There are many popular buzz words and tools associated with Lean.  Kaizen, 5S, kanban, SMED, single piece flow and value stream are examples.  But just as a hammer or a saw don’t make a great building company, neither do these words or the concepts that they represent, constitute a successful Lean implementation.  It’s the thought and skill with which tools are combined and used that’s important.  Like many other tools, Lean tools require careful selection, constant practise, maintenance, tuning, modification and occasional replacement.  

Becoming truly Lean requires ongoing leadership and commitment from senior management.  Your management team must be willing to embrace new ways of thinking and to accept that there are many problems to solve.  Systematically exposing problems and continuous improvement will become the accepted norm throughout the entire organisation. 

Lean is essentially about the way that people think.  From the beginning, the organisation must have someone from within who will take personal responsibility for the transformation.  Not part time after the days’ production has been achieved, but as part of their daily routine.

Successful Lean implementations are always  directed by an experienced Lean sensei (sen-say).  There is lots of information available about Lean, but how, where, when and why to apply different techniques, and learning to see through Lean-tinted glasses, takes time and requires deep knowledge together with experience.  Our sensei are experienced and they have travelled these paths many times.  They don’t just tell you what to do; they provide coaching and training that can’t be found in books.  They mentor and guide the introduction of Lean thinking and transfer their knowledge to your people.  This enables your people to develop the skills and confidence to create and sustain changes that will transform your organisation.

Following the initial contact we will visit your site to meet the key people and gain a preliminary understanding of your operations and opportunities for improvement.  After  this visit we will provide you with a proposal which includes an outline of how we will implement Lean in your organisation, and the associated costs.

Why delay? Same old thinking will give the same old results!
Lean Thinking Limited is ready to help you get started!