All About FBS Lean

What Is Lean?

Lean manufacturing is the collective use of tools and principles to reduce waste as well as increase flow. At PacSci EMC, these tools are known as the Fortive Business System. These tools are common across all Fortive businesses as they have been proven successful.

There are several types of waste:

Each of these wastes have a direct impact on both our, and our customers costs and quality. It has been shown time and again that roughly 95% of what businesses do is non-value added.

Leans helps decrease the non-value added work so that we become more visible to our internal and external stakeholders. The goal of using Lean is to create as much value for our customers as possible. We first have to identify what value is to our customer. Then, deliver that value in the correct quantity, on time, with the highest level of quality. If we meet these needs, we both become successful. The continuous reduction in waste and adding value to customers strengthens our relationship.

In one study, over several years in different in different industries, the following efficiences were found by thousands of survey respondents. These results are common across several studies often much higher.

Risks With Implementing Lean

Of course, there are risks with implementing Lean. Many think that Lean is a one-size fits-all, which couldn't be further from the truth. Many think that a textbook can help an organization implement Lean, and do so quickly. Many follow the Toyota model (considered the originator of Lean) and wonder why they aren't successful. Culture has a big part to play in the success of Lean, and cultures are different in every organization.

It also takes long term commitment, versus throwing a tool at a problem and hoping for instant success. We also have the responsibility of recognizing that gaining efficiences should lead to developing and promoting people versus a cost cutting method by reducing headcount. Unfortunately, many organizations do share this same vision and "fail at Lean." Coaching and training should be ongoing and be another long term commitment of any organization interested in becoming successful in their journey.

Advantages of Lean

There are many benefits of Lean to both internal and external customers. Here are some of the most common.

The tools that makeup the Fortive Business System are common in many Lean organizations. These include:

There are always unseen advantages to utilizing these principles. These will vary to some extent, but are common across different organizations.

It gives the organization the ability to see what may have been considered failures in the past; "red is bad", as opportunities to work on and improve.

Having greater visibility to schedules, problems, KPI's, etc. we start to feel more engagement and less stress in dealing with what was once unknown. We feel better about our work when we can "see it."

Individuals become more valuable by starting to problem solve and make decisions on their own, without us even knowing it at times. Teams learn to do more with less, becoming confident in their own skills and willingness to experiment.

Engagement drives upwards. People become more willing to share ideas and improvements, that may have once felt "invisibile." This eventually leads to more Subject Matter Experts in their own areas.

We become more adaptable as Lean becomes more ingrained in the culture and practices across the organization.

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We're excited for what we have accomplishes; and look forward to continue working in all business functions within PacSci EMC, as well as work with any customer who would like our help.