Essay Sample on Lean Manufacturing: Empowerment for Corporations for Continuous Improvement

Introduction

Lean manufacturing practices are not new in management. However, corporations are still learning ways to enforce the best practices in their environments. A fully empowered labor force with clear roles and goals and a technique to pursue continuous improvement offers an exponentially higher return on labor investment. Lean manufacturing is based on men and women who work daily on continuous operation. The customized performance systems can offer a path to success for any corporation. Large companies should draw inspirations from Nike case study to create a lean manufacturing strategy.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Various steps exist for creating a successful lean manufacturing strategy based on the Nike case study. Large companies should lay the groundwork. 5S is grounded on the Toyota Production System (TPS) whereby the five S's are set, sort, and shine, sustain and standardize. The value streaming mapping of the TPS is a lean-management technique for assessing and designing a set of events that take a product or service from its beginning through to the client. Six Sigma is a disciplined yet a data-driven approach and methodology for getting rid of waste in any process.

Established corporations should create lofty yet achievable goals. Reviewing the historical performance compared to the maximum theoretical outputs creates the best deeds and popular best performances. A lean manufacturing system assists inch historical performance in close proximity to the theoretical maximum (Fercoq et al., 2016). The reasonable targets should push the system towards the theoretical maximum, and the steps to get there should be gauged. Notably, setting a goal too high can work against the system instead of motivating the individuals.

Large companies should develop the labor force experts through a formula that aligns with its objectives. Through visiting other corporations, workers and managers acquire new skills that they can teach to others when necessary. The companies should develop the internal instructors to establish initiatives in many sites and build the pool of labor force experts. The corporation developed a reward system that acknowledges individuals who enhance operations (Fercoq et al., 2016). Operational flow diagrams will help streamline the process and depend on the 5S approach to map the production floor to allow every person to grasp where everything goes. It is crucial that the line operators should feel comfortable and self-confident in a lean manufacturing process to enhance it. The employees should believe in the system to increase its effectiveness in the workplace.

Finally, putting a system is one aspect. However, having a team that believes in its fundamental concepts is crucial. The people are the most valued assets and are shown through the at-glance-programs, reward systems, and devotion to train and celebrate when they promote the corporation. Hence, the absence of individuals would imply that 5S and six sigma would be a bunch of colorful charts and arrows on a wall. Watching 5S culture develop in a company is special. Hence, the availability of a good lean manufacturing system would depict that the empowered operators will evolve as the voice that drives efficiency enhancements on a line, and each person takes ownership of the organizational success (Verrier et al., 2016).

As illuminated, large companies should draw their inspirations from the lean manufacturing strategy of Nike. Creating a successful lean manufacturing strategy necessitates various steps. When the corporations follow these steps, they are bound to have a lean manufacturing strategy that will remove surplus from business procedures.

References

Fercoq, A., Lamouri, S., & Carbone, V. (2016). Lean/Green integration focused on waste reduction techniques. Journal of Cleaner production, 137, 567-578.

Verrier, B., Rose, B., & Caillaud, E. (2016). Lean and Green strategy: the Lean and Green House and maturity deployment model. Journal of cleaner production, 116, 150-156.