While lean is a terrific concept, it is not a new one. Lean dates back to the early 1900s when Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Co., proclaimed that any process that doesn’t add value creates waste. Almost everything about manufacturing has changed in the last 100 years, except the lean manufacturing concept, because it still makes sense. Lean helps produce what every customer treasures most—value.
Lean manufacturing produces value in reduced inventory, scrap, rework and lead-time from order to delivery. Lean also creates value because less floor space is required for product assembly and less time is needed for changeover. Finally, lean generates value by enabling employees to function at maximum efficiency through streamlining the manufacturing cycle and increasing production—without adding costs.