Are the functions of a manager truly different in a lean manufacturing environment when compared with a traditional management structure? Of course they are. It is all a matter of the degree to which each incorporates production variables of their specific models that they will differ in some ways, and don’t differ very much at all in other ways. It’s important, though, to understand these differences for seeing what model—lean or traditional—works best in your own shop for managing people and processes.

So what are the differences? In a lean manufacturing environment production is based on real customer demand. In a traditional manufacturing environment production is based on what you hope to sell. (more…)

Take a walk out onto your shop floor and really look around. I mean, take a short, sharp look at what’s going on. If you have your eyes opened objectively, the shop floor should be telling you everything you need to know about your company. It will tell you what your operators and managers are thinking about their tasks and their company. It will also tell you what your position is relative to your competition, your level of quality, and, most importantly, what kind of business associate you are considered to be by your customers and prospects.

Is your work place—for want of a better word—disheveled? Cluttered, dirty, unsafe, and disorganized. Are machines dripping all over the place, lines snaking across the floor, work orders barely readable through yellowing plastic travelers, tools stacked on workbenches, and operators strolling about in search of tools that should have been accessed in a matter of seconds? (more…)