Covid-19 Lean Thinking, Radically Changes Way of Working

Despite the global pandemic and mandatory lockdown, the French operations team harnessed scarce resources and delivered breakthrough results. Applying out-of-the-box thinking, while exploiting newly developed Lean capabilities increased output by 25%, reduced unproductive time by 60%, and eliminated over 50% technical breakdowns.

Radical ideas that may ordinarily be muted due to “that’s the way we have always done it” attitude were suddenly unleashed and allowed to fully bloom. No more administrative limitations, no more doubt, just a “get-it-done” attitude.

Tasks and instructions were simplified with the support of written standards, allowing less experienced staff to operate the equipment. Problem Solving techniques were utilized to quickly identify the root cause of daily issues. Daily Meetings were held, either in-person or virtually to ensure that information-flow and decision-making was not impacted. Data was tracked in real-time using Scorecards and Production Boards allowing for quick and effective adjustments. Continuous Improvement activities were ramped up in all corners of the organization.

We often say that Lean transformation depends on how quickly the organization and its members “see the light”. In this case, this organization has made the best of a truly challenging moment in time and what it has learned will be carried forward, leapfrogging competitors in the process. Well done, team France!