Although many believe that the essence of Lean/TPS is eliminating waste, this is not the goal. Rather, it is an enabler to improve flow: how can we deliver higher-quality value in a shorter lead time and at a lower cost?
Improving flow directly impacts lead time, customer service performance, costs, lower inventory levels, and therefore better return on capital employed (ROCE) and quality.
The principle is simple, but implementing it is much more challenging in many organizations. Value streams (the sum of activities that happen to a product from raw material to delivery in the hands of the customer) typically run horizontally through departments that are organized as vertical silos and being managed and measured for (local) efficiency.
Second, because waste is everywhere, a brainstorming approach does not guarantee breakthrough results in flow. Therefore, an effective methodology is needed to design value streams for flow that identify which process improvements are relevant and necessary to achieve breakthroughs in value stream performance.
Finally, improved value streams are a necessity to create sustainable and cost-effective operations and, as such, an antidote to the trend of outsourcing and offshoring manufacturing operations to distant countries with low labor costs.
This course is part of our ‘EE Educational Series in Operations Management and Analytics’ and a follow-up to the 3-day course ‘Lean/Operational Excellence Executive Education - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (vu.nl)’.
Masterclass Design for Flow in Manufacturing course:
- Start date: April 2025
- Duration: 6 days
- Dates: Tuesday 1 April; Tuesday 2 April, Monday 14 April, Tuesday 15 April, Wednesday 16 April.
All days from 09:00 to 17:30. - Day 6 (report presentation) will be scheduled after the course starts.
- Format: Physical lectures at the VU
- Costs: €3,500
This course will encourage you to apply what you’ve learned to your own work environment.
