PCB Blog - Lean Congress
Lean Congress |
| 2011/09/28 |
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Melanie Veness: PCB CEO The secret to successful manufacturing is being able to get your goods through the production process as quickly as possible, because goods can’t be invoiced when they are only partly manufactured. While your widgets are in stages in the factory, they are costing you money. The removal of waste from the manufacturing process and the balancing of flow are therefore key. In essence, this is what applying Lean methodology is all about. And applying the principals has far greater benefit than just this. Fast throughput times are a persuasive argument for keeping things local. Consider the fact that retailers are having to import from the East in bulk. This means that a significant amount of their funds are tied up for a period of time, and they need to carry the risk of the imported goods not selling. If South African manufacturers are able to produce quickly, and therefore replenish retailer stocks quickly, they can afford to be slightly more expensive. Think of the benefits to the retailers – significantly better cash flow, limited warehousing space, lower risk – it’s a “no-brainer”. This is why I am so passionate about the concept of Lean, and why the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business is working hard, in partnership with Training Leadership Consulting, on the upcoming Lean Congress, set to place from the 18th to the 20th October at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg. We’ve been fortunate to secure some excellent speakers, and are thrilled that internationally acclaimed author and Lean guru, Michael Balle, will be presenting at the congress. We have tried to put together a programme that is both practical and relevant in the South African context, so several interactive workshops form part of the programme and there is an option to attend tours to two award winning factories in the afternoons. Both factories, one highly labour intensive and one highly mechanized, will share their lean journeys and successes. It is important to note that Lean principles can be applied to any business, because all businesses are process oriented and the congress offers presentations that range from successful implementation in government to success stories from commerce and even effective implementation in small business. The concept of lean needs to be bought into by the whole management team of an organization, so we have included breakaway presentations on employing lean for recruitment and retention of staff, lean accounting and lean engineering. For more information, visit www.pcb.org.za and click on the KZN Lean Congress button. The first 150 delegates to register will be invited to attend the gala dinner, at which they can enjoy an address by Alec Hogg of MoneyWeb fame, and some excellent networking. Why not make a step towards improving your productivity and bottom line? If enough business people start applying the Lean principles in their organizations, we’ll be able to make a dent in our unemployment figures in no time. |
| Tags: Manufacturing(7) Lean(5) Michael Balle(2) alec Hogg(1) |
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