How can Lean Manufacturing professionals stay current with industry trends?

Unirse a comunidades, atender a eventos internacionales donde puedan exponerse las tendencias en excelencia operacional y mejores prácticas, incrementando su networking con personas de y organizaciones que promueven Lean!

Keeping yourself updated with the latest in Industry is equally important. Though we tend to start thinking based on the industry type we work for, but keeping in touch with best practices & advanced tech always give you another edge. Few ways I followed are :- 1. Building a strong network for information exchange based on your industry / business type 2. Participate in various Engagements / Competitions / Seminars / Events. 3. Read articles / Podcasts 4. Gain knowledge from leaders around you or on Professional network like Linkedin.

The Women in Lean LinkedIn group is a fantastic group of inspiring people that immediately make you feel comfortable asking for advice or any type of question. I highly recommend engaging with different groups on LinkedIn to find people with similar interests and brilliant ideas!

"Lean manufacturing" these days can be implemented to any kind of industry, not only limited to manufacturing line. It has become "Lean Management", where we could optimize process by reducing non value added tasks, analyze root causes of poor quality and many critical ongoing issues. Continuous improvement tools such as time motions study and line balancing, can also be implemented to improve repetitive administration tasks. The right "lean specialist team" with the supportive management, will lead a continuous cycles of improvements, which will eventually lead your company to grows better everyday.

Acting as a consultant for many different companies in different industries gives you great exposure to other viewpoints, methods, and processes. Staying in one place and in one industry stifles growth and limits potential. You need exposure to how methods are implemented and when. What are the pros and cons of each method, and you must witness these new techniques in real-world applications. The only way to do that is to get out of your comfort zone.

Some of my favorite Lean Books and other things to follow or read: Books: 1. Leading to Learn, Learning to Lead by Katie Anderson 2. Any books by Karen Martin 3. Behind the Facade by Alicia Bulter Piere 4. Any books by Mark Graban 5. The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt 6. Google Lean and Lean Six Sigma Books Other things: 1. Gemba Academy Podcast 2. Katie Anderson's Podcast 3. The Edges of Lean Podcast 4. The Lean Mag 5. Lean Solutions Podcast 6. Supply Chain Podcast 7. Read my blogs (Laurenhiseyconsulting.com and leandademy.com) and watch my videos on YouTube 8. Marcelo Fernandes videos on YouTube 9. Business Instrucutre Podcast 10. Six Sigma Development Solutions YouTube videos These should help get you started.

Attend conferences and take classes. The Lean Six Sigma World Conference is a good one to attend to learn new industry and methodology about Lean Six Sigma. Attend ASQ conferences and courses.

Visting other businesses who is practicing Lean not only providing opportunities for you to see how system, tools, and program have been applied in real and different ways according to their different needs and environment, but also offering you the great chances to exchange learning and experiences with other like-minded people as well. It would be even better if you can visit organizations through different industries - Such as if you are traditionally working for FMCG industry, you will be surprised and greatly benefit to see and experience how things work in Public Service sector, or Healthcare industry.

Agree with visiting other locations: Within the organization, there is often a baseline facility. Being able to visit and reference that facility. That will provide insight on what the expectations are, and can often lead to an attainable path forward. In addition to lean books, SME’s and target assessment criteria targeting the requirements to attain.

Some of the ways one can stay updated with the current trends in the industries and my practices as well. 1. Reading the latest business books in the market 2. Following large-size organization company page and thought-leaders in Linked In to get new updates 3. Digital Subscriptions to international business magazines 4. Visiting organizations from different industries to look for updates on technology and business practices

Remember, staying current with industry trends not only benefits your organization, but also helps you grow as a professional. So make sure to incorporate these practices into your routine and keep yourself updated. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep on leanin'! Stay curious!