This is the third in a series of six columns that are discussing the use of lean manufacturing and management methodologies by print service providers.  The first column in the lean series described the growing popularity of lean and reviewed the results of a recent survey conducted by PIA/GATF and Point Balance regarding the use of lean in the printing industry.  Last month’s column discussed the primary business objectives and fundamental principles of lean.  This column and next month’s column will describe some of the tools and techniques that lean organizations use to achieve dramatic improvements in productivity and profitability.

All management systems use specific tools and techniques to accomplish their objectives.  For example, Pareto analysis, fishbone diagrams, and process control charts are all essential tools of a total quality management system.  Some practitioners argue that lean can be defined by a set of methods and practices.  Others contend that the essence of lean is found in the principles I discussed in last month’s column and that specific tools are secondary.  One thing, however, is clear.  You cannot grasp the essential nature of lean without having a basic understanding of the tools and techniques it uses.

Lean is associated with a large number of specific tools, techniques, and practices.  For example, one well-known lean website contains a glossary of over 240 lean-related terms, and nearly 40 of those terms refer to lean tools and methods.  Since I cannot realistically describe every lean tool and technique in this series of columns, I will focus on a dozen tools and methods that are used by most lean organizations.  This column will describe six widely used lean tools and practices, and next month’s column will cover six additional tools.  In the PIA/GATF-Point Balance survey, printing company managers reported using several of these tools, and I’ll include the survey results where appropriate.