality for every product that’s shipped out the door is easier said than done, especially if your operations are streamlined. 


  3. Create a consistent workflow. Lean manufacturing principles discourage dramatic production fluctuations, because such fluctuations can lead to overtime pay, sloppy workmanship and stressed-out workers. Instead, management should forecast demand and produce a consistent amount every day. Ideally, inventory, not additional output, should be used to shore up gaps when large customer orders arrive. 



For more information on lean manufacturing and what it can do for your company, contact one of our team members by visiting our website.