Lean Practitioners should Pay Attention to the Financials

Lean Practitioners should Pay Attention to the Financials

Jason Burt

I am a firm believer of a long term approach to all company improvement strategies.  Whether you are using Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System, Six Sigma….Theory of Constraints or some other approach, It should be a longer term approach focused on creating a culture that empowers the entire company to improve and solve problems on a daily basis.  I’m not going to debate the “approach”…that was another blog post that you can read here when you feel the desire.  I want to talk about why some short term impact is important and how the company financials should play a part in your work.

Solving Problems with Kaizen

Jason Burt

I was very fortunate to be a part of this Lean Transformation from the very initial involvement of the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC).  This was the start of my Lean Journey with Toyota and eventually went to work for TSSC for a year and a half to learn more about the Toyota way and bring it back to Herman Miller.  This was a great turning point in my career in Lean Manufacturing.  This video does a great job of summarizing the long journey of Kaizen to create an entirely different capability and culture of problem solving and meeting customer needs.

How a Lean Strategy Can Help You Run a More Profitable Business

Jason Burt

On the Business Owners Radio podcast we discussed using the lean manufacturing approach to run a more profitable business.  Business owners of all industries and sizes could benefit from the lean approach, whether you are in the service industry, manufacturing, healthcare, or another industry.  The approach to develop a continuous improvement culture makes sense in all businesses.

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Lean Manufacturing or TPS?  Who really cares?

Jason Burt

Yes, I said it….who really cares if it is called Lean Manufacturing or TPS…and I believe it 100%.  The truth is that there are many consultants and “experts” out there that focus way too much time criticizing work going on around us because of terminology and not based on knowledge of that persons approach.  

Disclaimer…

So my background is in the Toyota Production System (TPS).  I have worked with, for, and been mentored by Toyota for over 20 years in one capacity or another.  All of my learning and approach is based on TPS and I credit them with everything that I do in my consulting practice.  The reality is that I refer to or call what I do “Lean” on a daily basis.  And I am ok with that.  

Let me repeat “I call what I do ‘lean Manufacturing’ on a daily basis. And I am ok with that.”