Lean, based on the Toyota Production System, is a system whereby wastes in processes are eliminated while retaining full value for the customer. At MLE Equipment, we began to look at our office and manufacturing processes from a “lean” perspective in March 2010. The goal of this initiative was not to reduce manpower but to improve productivity, lead times, and quality. Every employee in the company has undergone extensive training in these concepts.
Currently, we are focusing on three major areas of the company: our Applications and Project Engineering groups, our work planning, and our Production processes. While these areas may seem to have different products and issues, change has been driven by one simple concept that’s applicable to everything we do:
To work on what is required, when it is required, and completely as required by the next step in the process.
We have implemented new “lean” processes in our Applications and Project Engineering groups, and are already seeing improvements in lead time, and reductions in non-value-added activities. Beginning in the Fall of 2010 we will be undertaking an overhaul of our planning and production processes, with a vision of dramatically-improved quality and productivity.
However, our commitment to continuous improvement will not end here. As continuous improvement becomes as much a part of our culture as safety, we will always strive for more.
