Reliable quality and rapid delivery are the two key customer expectations that modern business organizations strive to fulfil for ensuring their growth and success. For this the companies need to work towards minimizing the cycle time for various business processes as otherwise they run the risk of losing customers. In this context, lean systems offer a reliable solution for organizations looking to attain and maintain optimal operational efficiency and highest customer satisfaction levels. However, in order to get the best results from such systems, the top lean consulting firm in India advise their clients to gain an in-depth understanding about their various key aspects.
Lean Manufacturing Implementation
In order to get the best results, it is important for business organizations to first garner firm support of top management for the initiative. This requires making it clear to the management that several processes might need to be changed. The best way to convince the management of the effectiveness and benefits of implementing a lean system is by carefully planning and test implementing the system for a single product line. Once the management acknowledges the benefits of the system, it can be expanded for a broad-scale execution.
Apart from gaining support from the top management, it is also important to prepare and involve the mid and junior level employees for the change. For this the organizations need to identify and executive, who can be trusted to promote lean program and also become engaged in its planning. The organization should also make sure to educate employees across all levels about the new systems to be implemented. It is also important to lay out the comprehensive designs for the new or modified processes besides developing a plan to test run the system in a single operational area.
The organizations also need to set quantified goals that can help them access the level of improvement attained with respect to various aspects of performance. Once the test run has been successfully approved, they should design plans for implementing the system across the organization in multiple phases. However, even before the initiation of the first phase, a full confirmation should be obtained from the management for the same. The implementation of each phase should be done in accordance with well planned time-tables to minimize any disruptions in the normal business operations.
Measuring The Performance Of Lean Manufacturing
As per the leading lean manufacturing consultants India, just implementing the lean system is not enough. Organizations need to make sure that they have a well-rounded set of metrics in place to measure the performance of lean manufacturing systems. This might involve performing regular assessments to ensure the following.
- Elimination of delays in information transmission due to smoothening of workflow processes.
- Reduction in useless steps through physical reorganization
- Proper recording of paper and electronic files to minimize confusion
- Balancing of schedules for better utilization of time and enhanced productivity
- Appropriate grouping of similar tasks or those that need to be performed along the same route
By monitoring these aspects, business organizations can gain a better understanding of the steps they need to take to further enhance the benefits and advantages of implementing lean system.