We hear about lean processes a lot. These principles have been transforming the business world for over a decade, and in recent years have made a big splash in the collision repair community. There are five basic principles that characterize a lean operation:
1. Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer.
2. Identify all the steps in the value stream, eliminating every step, every action and every practice that does not create value.
3. Make the remaining steps occur in a tight and integrated sequence so the product will flow smoothly toward the customer.
4. As flow is introduced, let customers pull value from the next upstream activity. Basically this means you don't produce until it's asked for.
5. Pursue perfection through continuous improvement.
That last principle is a big part of what makes lean so powerful. It never stops, but encourages you and your staff to keep moving forward, no matter how much things have improved.
Mike Davey,Editor