Quality and guaranteed delivery from your supply chain is vital to lean. Somewhere in North America, you'll likely find an unemployed cable salesman, drinking himself stupid, telling a bartender his side of this story. Even the most devoted lean teachers agree that this new philosophy can be disruptive, at times chaotic, that it can hurt company morale, and won't deliver quick, measurable returns. For Jackson, there aren't many alternatives for companies that want to be in business in 100 years. We also know that it is an excellent environment to introduce advanced technical manufacturing solutions.
Lean companies tend to be very thoughtful in their applications of advanced manufacturing systems.
So to the faithful, lean is a tool that can lead them to the promised land of zero-waste manufacturing. To the skeptical, it's a great idea, but it's too hard to pull off. What you think, will depend on where you are on your journey. Todd Phillips is the editor of Advanced Manufacturing magazine.