Lean Enterprise
The goal of a lean enterprise is to stop wasting time and money on activities-not just on the plant floor or in the job shop but also in the office – that have no value for its customers.

For American Licorice implementing lean meant the Alsip, Ill., plant wouldn't lose its business to a Mexican competitor. For Allied Tube and Conduit in Harvey, Ill., reducing changeover times saved the company between $2.5 and $2.8 million.

Lean is more than the physical act of eliminating waste. It's also about fundamentally changing how you do business, as this article by CMC's George Alukal writes in Quality Progress magazine. If the training and techniques of lean are implemented correctly, they can have startling effects on your business.

Lean Manufacturing can:

Reduce
  • Work in process up to 90 percent
  • Startup defects
  • Machine downtime
  • Maintenance expenditures between 10 and 50 percent
  • Order turnaround time
  • Part movement and inventory
  • Cycle times and waiting times
Increase
  • Line and machine capacity between 25 and 60 percent
  • Productivity between 10 and 40 percent
  • Available space up to 70 percent
  • Changeover accuracy
  • Sales
  • Profits
Improve
  • Quality between 25 and 75 percent
  • Lead times up to 95 percent
  • On-time delivery
  • Cash flow
  • Safety
  • Work standardization
  • Value add of workers
  • Communication
  • Employee moral
  • Union relations
Lean doesn't have to be overwhelming to implement. The beauty of lean is its flexibility. CMC specialists can help you embrace lean in its entirety or choose specific elements to get the most immediate benefit. The choice is yours.
  • CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

    "Our work with CMC has made an enormous difference for us. As a small company, you have to be ahead of the market. People who wouldn't give us an interview in the past now want to talk. This [Sustainable Leadership] is a wonderful way to evaluate your company. There isn't any reason why every manufacturer wouldn't want to do it. If each of us can make a small improvement, it can make a big difference in the world."

    --Marvin Klein, President, PortionPac Chemical Corporation

    "The value stream map was key to streamlining our quoting process: we broke it down, made it simple, and made it better. As our partner in launching our lean journey, CMC added value by helping us to see where we needed to improve, rather than stagnating or becoming overly reliant on outside experts for our own improvements."

    --Andrew Gabelman, President, Chief Enterprises