Developing a Lean Supply Chain

Developing A Lean Supply Chain Partnership for a Competitvie Advantage

Many companies believe they have implemented Lean within the “4 Walls” of their factory, but have not enjoyed the benefits they expected from all the efforts and start wondering why. The simple answer is they have not developed a Lean Supply Chain, and therefore continue to suffer, as there is little or no Lean linkage outside their “4 Walls”. A Lean Supply Chain Partnership is a primary strategy to increase market share, and improving profits, by rapidly flowing information and material, reducing complexity, cost and inventories, creating a significant competitive differentiator. The activities of the supply chain involve sales and marketing, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, and transportation.

Many companies are struggling to find the resources to implement and sustain Lean in their own factory, and do not have enough resources to go out and train and help implement Lean within their Supply Chain. Leanovations has developed strong partnerships with a number of large corporations and family run companies to assist in developing linkage between their Lean efforts and vision with their supply base.

Leanovations 8 Step Approach to Develop a Lean Supply Chain Partnership

Leanovations provides the training, coaching and mentoring to an organization’s Supply Chain, to leverage their own Lean journey more easily; which delivers better customer value, business needs and translates to superior financial performance for all organizations linked in the Total Value Stream.

To develop a Lean Supply Chain, organizations need a good early approach deciding which suppliers to focus on. Using eVSM along with the knowledge of basic supplier information, we work with organizations to draw a value stream map to decide which suppliers to develop a Lean Supply Chain Partnership with. These are the suppliers who have the most potential for the organization, and are managed and coached with extra Lean resources from Leanovations. Organizations include these suppliers in their business rules, processes, systems, and measurements and Leanovations utilizes eVSM to develop a Lean Supply Chain Partnership Value Stream Map which is developed jointly between the customer and supplier.

Leanovations’ 8 Steps for developing Lean Thinking Supply Chain Partnership:

1) Utilize Value Stream Mapping and eVSM to Link Lean Actions with the Total Supply Chain

2) Understand Customer and Supplier Value in a Lean Partnership

3) Manage Demand Volatility and Inventory Risks

4) Create Flow of Information and a Pull of Products

5) Implement Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Process

6) Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPI Metrics)

7) Benchmark Best Practices (know the competition)

8) Make a Lean Supply Chain Partnership a Strategic Goal with Break Though Objectives

Leanovations, LLC / 117 Northwest Drive / Plainville CT / USA / 06062
Phone: (860) 479-0293 / Fax: (860) 747-4342