Welcome to
Applied Lean Consulting
We take Lean principles derived from Manufacturing and apply them across all industry sectors:
- Manufacturing
- Service
- Administration
LEAN is a universal concept!
Tim Scurlock, Director of ALC said…
“We’ve just been voted Industrial Process News company of the year 2020 for our pro-active approach, customer service and attention to detail. This initiative is another opportunity for us to engage with our customers (both current and future) during this difficult time.“
lean tips
See our Lean Tips section – quick solutions to every day issues!
Lean is a tools and management system that provides:
- What customers need
- When they need it
- In the quantity they need it
- In the right sequence
- Without defects
- At lowest possible cost
business recovery planning
now is the time to start planning your way back from covid-19
ALC helps you to deliver quality and service on time, every time.
- Consistently meet your OTIF (On-Time, In Full) target
- Reduce your lead time
- Reduce WIP (Work In Progress)
- Improve quality (reduce scrap, re-work and customer credits)
- Improve layout of production, storage and fulfilment to increase pace and reduce waste
- Implement lean stock control measures to reduce stock-outs and excess stock
- Improve stock turn, ease cash flow and increase profit
- Allow your business to grow without moving premises
Zoom Drop-in
Remote working initiative
How can you tell that your company needs Lean… ?
Managers
Managers spend most of their time firefighting: fixing problems and reacting to crises
Employees
Employees can’t see the link between their daily tasks and the organisation’s strategic goals
Work Practices
Work practices vary across individuals and groups
Quality
Delays or quality deficiencies are hidden and easily missed
Time
Widespread frustration within the company at how long tasks take
Feedback
Feedback from customers shows poor and variable levels of service
Focus
There is a lack of customer focus and no clear idea of what customers are looking for
Stress
Employees feel stressed, with high rates of sickness and absenteeism
Culture
‘Witch hunts’, finger pointing and a blame culture are endemic. Staff aren’t encouraged to speak up about impending problems
Our “Lean Tips” Series
Continuous Improvement and the PDCA cycle
Making Continuous Improvement happen every day in your business is the ideal for an effective and efficient operation, but to make it work well requires:
Contact ALC
for more tips about how to reduce waste in your business.
- A culture where innovation and improvements to working practice are encouraged.
- A standard routine to raise problems, debate and investigate their root causes and test possible improvements
The Plan – Do – Check – Act methodology or Deming cycle is the means by which teams can create Continuous Improvement to their everyday work.
Plan: You need your team to come up with ideas for improvement, backed up with evidence to support why it should help.
Do: Try it out! Put in place the changes the team are suggesting. Making this happen is true empowerment and demonstrates your respect for their thoughts…
Check: Check to see if the improvements you’ve trialled have helped improve performance or not… for example, taking less time to do a task, higher quality achieved or a shorter cycle time in production…
Act: Either adopt the changes as your new way of working (ie your new Standard process), or adjust and try out another method.
However, making Continuous Improvement part of your everyday life takes time and effort.
You need to create the means by which Problems can be raised. We recommend this as an element of your Daily Stand Up meeting.
Allocate time on a regular basis for structured problem solving. Include a cross section of your staff to get their buy-in and follow a consistent Root Cause Analysis and problem solving process.
Whilst you might have your own ideas, you need to respect what the team tell you. They’re the ones working the process every day so should be best equipped to know how to improve it.
Creating the culture for Problem Solving takes time – but it’s worth it! Contact us at ALC if you need help – or to learn more Lean Tips…
Contact Us
Applied Lean Consulting Ltd.
Horn Street, Winslow, Bucks
+44 (0) 7411 381 887
info@appliedleanconsulting.com
Applied Lean Consulting
ALC works with a select group of associate consultants giving the flexibility to resource larger projects and extended capabilities beyond the ‘standard’ lean intervention.
Whatever your industry, contact Applied Lean Consulting, on a no obligation basis, to find out how to eliminate waste and drive efficiency into your business.
Or if you just want to find out more about “Lean” and how it can save you money, please do get in touch. We would be very pleased to hear from you if you have any questions concerning the application of Lean and Lean process techniques.
ALC Ltd. is an established independent lean process consultancy which commenced practice in July 2011. Automotive Lean Consulting Ltd. is registered in England and Wales (Companies House number: 7695854).