How to Apply Lean Principles to Process Industries

Many companies have implemented lean principles over the decades. The respective leaders and decision-makers at those organizations find they can reduce waste, streamline their approaches and focus on continuous improvement. How should companies apply Lean Process Principles in the process industries move forward if they’re interested in seeing what lean could do for them?

Audit Existing Workflows

It’s often challenging to know how to improve a company without scrutinizing all its existing processes. People often get even better results by having an outside party come in and assess how lean could help.

The Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co. took that approach to scale its craft beer manufacturing. The organization relied on Montana State University’s Montana Manufacturing Extension Center to help. Doug Roberts, who advises businesspeople at the facility, did a thorough audit of the plant to get a baseline understanding of what it was doing well and how it could improve. One suggestion Roberts made was to alter the frequency of changing the brewery’s filters.

Besides causing better overall filtration for the beers, this tweak increased the yield by multiple barrels in every batch. Curbing waste is another aim of lean principles. That’s why Roberts suggested improving the brewery’s energy usage with additions such as LED lights. That resulted in notable reductions, even though the facility’s production volume has gone up more than 50%.

Taking a similar approach is an excellent way to assess how lean could pay off. Although you can’t expect to see immediate gains, targeting problematic areas or processes is a smart way to see relatively quick and lasting progress.

Use Data to Track Lean Process Progress

Historical data can be an excellent resource for showing the most common shortcomings at a facility. That information can help decision-makers choose which problems to target and gauge whether progress is happening at the expected rate.

One report about a paper company identified the highest sources of waste in the plant. Two of the most prominent issues discussed were a high downtime rate and low process cycle efficiency.

Some of the goals were to increase productivity and reduce material waste. Manufacturing leaders determined that those two things are directly linked to customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction rates.

Researchers also measured the takt time and lead time at the start of the study. Identifying those initial values allows factory managers to see how certain changes affect metrics. Getting data before making any changes and periodically remeasuring after implementing changes is an excellent way to see if companies in the process industries are on the right track with their efforts to apply lean principles.

Consider Implementing a Quality Management System

Lean Process principles encourage continuous improvement. However, a company’s leaders may have difficulty narrowing down what that means or getting started.

Choosing a quality management system or framework could help. The ISO 9001:2015 is an internationally recognized standard for quality management systems. Using it could be particularly advantageous for ensuring products meet certain criteria.

One chemical manufacturer uses the ISO 9001:2015 framework for manufacturing dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at an Alabama plant. It also shapes how the company handles service and support for its customers.

Taking a similar approach is a practical way to help everyone at a company understand what continuous improvement entails and let them take ownership of the collective effort. Showing such an ongoing commitment to quality also helps a business stay competitive and appealing in the eyes of current and potential customers.

Analyze the Root Causes of Waste in a Lean Process

The people familiar with lean principles know that waste comes in many forms. It could relate to excess materials, but it may also involve too much waiting time at certain process phases. Knowing that it exists is not sufficient. Managers must take a deeper, closer look to see where sources originate. This gives and opportunity to apply the Lean Process principles to improve efficiency.

At textile plants, fabrics could go through numerous processes in single facilities. One phase might involve dying denim, while another deals with cutting fabric or adding embroidery. Researchers studied the happenings at a facility that makes products for global clothing retailer H&M. They focused on sewing processes to examine how lean principles might apply to them.

One of the initiatives looked at productive versus nonproductive periods in the workday. The people running the study also calculated the average number of completed pieces associated with each production line per hour.

The researchers identified numerous causes of waste, ranging from excessive motion to unnecessary transportation in the factory. They also raised rework and inspections as potential causes of wasted time and effort.

Leaders who pinpoint waste sources can figure out the best ways to combat them. Potential solutions could include changing a factory’s layout, automating processes that were previously performed manually or training people to adopt more productive methods of completing their tasks.

Many Industries Are Suited to Lean Process Principles

There’s no guaranteed way to succeed by bringing lean principles into process industries. However, the tips and real-life examples presented here will give you practical options for getting started and seeing what works best for your circumstances. Staying dedicated to making the lean approach work should help you optimize processes and keep customers happy.