At first glance, lean manufacturing appears to be a magic solution for the numerous problems experienced in many factories. A powerful and effective improvement philosophy, lean manufacturing can prevent company failure—or catapult a business into the status of a world-class organization. It’s well known and widely accepted that many improvements—such as enhanced productivity, improved quality, shortened lead times, and reduced costs—are the direct result of employing lean manufacturing methodologies.

Without a doubt, embarking on a lean journey is a wise choice as well as a bold one. It is important to recognize, however, that not all stories end in success. Although few people in the manufacturing environment realize it, there are many failures and struggles in implementing lean methods on the factory floor.

Admittedly, it’s tough to acknowledge failure, but it’s the failure of lean implementations that have provided valuable insight regarding what not to do when you’re doing lean. The key to success is total commitment to the process, and not only from management. Although management is the main driver for all lean initiatives, success depends on dedicated focus by engineers and supervisors and full engagement by line operators and other product building personnel. However, it is hard to remain dedicated to the effort if errors were made in the implementation or if the appropriate systems are not in place to provide adequate support, monitoring, and the ability to make ongoing improvements.

Lean manufacturing is successful only when the individuals running the business are committed and dedicated. Implementations fall apart because of lack of management support, poor procedures and standards, and lack of accountability and vision. In truth, we must admit that lean manufacturing has failed in many companies, even though the importance of management’s commitment to lean is not a new concept. It has been repeated over and over, almost like a broken record, especially when we compare U.S. manufacturers to their competitors in industrialized nations such as Japan, which was the pioneer of what is now known as lean and kaizen.

This fact by no means diminishes the years of effort in developing methods such as the seven deadly wastes, 5S, kaizen, waste reduction, single piece flow, and visual management. However, it is time to take the concept of lean management down to a level that focuses on the people who can make, or break, an implementation. Workers need a solid understanding of lean manufacturing, and training of all employees involved in manufacturing operations is critical. Typically, companies train only the individuals who are responsible for the initial design and implementation of the lean manufacturing systems and neglect to formally train the line operators, giving them only quick, on-the-fly training that is more likely to confuse and frustrate them than adequately prepare them for the new process.

Plenty of books are available that address the general issues of the struggles of implementing a lean strategy. They provide good direction for creating the overall lean strategy, but what about those who work on the shop floor, day in and day out, during the lean implementation and afterward? How do you deal with operators who do not buy in to new ideas? Why does your production supervisor avoid holding employees accountable for making mistakes and ignoring standard operating procedures? And why doesn’t your production manager hold the supervisor accountable? Why did the 5S program fall apart? Most importantly, why has the company been unable to achieve the shop floor performance that was originally estimated? These problems stem from the people factor of a lean implementation. That’s what this book addresses.

As a manufacturing professional, you probably know that implementing 5S, single piece flow, visual management, and other lean philosophies will help significantly reduce process inefficiencies. You must conduct solid up-front planning—in the form of training and data collection—and monitor the process closely. Sometimes, only a slight tweak here or there is all you need. Rather than detail the infinite attributes of the lean enterprise and overall change philosophies, this book turns lean management into lean mentoring. It guides you through the critical aspects of early design and data collection and provides clear, simple rules for sustaining the new processes after they are in place.

The most common struggle in a lean journey does not typically occur during the learning phase. I have been a lean manufacturing trainer and consultant for some time now, and we are a dime a dozen. You can find efficiency consultants anywhere. Most manufacturers have come to realize the benefits of a lean approach and have employed the finest talent to implement it. Most of your employees—engineers, technicians, production managers, engineering managers, and plant managers—have the ability to grasp the fundamental concepts of lean manufacturing and can envision the impact it can have on organizational performance and financial strength. Often, what’s missing from many lean manufacturing programs is the final piece of the puzzle: a company kaizen program.

If you have read my first book, Kaizen Assembly: Designing, Constructing, and Managing a Lean Assembly Line, you know that I am a strong advocate of kaizen (continuous improvement) and the use of kaizen events to implement lean manufacturing in an efficient and organized manner. That is why this book explains in detail the concept of kaizen and kaizen events. Kaizen events themselves are an effective method of accelerating lean implementations. However, it is important not to get stuck in “event lean,” in which improvements happen only in scheduled phases. This is why it’s crucial to understand the differences between kaizen and kaizen events, something you’ll learn in this book.

I’ve also written this book to help the manufacturing professional identify the early stumbling blocks that commonly occur during the planning and implementation of lean manufacturing in a factory environment. Companies often are eager to adopt techniques such as 5S, visual management, data collection, waste removal, and process design, but they learn and implement them in the wrong manner. For example, many companies achieve the first four S’s of 5S (sort, straighten, scrub, and standardize), but the program falls apart because no one is made accountable for the fifth element: sustain.

Here’s another example. Gathering current state data is essential to improving performance, but the information is either not available or is collected improperly. To achieve a smoothly run operation, you must accurately identify waste and eliminate it from the process—a difficult task that also can be done incorrectly. In this book I outline the fundamental aspects of 5S, visual management, data collection, waste removal, quality at the source, and workstation design in words that are clear and easily understood.

Other keys to success include installing support systems, ensuring that production support staff operate in an efficient manner, and making certain that operators are fully engaged and committed to the change. To this end, I explain the concept of standard work, an agreed-upon set of work procedures that outlines the best, most reliable, and safest way of doing work for production operators.

Training new and existing employees takes on a whole new meaning in a lean environment. Whether they are hourly operators or salaried support staff, your employees need to understand the fundamentals of lean manufacturing. Operators should no longer be trained simply on how to build product. They must interact in a process that is highly organized and monitored by procedure and structure. I describe how to develop a comprehensive lean training program for new and existing employees as a critical part of any lean organization.

Although temporary workforce layoffs are common after lean manufacturing implementation, truly lean, world-class factories can actually create new positions and jobs. Lean organizations understand that continuous improvement is a long-term journey that will create new jobs, jump-start new product lines, increase wages, and develop a strong workforce.

Another important attribute of lean manufacturing is the benefit of flexible operators, line leads, and line technicians. Flexibility is the key to working effectively on a lean shop floor. Operators can no longer become comfortable performing only one operation or working in only one area. Lean organizations need to cross-train operators and supervisors to allow people to be moved or shifted to accommodate seasonal production levels and absenteeism. Because flexible employees add value to the organization, an incentive program should be in place to encourage continuous learning. A cross-trained, flexible workforce helps a company maintain efficient performance levels on the shop floor. This book provides a guideline for preparing a pay-for-skill program that will encourage your people to learn additional operations and become more flexible and valuable to the organization.

Managing in a lean manufacturing environment is tough, especially in the beginning stages. It can be filled with heartache and pain. The people element is vital, and there is no perfect template to go by when you’re dealing with the various attitudes and personalities you will encounter. I discuss the typical mistakes managers make when preparing for lean implementation and offer ways to avoid them.

This book is based on years of lean and kaizen experience—what I witnessed during lean implementation struggles and how those struggles were overcome. To finally realize the positive results you have been promised, your lean program requires strong management commitment, the use of kaizen events, accurate early planning, and a comprehensive lean training program backed by constant monitoring and accountability. It’s my hope that this book will become a powerful mentoring guide to focus your efforts in the right direction and ensure that your lean manufacturing journey is successful.