The World is Turning Lean

By Anthony Akin
Manager, Lean Six Sigma

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Lean started in manufacturing. But, more and more organizations involved in supply chain are turning lean.

Lean thinking – which concentrates on eliminating wasteful things which raise costs and do not add value – makes every bit as much sense in a warehouse as it does in a factory.

IBT has adopted lean thinking for our operations and we have seen dividends in more efficient procedures and in better uses of our resources, both human and material.

We have also worked with vendors and customers to take excess levels of inventory and lengthy lead times out of the procurement/fulfillment cycle.

IBT is also bringing lean thinking and procedures to a number of customers through our Integrated Services Group (ISG).

As the world becomes flat, as Thomas L. Friedman's book points out (The World Is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York), lean is not the wave of the future, it is the reality of today.

The power of lean in the marketplace is rapidly evolving. At one time, the early adopters of lean had a competitive advantage. More and more, it is becoming a necessity.

The necessity is for an organization to improve its operational performance, reduce its operating costs and shorten its order cycle times.

That means that successful enterprises of tomorrow – those that survive to prosper – will have aligned themselves to working in synch with their customers to deliver the goods with super short order times, with perfect accuracy in all aspects of the transaction, at the best prices and with the highest quality.

Friedman puts the situation of competition very dramatically and succinctly: “If you want to flourish in this flattening world, you better understand that whatever can be done will be done – and much faster than you think. The only question is whether it will be done by you or to you. Will you drive the innovation or will one of your competitors use it to drive over you?"

At IBT, we are fully engaged in driving change within our own organization and in connection with our partners in our supply chain. Can we find a way to work together with you?