The focus of lean thinking is to eliminate waste. Lean employs tools such as 5S, setup reduction, visual systems, value stream maps, and cell design to teach people how to see and eliminate waste. For many years, companies have been using these tools to eliminate waste, reduce cost, and improve the bottom line.  But what about the top line?  At Duggan, we teach a different approach to improving your business using lean techniques.  We teach companies how to achieve Operational Excellence, which grows their top line.  After all, what does it matter how efficient your company's processes are if revenue is not coming into your company? Continue reading.

Kevin J. Duggan, President of Duggan Associates and Founder of the Institute for Operational Excellence, announced his agreement with McGraw-Hill to publish his next book. Set to be released in fall of 2011, the business book will focus on how achieving Operational Excellence results in business growth.

"The subject is Operational Excellence and the goal is to get the light bulbs to turn on to understand Operational Excellence and how to achieve it. If you've been trying to improve your company using lean, kaizens, or the Toyota Production System, the book will tell you those activities are correct. It will also tell you how to jump those activities, not just to eliminate waste, but to achieve sustained business growth," states Duggan during an interview on the Lean Nation radio show. Continue reading.