Lean Manufacturing Lean Production Is Often Seen

Lean Manufacturing Lean production is often seen as a panacea for all levels of production complexity, from the relatively simple assemble-to-stock to the very complex engineering-to-order workflows. The greater percentage of a given product that is specifically tailored to a customers' unique requirements, the higher the level of greater the contribution of lean manufacturing to overall cost reduction (Hallgren, Olhager, 2009).

It has often been said in research that the universality of the lean production concept is a chimera and enterprises must make choices as to the best possible production system for their specific strategic business requirements (Cooney, 2002). This is true with the caveat that the greater the level of customization of a given product and the need to ensure a high level of agility in the sourcing, supply chain and production process, the greater the need for a uniquely defined lean manufacturing system (Shetty, Ali, Cummings, 2010).

Analysis of Lean Manufacturing Strategies In fact all manufacturing-based enterprises don't necessarily need a fully enabled lean manufacturing system in place to be successful, which is the point Cooney (2002) makes in saying that lean production has emerged as a chimera. He also states that firms' managements must continue to make choices with regard to strategic approaches to fulfilling customer demand first, not just adopting a production standard for the sake of its apparent value.

One industry where this is prevalent is high tech electronics, where there is a high degree of commoditization across the entire industry at the mass component level (Doolen, Nagarajan, Hacker, 2002). Arguably lean production is not needed in specific sectors of this industry as there is a lack of overall customer variation in demand, thereby ensuring the overall production flows stay highly uniform or commoditized.

This was exactly the made-to-stock model of the auto industry in the replacement parts market in addition to standard components, where long-range forecasts provided enough insights into customer demand (Chen, Lindeke, Wyrick, 2010). The core benefits of lean production can also be attained through the use of advanced communication and collaboration techniques as well, which is a contention of researchers in commodity-like industries (Worley, Doolen, 2006).

Another aspect of why the chimera of lean manufacturing can be illusory is the aspect of lean production techniques in the auto industry actually slowing down, not increasing, the overall level of customization performance (Chen, Lindeke, Wyrick, 2010). This often occurs when an auto manufacturer chooses to concentrate first on the value of the process and metrics and less on the perceptions of the customer and their unique needs (Cooney, 2002).

In reality a lean production system is only as good as the underlying assumptions and models it is based on from a customer-centric viewpoint. Conclusion The focus on lean production techniques as a panacea unnecessarily pushes companies to adopt them (Cooney, 2002). The reality is that greater levels of communications and collaboration in commoditized industries can achieve comparable results over time (Doolen, Nagarajan, Hacker, 2002). References Chen, H., Lindeke, R.R. & Wyrick, D.A. 2010, "Lean automated manufacturing: avoiding the pitfalls to embrace the opportunities," Assembly.