Lean is a manufacturing concept derived mostly by Toyota Production System (TPS), first coined by John Krafcik’s 1988 article, “Triumph of the Lean Production System.” Advanced Cabinet Systems (ACS), located in Marion, IN, has developed a quarterly lean training course for their employees that will commence spring of 2014. Bruce McLenithan, Vice President at ACS, first introduced the company to lean concepts when he was hired as General Manager in 2010.

The goal of lean is to train employees to develop critical thinking skills to improve the production process and eliminate waste in specific areas including time, production, quality, processing, and inventory. The result of lean training is a tidier, more efficient workspace with innovative processes put in action which produce products that delight the customer.

“We first started lean in the summer of 2011 by reducing waste in our inventory and workspaces, resulting in a more organized facility and manufacturing efficiency,” says Bruce McLenithan. Another approach in lean manufacturing is focusing on the flow of work by exposing existing quality problems.

By focusing on the work flow and eliminating waste using lean techniques, waste is reduced and you have a higher quality product that is produced cost effectively.

“Nothing is ever perfect. Lean concepts realize this truth and are aimed at constantly getting better. Our goal is to train our employees to constantly think of better processes and ways to organize their workspaces to be more efficient and empower them to implement their ideas,” continues McLenithan.