Whether you are a manufacturer, distributor, healthcare organization, or a government agency, the goal for each of us is to be more efficient and eliminate waste wherever it occurs.  Continuous improvement is the answer.  So how do you implement and sustain continuous improvement in a systematic manner that will take hold and become part of your organization's culture?  One answer is through the use of Lean Enterprise.

Lean is a combination of concepts and tools that have been in existence for more than forty years.  Many of the concepts used date back to the early 1900's.  The approach used to implement and maintain a Lean Enterprise creates culture and drives at the very heart of most organizational problems.  Lean is the systematic identification and elimination of waste through continuous improvement in pursuit of perfection.

The Lean Enterprise Process

Identify Opportunities

Assess your processes and determine where your pain points and opportunities exist.  Use Argent to assist you in diagnosing where and how Lean can streamline your processes and reduce costs.

Design Solutions

Create a blueprint for Lean which includes training, Value Stream Mapping, and integration within the strategic vision of the organization.  Employees at all levels of the organization must be familiarized with the concepts of Lean.  A select group representing a cross section of staff and management must be skilled in Value Stream Mapping.  All management team members must be trained and become Lean champions.  Designing realistic solutions depends on this strategy.

Implementation

Start out with pilot projects or Kaizen Events that have a high probability for success.  This ensures that employees see the value and understand that Lean can make a difference.  Then use a phased rollout approach across the organization, based upon the strategic vision of the organization.

Continuous Improvement

Lean never ends.  The journey to excellence requires a cyclical process of measuring performance and discussing the opportunities.  Team meetings to discuss the progress, current state and performance numbers must be used to determine where the organization goes next.  As you start the process over, always remember to realign the teams and opportunities to match the strategic vision of the organization.

Argent uses a unique approach that gives clients the power and statistical insight of Six Sigma integrated with the speed and employee empowerment of Lean. Our training, rooted in a results-driven philosophy provides clients with all the essential Lean and Six Sigma tools and the ability to know which tool to use when. Argent’s Six Sigma services include:

• Six Sigma project management
• Six Sigma project staffing services
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training

Our experienced staff is comprised of Six Sigma Black Belts and Green Belts that have spent thousands of man-hours implementing Lean and Six Sigma solutions with clients around the globe. Prior to starting a Six Sigma project with a client, we work to match the right project team credentials with each organization’s needs. Some of the benefits of implementing Six Sigma are:

• Lower costs
• Repeatable processes
• Fewer defects
• Shorter cycle times
• Increased throughput and capacity

Argent Global assists clients in optimizing their operations to reduce costs, remove waste, improve quality, and raise service levels. Argent’s certified Lean trainers also provide workshops that give your staff the knowledge needed to transform your organization into a Lean Enterprise. Below is a partial list of classes that Argent provides:

• Lean Overview: Introduction to Lean Concepts and Benefits
• Lean Essentials™: 5-Day Comprehensive Lean Workshop
• 5S Workshop: Quick-Hitting Productivity Improvement Workshop
• Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Workshop: VSM Training Workshop
• Kaizen Event: Hands-On Productivity Improvement Event

Argent also provides industry-specific Lean classes:

• Lean Manufacturing: Applying Lean in Manufacturing Operations
• Lean Distribution: Applying Lean to Distribution Processes
• Lean Health Care: Applying Lean in Health Care Organizations
• Lean-Lab™: Applying Lean in the Clinical Laboratory
• Transactional Lean: Applying Lean in Support, Service and Administrative Operations