Manufacturing Excellence

Manufacturing Excellence

Lean, Clean and Quick Manufacturing

How to develop and implement a winning manufacturing strategy

Farming, mining and manufacturing are engines of value creation in any economy.  North American farming is so effective and efficient that it feeds it own people and has food it shares with much of the world.  All of this is accomplished by fewer than 3% of the population – quite efficient.

Our extraction industries are also models of efficiency.  Somehow, though, our manufacturing industries are constantly criticized.  Some say our manufacturing cannot compete in the world market.  These analysts predict that in just a few years, all manufacturing will be done in sweatshops anywhere but in the U.S.A. and by very low-wage workers. 

I have spent 35 years working in manufacturing.  I have listened to the predictions of the death of North American manufacturing.  I have worked with many manufacturing organizations based in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  Many of them are doing fine, but it is not easy.  The key is aggressive, strategic management of the organization. 

This book is about how to be a strong, strategic manager while helping your organization become dominant by being lean and quick.  If you work in, around or with a manufacturing organization, this book is for you.  Our goal in working through this book together is simple – I want to help you create success for your manufacturing organization.

What is success in manufacturing?

Some people seem to believe that making and shipping products is all it takes to be successful in manufacturing.  In this model, success is defined by volume of production.  This model is simple and simply wrong.  Success is about running the business well.  In a manufacturing business this includes production of goods and much more.  Let’s first be clear on what manufacturing success really looks like.

SUCCESS IN MANUFACTURING

Better products and services – Your customers tell you whether they believe you offer superior products and services.  Success is when your customers want what you offer.  Success is when they seem to want so much of it that you have a hard time keeping up with the demand.  Real success is when they want it so much that they let you make a good return on your effort.

Offered at a better value – Every business has a value proposition that you offer to the marketplace.  The best businesses offer high value – not by offering lower prices but by offering more for the money.  One key to this offer is good manufacturing management.

Delivered faster to the customer – Speed wins.  Almost every market you serve values speed.  Any market uncertainty (such as in the fashion industry where even the best forecasters are uncertain of fashion trends) is well served by speed.  Rapidly changing markets (like consumer electronics) value speed.  Lots of people value speed.  It takes good manufacturing management to set the speed standard.

Making money – Ultimately, a manufacturing business is a financial entity.  The goal is to make money.

The challenge - How do you achieve this success?

Every organization must have a strategy (a plan for deployment and use of all assets) to succeed.  Any sound business strategy addresses what you do, what you make, whom you sell things to and how you position yourselves so that your customers are happy to allow you to make money.

Each function in the organization (sales, marketing, finance, human resources, manufacturing, etc.) then needs a strategy that supports the overall business strategy.  These strategies have to be coordinated for success.  The manufacturing organization, therefore, needs to have a manufacturing strategy.  This book is about the best modern manufacturing strategies – what they are and when and how to use each.

The solution – Manufacturing management must develop and i