Lean thinking comes before lean manufacturing

摘要

The 'Toyota Production System' (TPS) which originated in Japan and was renamed 'Lean Manufacturing Principles' in the West* is nowadays an oft-chosen vehicle to Operational Excellence. Many companies have turned to Toyota to learn how to become cost efficient and quality driven. Lean manufacturing can be applied to any business or industry, not just those that are manufacturing related. These principles and techniques are being implemented around the world as the best way to cut the fat and maintain a healthy organisation. However, some have been unsuccessful in the deployment of this management style and unfortunately, the word 'lean' can be associated with bad management or theoretical concepts that don't work in practice. In reality, there are countries where it is harder to implement these techniques than others and the main reason for this is the people; the cultural resistance to helping the company to change their habits to create a fat-free environment.