Practical Lean

KDC has pioneered a powerful methodology for successfully implementing Lean Six Sigma for companies whose primary activities are specialty manufacturing, fabrication, processing, or value added distribution. We call it Practical Lean. Though derived for a manufacturing environment, Practical Lean is highly effective for all core activities, including product development, and distribution.

The failure rate of implementation of traditional Lean Six Sigma initiatives is very high: 50 to 70%! There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that much of Lean knowledge and training is geared toward very large companies whose primary activities are assembly or integration of high volume, standardized products for a relatively few customers.

The fact is that traditional Lean Six Sigma dogma is at odds with the operating environment, resources, time horizon, and investment tolerance of the vast majority of manufacturers and fabricators.

Practical Lean solves this issue, bringing virtually all of the dramatic benefits of Lean Six Sigma at a fraction of the cost and time typically associated with traditional implementation. The key is an expert Pre-Lean assessment for each company and situation. Practical Lean is particularly appropriate for smaller and mid-sized companies.

Practical Lean is ROI driven and consists of elements, tailored for each company’s unique situation, that provide the largest benefits in the shortest amount of time, with lowest risk in committed resources. Practical Lean is appropriate for manufacturers of all sizes, but is particularly appropriate for smaller and mid-sized operations.

KDC principals and associates are experts in Practical Lean, having developed, implemented, and successfully utilized the core elements for their own companies since the very beginnings of the Quality and Lean movements.

KDC provides consulting and training in virtually all aspects of Lean Six Sigma. The KDC difference is that everything is exactly tailored to each client company. KDC principals and associates are highly experienced in the core elements, including:

Value Stream Mapping
Continuous Improvement and Kaizen
5S/2S
Quick Changeover and Small Lot Production
OEE and TPM
Process Control, Statistical Methods, DOE
In-line and cellular manufacturing
Pull Production and Kanban
VoC and QFD
Visual Methods
Lean Metrics
Organization and Planning
Leadership and Effective Deployment.

Operations experts estimate that the Lean Six Sigma model will be the dominant operations paradigm in the next 5-10 years due to its amazing impact on overall performance. KDC agrees. It will be done through Practical Lean.

Also see the Seminars, Training and Coaching page for more information or contact KDC for details.

Last Updated: 1/11/09

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