Lean management – now more than ever!

It is no secret that companies wait before making investments during an economic crisis. It is also known that staff struggle with the excess load during regeneration stages. Failing to optimise product and manufacturing costs leads to costly alternative solutions once orders increase. Reduced working hour schemes are one remedy currently being used. But they also reduce the capacities that are required for modernisation. Nevertheless: looking back over the last 15 years, there has never been a better time to optimise processes and eliminate waste than now. Anyone who wants to benefit from the coming upturn – which will arrive sooner or later in the cycle-driven MEM industry – must now switch to lean methods. And not just because the standardisation of processes that this entails creates the necessary scope for action. Planning has also been made more complicated by the pandemic and requires manufacturing companies to be more flexible.
 

Lean strategies must be comprehensive

Canny manufacturers identify cost drivers along the entire value creation chain to prepare themselves for the post-pandemic boom. They reduce the complexity of processes and interfaces, streamline stock and material inventories to increase liquidity and thereby make more efficient use of their operating space. To boost efficiency, they reduce rework, repairs and unnecessary transport to a minimum. Anyone looking to significantly reduce throughput times needs to implement lean management across the board. The three cornerstones are lean production, lean administration and lean culture. The last is the most difficult to implement, but it provides a solid footing for setting continuous improvement processes (CIP) in motion throughout a company.

Digital transformation – next level

Anyone switching to lean methods must exploit the potential of digitalisation and expand their measurable parameters. Lean management is the perfect basis for Industry 4.0. Analysing process data acts as the most crucial foundation for all optimisations. As a consequence, any design or manufacturing errors revealed in this way must be recorded digitally instead of manually. There is also room for improvement in the analysis of external data: supplier assessments and figures regarding performance, quality and costs create transparency and simplify future promotions. Using digital data from the machine to the delivery note not only boosts margins, it also increases competitiveness and thus attractiveness for customers and partners.
 

A plan is needed

Good intentions are not enough when implementing lean management. It is essential to have an implementation plan. Brütsch/Rüegger Tools actively helps manufacturing companies to streamline and standardise their processes in administration, production and logistics with professional lean consulting. For example, Bibus AG is currently taking advantage of our experts' practical experience in order to design and implement their lean strategy. The company has moved away from isolated work areas and is gradually building up a highly productive overall system (see forum article). Once the importance of a networked business architecture has been recognised, lean DNA will permeate through all departments. You too can profit from our experience in lean management and get fit for the future!