Lean production

Lean production focuses on eliminating losses, so that all activities bring value from the customer's perspective. The value is obtained through the activities carried out in order to transform a product or service, from the initial form into a final form requested by the customer, for which he is willing to pay.

This is where all organizations want to go, and this is the only way to be profitable and competitive. Implementing or changing the system requires time and resources, involvement, availability, and commitment of all, so that the results are visible in the behavior of production employees.

But do production operators know and understand what their role is and what their benefits are? In most cases, no. They follow the procedures, work instructions, internal regulations, but are not always involved as an active part in the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the system.

Every employee should receive at least basic training concerning: the customer-supplier relationship’s meaning (internal and external), the added value of their positions, the losses in production and also the meaning of continuous improvement (Kaizen) and how they can contribute to the identification and elimination of losses. People work daily in those jobs, they gain knowledge, skills and experience, and face the problems that arise in the production process on a daily basis.

The training of new employees starts from the first day of induction, so the Lean key elements should not be missing from the training plan; Periodically, there should be planned short sessions and actions to improve 5S, Standardization, Visual Management for the production teams.

Lean means not only applying a set of tools, but also a customer-oriented mindset for all employees, so that they are informed and trained at all levels, and the results are guaranteed.