Working for a business that emphasizes improvement through software, the world of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement was quite foreign to me. Vague memories from past college lectures came to mind featuring colored cards across manufacturing floors, a rainbow of belts representing six sigma abilities, and Japanese terms like ‘kanban’ and ‘kaizen’. The concepts were intriguing, but never explored until recently.
Upon making a routine prospecting call, I had inadvertently connected with the regional president of a group dedicated to embracing lean manufacturing. The organization is called the Association of Manufacturing Excellence and is a collection of manufacturers and non-manufactures dedicated to reducing waste in their processes, increasing efficiency, and delivering more value to their customers. Workshops, weekly ‘coffee meetups’, and free virtual tours are a sample of opportunities offered to members (and non-members at times) providing a great opportunity to dip one’s toe in or jump in headfirst into the world of Lean. I have been attending a variety of events over the past six months and find the experience energizing.
In the spirit of trying to understand these principles early on, Ablesoft formed our first book club and assigned The Toyota Way as our first read. The book describes the unique accomplishments Toyota was able to realize by growing and enforcing a culture aligned to lean practices. It is considered one of the foundational texts and speaks to the origin of the lean culture. In addition to the book club, minor initiatives have taken place to better organize the office space, re-think processes, and further mature our understanding of Lean.
1st book of our club
You may note that I am not offering up any details or specific tools in defining what Lean is. This is due to the incessant reminder by AME members that Lean is not a single tool or straightforward methodology, but rather a philosophy that instills a continued belief of improvement in its believers. Although we are in the early days of our lean journey, it is an exciting path to embark on. The goal of ascending to the best version of oneself is a noble one, and something that aligns well to the principles of lean.