Reduce the Time Line to Implement Lean

Taichi Ohno was quoted as saying “All we are doing is looking at the time line, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we collect the cash.  And we are reducing the time line by reducing the non-value adding wastes.”  Both Toyota and Ford Motor Company, in its early days, concentrated on cash flow and improving cycle time.  Cycle time for them was the primary measure.  Direct labor efficiency and expenses are a subset of cycle time and so are the rest of manufacturing costs.  Reducing cycle time had a huge impact.

Continually reducing the time line, improving cycle time, and creating an atmosphere where employees are always looking for a better way fostered many improvement projects.  During their lean journey, there wasn’t any literature, examples, or case studies to read and follow.  There weren’t any best implementation methods; it was all by trial and error.  What didn’t work, they either modified or scrapped, and continued to improve.  Everyone was involved!