- By Academy Team
Our third tip last month read “Regularly review what you do. Remove unprofitable or outdated activities. Think lean in all that you do.” In this article, I intend to put some substance behind that tip. Thinking lean isn’t just about eliminating waste in your business- though it will do that and that will improve your bottom line – it is also about adding value to the very people who pay your wages, your customers.
Lean Thinking has been around for a while. It is generally accepted to have been developed within Toyota after the second world war and came to prominence in the West in the 80s and 90s after it was publicised by two influential academics – Professors James P Womack and Daniel T Jones of MIT in their book “The Machine that Changed the World, a study of Japanese car makers”. Professor Jones now runs the Lean Enterprise Academy based in Hertfordshire, UK.
Whilst developed at Toyota, Lean is applicable to companies of all sizes and types and is being used by them to cut cost and focus their customer offerings on true value. Smaller companies can make changes more easily and the benefits will come more quickly as a result. Continue reading →
The firm has won the national award for Excellence in Customer Service, sponsored by AXA PPP healthcare, at the British Chambers of Commerce business awards.