Application of LEAN Principles to Testing Laboratories - Only Value-Added Work Allowed

摘要

LEAN is a methodology that has been applied to manufacturing settings at Toyota in Japan for many years. Recently, companies in the U.S.A. started applying the approach to their production systems in order to cut costs by eliminating nonvalue-added steps. While many authors, rightfully so, spend an appreciable amount of time talking about an entire company mindset and corporate commitment for LEAN as a way of life, this paper focuses more on the microscopic process details of LEAN.1"3 It addresses how to execute and sustain positive change in a testing laboratory with examples from plastics business SABIC Innovative Plastics (Mt. Vernon, IN).