MRO Today - Lean: What it isn't

Lean: What it isn’t

by the University of Maryland Engineering Research Center

While it’s important to understand what lean manufacturing is, it’s equally important to understand what it is not.

Lean does NOT mean "Lean and Mean." Some people erroneously think the goal of lean is to fire people and make the survivors work harder. This misunderstanding and the issue of job security must be addressed prior to initiating any lean efforts. One of the key characteristics of lean manufacturing is that it is a team implementation process, and obviously, no one will get involved in a process if they feel it will eliminate their jobs.

The core of lean is about doing things that add value from the customer’s perspective. Because of these extremely competitive times, one way jobs will surely be in danger of being lost is by continuing the many wasteful, or non-value adding, practices taking place within our organizations. The companies reaping the benefits of lean will be the surviving and successful companies in the future who will be providing employment opportunities.

But as waste is removed from the process, what happens when you find out you only need four people to produce the product rather than five? Or, a couple of material handlers are no longer required? Or, the data entry department is no longer required? Well, in a growing company, there isn't a problem. Employees can be transferred to other areas. And these transferred employees take with them enhanced credentials due to the training and experiences gained by being part of the lean change process. And, the need to hire more people to support the growth will be reduced. The lean process itself almost always results in company growth due to the benefits gained of quicker deliveries, higher quality, and increased responsiveness to customers. Once again, this has often resulted in a situation resulting in a requirement for less new hires, but no existing jobs are lost.

Obviously, at any time, business conditions could result in loss of employment; the key point is that at the outset of a lean initiative, the true goals and benefits are clearly explained to everyone so there are no misunderstandings. And a plan must be in place, and clearly explained, as to the issue of freed-up employees as a result of productivity improvements. It must be explained why, long term, the company and the employees can only be successful by doing things differently, and the employees will be directly involved in implementing this change process.