Orders cannot be accepted because production does not create enough output? The complaint rate is increasing? The company is in a tight financial situation because too much liquidity is tied up in the entire production process?
Many medium-sized manufacturing companies are currently in a challenging situation. Weaknesses in the structures and processes of production thus become even more apparent. Of course, no production is perfect. If it is viewed and optimized according to the principles of lean management, significant improvement results can be achieved. Lean Production creates a customer-oriented, lean, and resource-efficient production process and strengthens the competitive position. Lean Production aims to avoid waste at all levels in production processes, to ensure good quality, to keep delivery times short and costs low.
Lean structures, lean processes
At the beginning of the change process, a clear and unvarnished look at the situation provides information about what should be improved – and permanently. We use a value stream analysis to analyze the current situation along the supply and production chain and identify the weak points in the production chain. The results and findings form the basis for the conception of the target state. For this, the is availability of the relevant data of the production process is essential to understand customer requirements and to be able to bring production flows into a logical and cost-efficient sequence according to lean principles.
Lean Production in medium-sized companies
During implementation, production is sensibly developed on an individual basis using suitable tools and new processes. Material, time, and space are used in a targeted and resource-saving manner – always with a focus on the customer. Experience shows that success is achieved very quickly in practice. These quick wins usually give an idea of the dimensions that measures to increase efficiency can take on. Lean management is not a matter of course. Introducing the tools correctly and improving processes and structures is one thing. This creates an important foundation for the future and competitiveness of the company. The second crucial point is to develop lean management in a sustainable manner and to apply it effectively in day-to-day work. Here, it is important to create a high level of acceptance for the changes among all employees and to get them excited about the new routines. Only in this way can lean management develop into a sustainable corporate culture and be used to gain a decisive competitive advantage.
Lean management in production brings companies tangible competitive advantages. Or to put it another way: Only a manufacturing medium-sized company that implements Lean will be able to hold its own against the competition tomorrow.
The advantages of lean production:
- Output increases and so does efficiency.
- Through lean management, the available employees can be used very efficiently. This is an important plus point when there is a lack of suitable applicants due to the shortage of skilled workers.
- Clear processes and transparent structures avoid communication problems – for example between sales and production.
- There are product groups and families and more transparency about requirements.
- The “beat” in production is set. After that, things run much more smoothly and relaxed for everyone involved.
- All unnecessary material is removed. This brings order and transparency.
- The company has more liquidity due to lower inventories.
- Satisfaction increases throughout the ecosystem: with employees, because information flows better, communication problems are avoided, and processes are in flow. For customers, because production runs smoothly, and deadlines are met. And for the management, because process flows, sales profitability, and output meet expectations.
THE MAK`ED TEAM has experienced lean experts on board who have already accompanied many change processes in the production of medium-sized companies. Our interdisciplinary approach creates the links to the areas of human resources and finance. Thus, changes and the employees are accompanied just as well as the interaction of the numbers.
