Lean Thinking: What it is and What it isn't

This is a question that it is perhaps best to start answering by saying what it is not. It is not about zero inventories. It is not a collection of tools to be applied mechanistically to problems. It is not a Japanese philosophy to be applied indiscriminately. It is not a collection of buzzwords designed to confuse the uninitiated whilst stating the obvious. So if that is what it is not, what is Lean? At a high level it is a way of giving people at all levels of an organisation the skills and a shared means of thinking to systematically drive out waste by designing better ways of working, improving connections and easing flows within supply chains. By eliminating waste we can simultaneously reduce our costs, make better use of our resources and deliver better customer value. Lean Thinking is being successfully applied by a wide range of industries including automotive manufacturing, chemical processing, food manufacturing, clothing, retailing, healthcare and local government. If you are manufacturing a product or providing a service, Lean is both applicable and appropriate.