spreading the gospel of Lean

No matter how successful a company may be at eliminating waste in its own organization, it still needs to get its supply chain partners on board before it can complete its Lean journey. A seminar on how to get everyone involved in the effort will be presented next month by the Lean Enterprise Institute, a non-profit training and research organization. Titled "Lean Supply Chain Management," the session will focus on how organizations can successfully implement Lean in the extended enterprise.

Scheduled for Aug. 15 in Kansas City, Mo., the seminar will address how to create a value-stream map of the extended enterprise, isolate areas of waste, and uncover opportunities for cost reduction. Participants will learn how to implement pull systems to drive material replenishment as well as increased delivery frequency, lot size reduction, and leveled flow.

All attendees should have a solid understanding of Lean principles both through training and through hands-on implementation, according to the institute. For more information, visit www.lean.org/events.