Lean Automation – lean comes before automation.
The phrase “Lean Automation” is a good way to remember that lean comes before automation. The position of the words even shows lean comes before automation. Here on SupplyChainToday.com we share quite a bit of information on automation. Artificial intelligence is changing the world and that includes supply chain. We want to be sure people understand before a company automates it is important to get your house in order. This quote by Bill Gates drives home the point: “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” ~Bill Gates.
Many people think that buying automation software will fix bad processes. As the quote above says automation will actually magnify the inefficiency. If an automation sales person says fixing processes is part of the deployment double check into that. Not saying software deployment can’t fix inefficient operations but the probability is low. If your processes aren’t mapped out that is a good place to start so that they are easier to improve. Here is a quote by the father of the Toyota Production System highlighting the importance of standards in order to do continuous improvement: “Where there is no standard there can be no kaizen.” ~Taiichi Ohno.
“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” ~W. Edwards Deming. This quote by Dr. Deming strengthens the quotes already mentioned. If processes aren’t documented does the company really know what it is doing? These are questions people need to ask themselves and have honest answers. This is all in preparation to have a successful deployment of automation solutions.
By understanding and value mapping your processes a company will understand where the pain points lie. A company can apply Theory of Constraints here or use terms like “long pole in the tent.” A company needs to be sure it is automating where it provides the most value. This quote by Eli M. Goldratt, the author of The Goal, helps to put this thought in perspective: “I say an hour lost at a bottleneck is an hour out of the entire system. I say an hour saved at a non-bottleneck is worthless. Bottlenecks govern both throughput and inventory.”
The more a company can simplify the more efficient it can make its operations. As waste is eliminated this provides workers to focus on value added work. Here is another quote that sums up this thought: “Continuous improvement is about removing the things that get in the way of your work. The headaches, the things that slow you down, that’s what continuous improvement is all about.” ~Bruce Hamilton.
We wrote this article to try to increase the probability of success when deploying software tools. Millions of dollars can be lost by lack of preparation. Hopefully this won’t be your organization. Look into ways to improve your organization. If you don’t have a continuous improvement culture that you are satisfied with get started now. Go out and start asking the people doing the work what can you do to help them. If you want more information here is a list of continuous improvement training articles/videos. This covers Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma and so much more. Start somewhere and improve from there. If you need some help to get motivated here is a link to continuous improvement quotes. Here are a few of the continuous improvement quotes to get you thinking how you will improve your operations.
- “To succeed in this world, you have to change all the time. ” ~Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.
- “The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.” ~Warren Buffett
- “Many people think that Lean is about cutting heads, reducing the work force or cutting inventory. Lean is really a growth strategy. It is about gaining market share and being prepared to enter in or create new markets.” ~Ernie Smith
We hope this article helps you in your journey to improve your company.
