Lean in its simplest form is about eliminating waste in processes and improving efficiency. It’s also about continually improving on these processes and having systems in place for processes to be standardized and properly monitored. Just looking at this, it’s easy to see why lean should be a priority for any manufacturing operation. If you’re not using lean in your organization or don’t believe in it, then you will surely fall behind us we can assure you that your top competitors are using it in some shape or form. Here are a few reasons why lean principles are important in manufacturing.
Why are Lean Principles Important in Manufacturing?
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Better Productivity
Any manufacturing operation that uses lean methodologies and has the tools needed to implement them correctly will see an increase in production. It’s nearly impossible for a manufacturing business to get all their processes right without a clear system to monitor and improve on them. There will always be some areas that could be improved and unnecessary steps there, and the only way to identify and eliminate them is through strict enforcement of lean principles.
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More Efficient Warehousing and Inventory Management
Lean does not only apply to production either. Lean principles can also be used to warehouse more efficiently and manage your inventory better.
Lean can be used for warehouse optimization and to help you use your space optimally. A LEAN warehouse optimization consulting service could help you minimize employee movement, accelerate the loading and unloading of trucks, and discover unnecessary steps that don’t add value. This will result in faster deliveries, fewer losses, and less time paid in labor.
Lean warehouses also make it much easier to keep track of inventory. Since everything is streamlined, there are much fewer chances for mix-ups. Lean warehouses also tend to be much better organized, which makes retrieving inventory or managing it much easier.
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Lean Principles will Save You Money
Lean manufacturing can also save your business lots of money in all sorts of different ways. It will allow you to hire just enough people to run your operation. You’ll have a better idea of when you’ll be having surges and how you can mitigate them. You will know exactly how many people you need at any given time and know exactly where to assign them.
Going lean will also allow you to save lots of energy. Since you’ll be doing more with less, you won’t have to spend as much energy on your day-to-day operations. This will directly be reflected in your energy bills at the end of the year and give you more room to breathe.
In addition to all of this, lean manufacturing leads to much fewer errors during production and fewer losses during packaging or transportation. Employees in lean manufacturing facilities are less likely to quit, get injured, or call in sick. This translates to fewer sick hours paid, and less money spent on recruiting.
Conclusion
So, if you were still skeptical about lean manufacturing, you should hop on that train right away. And, if you don’t, you can expect your competition to zoom past you.
