A year later Dan Stoelb expanded on the tool of setup reduction. Last year John Schaefer taught how Upper Penninsula companies utilized kaizen techniques to implement the 5s's. This year lean enterprise incorporates many of the previous methods but it a new name. Lean Manufacturing starts with the vision of where a company is headed and how to motivate people to get there. The company values accomplish that vision with action based teams drawn from the entire enterprise.
Good communication is required for rapid innovation.
The goal is to reduce costs by removing waste and non-value added activities. Lead-time reduction aids the customer in getting product when needed while setup reduction allows for quick turnaround without wasteful inventory. Developing value steams shows the process in steps to find where the waste is. Mapping is the quantitative tool used to measure success and future improvement. Many companies find it useful to hire consultants to train their people in the new methods.