Manufacturers’ Forum on Excellent Lean Production; Increasing Speed to Market and Making Money on Waste

12/12/2015 6:320 commentsViews: 32

Like the previous two Manufacturers’ Forum’s held in Taipei and Leipzig also this 3rd one draw some 200 participants. The terms participants is used here instead of visitors as the people attending are not just listeners. They are asked to join on finding solutions for instance on eliminating waste in the production process. And even better; to make money out of that waste!

The ‘Circular Economy’
Professor Steve Evans of Cambridge University and advisor of the UK government on manufacturing digged deeper in what’s he not called ‘Waste Management’, but on the ‘Circular Economy’.

Not calling it waste management has everything to do with what Professor Evans says, “The current production system is not sustainable on the long term. In particular as there’s too much waste being produced.” Professor Evans presented best practices as well as guidelines on how to find waste in the production process and how to turn that into money.

Industrial science
Excellent lean production looks like a to waste related topic. However, it goes beyond that. Better said, way beyond. In particular as it addresses almost all production processes. The MD of Bosch Automotive Ltd. Thailand presented this topic. Carsten zur Steege pointed out that Bosch already started working according excellent lean production principles in 2002. Since it turned into a kind of industrial science that presents a framework for a corporate strategy. A big part of that comes with the implementation of what Zur Steege called the ‘Continuous Improvement Process’. This process does not go in years but in monthly or quarterly steps which requires everybody in a company to know and realize what it is all about. Including suppliers.

Driving efficient product development
Lean production is related to the increased speed to market products. This theme was addressed by Janice Wang, MD of Alvanon. Her session was all about exploring best practices in aligning internal teams and supply chain processes as well as identifying and utilizing the right technical tools to drive efficient product development.

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