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Home \ Shop Management \ Shop Strategies \ Articles \ Why lean manufacturing is no get-rich-quick program

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Why lean manufacturing is no get-rich-quick program
Part I: Basic principles to help your company get lean
By: Chris Hoff October 10, 2006

Unlike get-rich-quick schemes that promise to double your money in days or weeks, lean manufacturing is an ongoing improvement program that will be in place for as long as your company is in business. Learn the basics of lean in Part I of this two-part series.
Television commercials that advertise get-rich-quick schemes claim you can double your money in days, quadruple it in weeks, or multiply it a hundred times over in months just by purchasing a "proven system." But when you dig into the success stories on those infomercials, you discover hidden fees that never seem to end. In reality, these get-rich-quick-system producers make their money on all of those fees. Some companies sell lean manufacturing principles with the same get-rich-quick scheme, by hiding the costs associated with achieving the financial returns that lean manufacturing can provide. Because of this often-used tactic, manufacturers tend to listen to or read information about lean manufacturing with skepticism. The biggest refuter of lean manufacturing is that many world-class companies are saving costs hand over fist, even though critics refuse to believe in it. The key here is that world-class companies are making the most of lean manufacturing, not companies trying to get rich quickly without counting the cost. Lean manufacturing isn't a get-rich-quick scheme because the system can't and won't work that way. Lean principles must be