Column Pieter Vos: Incorrect vision in Lean Management?

In product improvement, you add value to your product. You focus on what your customers consider really important. That is the exact thing you are going to realise. You improve and control, because you strive for perfection. You strive for a high degree of efficiency in order to avoid waste. And, of course, to obtain a better return.

This is also the essence of Lean management. Respect for people and continuous improvement. This method starts with value assessment. The Lean philosophy consists of five steps, of which the fourth is the Pull step and the fifth is 'strive for perfection'.
The Pull principle is a demand-driven way of producing: you only begin once the customer places an order, when that customer sees value in your product.

But how does that apply in the factory, or in my laboratory? As soon as we get an order, we will start rushing for the customer. People in the organisation pressure us to get the job done. They start púshing: the customer has to get delivery! That yields results. 

Pushing allows you to formulate specific objectives. At Nutrilab, urgent orders are handled first, followed by regular orders. The acceptance department has a time slot of 3 hours to enter an order, check it, make it lab-ready and deliver it.

In other words: in my opinion, the greatest challenge of Lean management is not in the Pull, but in the Push. In pushing actively. In actively working towards your goals. And obviously that is Lean. Lean literally means support. Together you take care of the customer, and you are responsible for your own part!

Pieter Vos
Director Nutrilab