Interesting Lean (also known as Toyota Production System or TPS) Articles and Links

1) Learn To Be Lean To Make Progress

Some businesses may feel they have made substantial improvement and have already 'arrived' in terms of reducing waste. This article takes a look at waste from new perspectives - waste that should be relentlessly eliminated.

2) Think Lean before you Outsource

Lean is often a better and more viable option compared to outsourcing. Lean is about engaging with your entire workforce to achieve the goals of an organization. Outsourcing vendors can exploit lean methods to drive productivity in their outsource operations.

3) Getting lean in the factory

Operational efficiencies are helping wheel Solectron back to profits.

4) IDED gets taste of Lean Enterprise

The Iowa Department of Economic Development has found a way to cut in half the amount of paperwork and time it takes the agency to review applications for financial assistance.

5) Success Story: Baan Customer Service and Support

The results of a global drive to transform its Customer Service and Support operation sent customer satisfaction through the roof. The turn-around time to resolve technical calls was cut to a quarter of what it was before on a worldwide basis across more than 20 locations.

6) Build leaner processes … IT’s next major opportunity to add more value

There is large potential gains if Lean is adopted by the IT community everywhere and is embraced to help organizations couple process improvement with IT system enhancement.

7) Lean Health Care? It Works!

This IndustryWeek story describes how applying lean concepts is trimming costs at hospitals and why a group of manufacturers in Iowa believes the effort will benefit their bottom lines.

8) The Lean Revolution

Lean manufacturing is hardly new, but companies such as Solectron and Celestica are applying the philosophy to supply chain management with promising results.

9) Companies celebrate no-waste strategies

Over the past 18 months, Nickel's no-waste mandate has become reality in Hoffman's Anoka enclosures plant, as workers cleared 310,000 square feet of factory space, shortened assembly lines, centralized inventory and eliminated time wasted searching for parts.