Lean For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 15

Lean across Industries

In This Chapter

Seeing how Lean applies in any industry, not just manufacturing

Recognizing that Lean works especially well in service businesses

Creating the case for Lean in Healthcare

You will find Lean in every industry — from manufacturing to healthcare, pharmaceuticals, logistics, banking, retail, high-tech, construction, education and even government. Companies large and small, public and private, commercial and non-profits. It’s clear now that enterprises in every industry are benefitting from applying Lean.

In this chapter, you discover more about Lean across industries, including, possibly, your own industry. You will also see that Lean is Lean — meaning that Lean is so fundamental that it’s basically the same in any industry. You adjust the language to reflect the industry, but the same philosophy and principles apply; the same methods and techniques apply; all the same tools apply.

Starting with What’s Common

Every business in every industry has issues — for-profit or nonprofit, public or private. In one form or another, all ventures have customers. They all have processes, whether formally documented or not. All employers have employees ...