Most organizations today look for quick and easy solutions when
searching for cost savings and performance improvements. And efforts to
improve supply chain performance through forced price reductions from
suppliers or outsourcing often lead to a new set of problems.
Progressive organizations have begun to recognize the need for a better
and more permanent way to structure and manage supply chains. One
performance initiative for manufacturers, service organizations,
non-profit institutions and government can be found in implementing Lean
management philosophies throughout the organization. As a philosophy, it
is extremely robust meaning it can perform without failure under a wide
range of conditions in any environment. Lean management is an end-to-end
undertaking and the focus of this book. While there are a number of
valuable resources that explain the Lean philosophy or focus solely on
operations or manufacturing, none provide an integrated, holistic view
and the how to needed to address today's relentless and severe pressure
to gain or improve a competitive advantage. End-to-End Lean Management:
A Guide to Complete Supply Chain Improvement fills an important void in
the current literature. It shows how to apply Lean tools and techniques
across the entire supply chain: from suppliers, through transportation,
into operations, and through distribution to customers, with principles
applicable to all types of organizations. Managers across all industries
under constant pressure to find new sources of competitive advantage and
to demonstrate performance improvements will find this book a timely and
necessary resource. Organizations must pursue a Lean model that best
fits their unique requirements and it is important to remember that Lean
management is a continuous journey. Become complacent and improvements
will likely begin to reverse themselves. Driven by the Lean philosophy
and not exclusively to the Toyota model, this unique book provides a
broad array of tools, techniques, measures and examples to support your
systematic and continuous Lean journey.
