How to develop and motivate employees towards Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, when done right, can improve productivity and reduce waste on the plant floor. Successful implementation requires buy-in from workers. See three ways to change workers’ perception of Lean and build trust. Lean manufacturing wasn’t always a widely-adopted model used by production floor personnel. In 1996, James Womack and Daniel Jones wrote a book titled, Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation , which introduced the five principles of Lean – value, the value stream, flow, pull and perfection. These principles created the foundation for Lean manufacturing that can minimize waste and improve productivity. Why did Lean manufacturing struggle to gain traction? While many agree today Lean manufacturing is valuable, it suffered from one common and problematic misconception when first introduced – the elimination of waste correlating to the elimination of jobs. The truth is, when done right, Lean manufacturing does the exact opposite – ...