In many ways, lean manufacturing is a refined association of many of the new manufacturing philosophies and approaches ushered in with the Management and Quality revolutions of the 70's and 80's. Corporate culture, change management, customer-defined value, continuous quality improvement, Just-in-Time, Kanban pull systems, quick changeover, and total productive maintenance are just a few of the ingredients that may make up the unique recipe for successful waste reduction in your organization. Yet we know from experience that, to do any of these things, managers must take the lead in securing support, and value adders must take primary responsibility for transferring change to their jobs. The bridge for both of these is awareness and training.

In this era of intense global competition and outsourcing, lean initiatives have already saved some companies from extinction. But to achieve the best results, the entire system must be managed. Starting with a big picture point of view coupled with top-level commitment, the tricky business of all-encompassing implementation begins to involve many or all of the support processes in the organization. The key question quickly becomes: Will leadership merely pay lip service to the implementation, or will it prepare the organization and train employees for success?

To further discuss the critical role of training in Lean Manufacturing, contact Kent Zimmerman, associate dean of technology, at 610-861-5071.