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What To Do Now That Lean is Not Enough?
01 Nov 2004
Lean is becoming universal, and continuous improvement needs to be a way of life just to survive. Manufacturing is losing 10,000 jobs per month, and subcontractors are most vulnerable. They need to provide "cradle to grave" services to customers including product development, maintenance support, and long term financial benefits, says Arthur Richardson of the MAS in the South West (SWMAS).
Mangers need to be released from day to day fire-fighting so that they can think about how to add more value to what is produced. To achieve this, the workforce needs to be engaged in development plans and to take on responsibility for day to day tasks for controlling production flow and quality.
Set some key objectives and decide whether your organisation has the skills, experience and resources to achieve them in the timescales you want. How can you convince potential customers to buy from you?
What are your strengths?
Where are your opportunities?
What external factors are going to change in the future that could affect your business either positively or negatively?
Consider using a facilitator who has experience of using competitive analysis tools to set direction and business objectives. The MAS provides a programme of practical advice and hands on support at a subsidised cost.
To see what SWMAS is already doing to help manufacturers in the South West visit www.swmas.co.uk.
To locate your regional MAS visit www.mas. dti. gov. uk or call the national helpline 0845 658 9600.
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