Before the successes brought about by your increased labour productivity and machine up time become constrained by the inability of your suppliers of materials and components to keep up with increased demand, you should start sharing your plans and growth objectives with your key suppliers. And if you are a part of that supply chain then there is increased opportunity for growth and profit, but only if you keep up.

Invite your suppliers to a supplier open day where your improvement teams present their successes achieved through lean techniques.

Present your strategic aims for growth, new products, the opportunities with new customers, markets and technologies.

Reassure suppliers that this is not just about cost down but about working together to add more value up the supply chain for the benefit of customers and suppliers.

This is just as necessary for sustainability of improvement as your internal lean initiatives.

The MAS can help you with these programmes with its experience of organising events and workshops. To see what SWMAS is already doing to help the manufacturing community in the South West visit www.swmas.co.uk.