Page 12 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

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• On the other hand, a select few who have been blessed with both clarity of
thought and the ability to take seemingly complicated situations and reduce
them to a simplicity that is not only amazing in its clarity but also revealing in
its truth. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is credited with the saying, “I don’t
give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would die for the
simplicity on the other side.” I find his statement extremely profound.

Really, It’s Not That Complicated, so Let’s Get Started
Now for the fourth reason I’m writing this book. Once understood, Lean Manufacturing—
its technical engineering aspects and basic concepts—is really quite simple. However,
in my dealings with clients, most do not really understand Lean and many try to make
it much more complicated than it is. Consequently, throughout this book two concepts
shall appear.
• First, “Points of Clarity” will be scattered through the pages, where seemingly
complicated concepts will be reduced to their simplest form—usually just one
pithy sentence. After all, if things truly are simple, they can typically be
expressed in only a few words.
• Second, the application of Lean concepts has been reduced to a simple
prescription—a prescription that, once the concepts are understood, can be
readily applied to a wide variety of situations.

Huge Gains Can Be Made
Fifth, I have found from experience that if Lean Manufacturing is implemented, it is
highly possible to derive huge early gains from the effort. I will give several examples
of this throughout the book. These large early gains, which I call “low-hanging fruit,”
are sometimes the fuel used to catalyze a truly deep and profound plunge into the heart
of Lean, including the cultural change that is both so necessary and so beneficial. Only
when the cultural change is completed will the benefits be realized and fully exploited.
Unfortunately, harvesting this low-hanging fruit frequently feeds the bias of
management, since they now have living proof that there really are “quick fixes,” and so
while the Lean implementation is really in its infancy the focus is sometimes changed to
something else causing the Lean implementation, and its benefits, to predictably regress.
The message is this: Often there are huge early gains to be made, but if these benefits
are to be sustained, a cultural change must occur. This change does not come easily,
nor quickly. All too often, in manufacturing as in life, things that come very easily often
disappear just as quickly. This can also be true of gains made from the implementation
of Lean.

Separating Out the Intimidating Cultural Aspects
Sixth, many of those who seek to begin a journey into Lean start by reading a book or
two on the topic. Unfortunately, some find the literature too complicated, inapplicable,
or its cultural aspects too intimidating. They become discouraged by the published
materials and do not proceed. Many find the answer to “What is Lean Manufacturing?”—
indeed, some books are very good in describing the “what is” aspect. However, very
few address the issue of “How can I implement Lean Manufacturing in my facilities?”
I like to say they are long on knowledge but short on applications.