What is Lean?

Lean, you have probably heard of it before. But what exactly is Lean? How has this method developed over the years, and why is it so successful?

The origin of the Lean methodology lies in Japan with the car manufacturer Toyota. At the end of the 19th century, manual production was very common. In the 20th century, a shift occurred toward mass production, with Ford’s car factory being the most well-known example. Henry Ford created an assembly line for manufacturing cars. Using standardized parts, the Ford Model T was assembled. The biggest drawback of this approach was that every car was exactly the same.

After World War II, Toyota visited Ford’s factory. Upon returning to Japan, Toyota quickly realized that this method would not work in their own factory. Mass production required a lot of space to store inventory, but since Japan is much smaller than the United States, this space was not available. As an alternative, Toyota began developing the Toyota Production System (TPS). TPS is based on eliminating waste in a process.

The advantages Toyota had compared to Ford

• More satisfied employees

• Less required intermediate inventory

• Fewer errors in the production process

• Less effort required in the production process

• Minimal required investment in production capacity

Lean basically means: learning to work without waste. Based on the findings above, Dr. James P. Womack concluded that the Toyota Production System (TPS) was highly efficient and gave it the name “Lean”. Lean is the label that has been attached to the way of thinking and working at Toyota. It became clear that Toyota could produce more and better cars with less effort and fewer resources. Today, Lean is the most widely used method for improving processes. Working with Lean is a way of working in which everything and everyone in an organization is focused on creating value for the customer in all processes. It is important to put the customer at the center so that maximum added value is delivered with minimal effort.

Lean has a positive effect on employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and the organization’s profit.

Lean first spread in the manufacturing world. However, Lean is more than just tools and processes, and it is not limited to production organizations. Toyota itself views it as a complete management system. From this perspective, the concept of “Lean” has evolved into what we now know as “Lean Management.”

Today, many companies have heard of Lean, and many others have already successfully implemented it. Examples of sectors where Lean is highly effective, and where we have extensive experience, include:

• Lean in utilities

• Lean in infrastructure

• Lean in construction

• Lean in office and administration

Would you like to know how your organization can become Lean?
We are happy to think along with you about the possibilities for your organization. Contact us for more information.