What are the benefits of Lean?
Lean is a management philosophy that focuses on eliminating waste so that all activities or steps within processes add value in the customers’ perspective.
By implementing a Lean philosophy, organizations can expect direct benefits like increased workplace safety, reduced environmental impact, quality improvement, delivery reliability, costs reduction. Ultimately, these benefits help increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and boost employee motivation.
- Safe workplace
Creating a zero accident safe work environment is a foundation to any Lean organization. It is a step needed to give people the freedom to use their creativity and improve their workplace and deliver ever better what the Customer expects.
- Environmental impact
Minimizing environmental impact is a second keystone from Lean. It helps conserving our planet and frequently contributes to cost efficient operations.
- Quality
The Voice of the Customer is central in Lean quality thinking. Understanding what truly matters to the customer is key to distinguish activities that add value from waste and a pre-condition for growth. Lean also helps avoiding over-quality.
- Delivery reliability
Processes within an organization can take time, sometimes even too much time if we compare with customers’ expectations. This leads to late deliveries, which on their part have a negative impact on customer satisfaction. Lean tools such as Value Stream Mapping help reduce lead times so that reliable delivery becomes possible.
- Costs reduction
Wastes within processes cost resources. For example, think about the time spent by people to execute non value-adding activities. Eliminating Lean wastes will often have costs reduction as a consequence.
- Customer Satisfacion
An outcome of Lean is that customers become happier with the organization’s performance and loyalty increases. This is a foundation for growth.
- Employee motivation
Finally applying Lean brings harmony in an organization. Employees feel respected and valued for their contribution and positive energy flows.
By Gilles Kartheuser, Senior Consultant at Improof Solutions