Lean Management Transforming Industry
Lean Management: Transforming Industry
Introduction:
Management theories and techniques have been developed and debated for over a century. Typical management techniques revolve around mass production and management of people rather than the management of the process. The Japanese have long been recognized as world leaders in manufacturing. The have successfully developed new and innovative management practices throughout their organizations to improve their competitive position. Today the Japanese are leading the quest for continuous improvement by applying Lean Management principles, the latest continuous improvement method in the business world. These principles have been applied successfully to a variety of disciplines with impressive results.
The goals and objectives of lean are to provide the necessary tools to eliminate ?muda?, the Japanese word for waste, and improve profits in any industry. Applying lean principles to wasteful conditions will lead to compelling results. According to Womack and Jones, ?inventories can be reduced by 90%, productivity improved 30%, space utilization improved 50%, and quality improved 85%…? in a typical transition to lean management (Womak, 210).
The Japanese have been highly successful at transforming industries to lean. Leadership with openness to change has been a cornerstone to their success. Additionally, their
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