Simply put, ‘Lean’ is about eliminating waste and processes that add no value in your business and focusing on the Value Stream.

Often considered as being derived from the Toyota Production System ( TPS ) , ‘Lean’ is in fact a refinement of systems and processes that have been around for many years and employed by such visionaries as Henry Ford.

While ‘Lean’ and other related systems and methodologies, such as Six Sigma and 20 Keys, originated in the manufacturing sector, it is now recognised that they have an equal importance within non manufacturing and service industries.

The key elements within a ‘Lean’ environment are:

• A focus on eliminating processes that add no value to the business. Keys 4, Reducing Inventory & Key 13, Eliminating Waste

• Doing more with less, doing it right first time and being smarter.

• A JIT pull system, which ensures your business is flowing and balanced throughout, at the rate of sales or customer demand.

• A philosophy of Kaizen continuous improvement throughout the business.

• A set of tools that support business in its approach to Kaizen or continuous improvement such as 5S ( Key 1, Cleaning & Organising ), Key 6, Value Stream Mapping, Key 8, Kanban and Poka Yoke (Mistake proofing).

• Provision of a flexible business, able to react to customer demand and provision of product and services in a timely manner.

Refer to our Tools, Terms & Acronyms web page for a full description of Lean Accounting, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Management and Lean Sigma and the tools which are available to support implementation.

Business Engineering has over 20 years experience implementing Lean Management principles in businesses (manufacturing and service related) and managing the change processes necessary to sustain and build on these principles. We have seen many businesses who start introducing Lean, only to stall, seeing little ongoing improvement or gain due to inexperience in implementing change and applying the tools. Business Engineering, with its depth of change management experience and understanding of the tools and methodologies, will work with your business and its team to implement a structured change process to deliver a platform, from which your business can assure its competitive stance and its sustainability in the world market.

While not essential, Business Engineering recommends the management and application of ‘Lean’ through the 20 Keys System which provides a structured measurable process for business improvement, measurement itself being a key ingredient of 'Lean'. Some of the core 'Lean' elements are addressed specifically by Keys, while others are inherent across all the Keys, which also seek to enhance general business systems and structure. Visit our web site page on 20 Keys Detailed for a full set of 20 Keys Templates.