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Print Now
Lean in the Printing IndustryCarol Pan & Quincy Storm
Print NowPremiere Issue, Fall 2007
Printers’ Good Business Guide
Road to Success
Special Issue!
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 2
Executive Summary
Known for its stagnant, conventional behavior, the print industry can only become more successful by
considering, and eventually accepting and implementing, an efficiency-driven concept called lean. Lean
has already proven itself as a pathway for success in many industries and the key to taking advantage of
this pathway is understanding what lean entails. Lean is best defined by the techniques it encompasses.
The most representative of all lean techniques is 5S. Standing for Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize,
and Sustain, 5S is a method used to create an orderly and more efficient workplace. An “unofficial”, yet
equally important 6th “S” is safety. A variety of additional techniques that are a part of lean include Value
Stream Mapping, Quality at the Source, Total Productive Maintenance, SMED, Batch Size Reduction,
Standardizing Work, Takt-Time, Production Leveling, Point-of Use Systems, Kaizen, and Kanban.
Not only can implementing 5S and additional lean techniques improve efficiency, its additional
ramifications have equal impact. Improvements in quality, safety, changeover time, storage costs, and morale
has a large influence on sales, and in turn, the overall success of a business. In order to achieve this success,
a method of implementation must be arranged. Although implementation is unique to each business, there
are basic guidelines that are important for everyone to follow. Avoiding jargon, focusing on employees,
encouraging small steps, rewarding for achievement, addressing cultural barriers, and engaging leadership
are a few steps that can be taken to make implementation a smooth process.
The opportunities that lean can create are seemingly endless, as many print manufacturers have already
discovered. It is hard to deny the implications of lean after reviewing various success stories. In a stagnant
industry, it is time for every printer to have the opportunity to succeed so that printing can continue, and
possibly thrive again.
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 3
Lean in the Print Industry By Carol Pan & Quincy Storm
You’re on your way to success!
Lean practices have just begun to show their benefits
in the printing industry—and it’s about time. A
concept born from the automobile industry, lean
focuses on high productivity through the use of a
myriad of efficiency-centered tools and concepts.
Although its original purpose was to promote
efficient production for the Toyota Motor Company
in the 1950s, the model spread from Japan to the
United States, and with it came an opportunity
for the printing industry. Today, lean is increasing
its momentum in the printing industry. With its
undeniable presence, every printer considering lean
will benefit from some background information.
With this being noted, what exactly is Lean? How
is it present in the printing industry today? Why is
it necessary to implement and how can it be done?
These questions will be answered in detail to better
inform potential adopters of lean.
What is Lean?
The formal definition of lean is, “A business system
for organizing and managing product development,
operations, suppliers, and customer relations”
(What is Lean?). This definition, however, only
begins to touch on how lean is defined in the
printing industry. Lean can be broken into a variety
of techniques that work together to meet greater
production efficiency. These techniques include
5S, Value Stream Mapping, Quality at the Source,
Total Productive Maintenance, SMED, Batch
Size Reduction, Standardizing Work, Takt-Time,
Production Leveling, Point-of Use Systems, Kaizen,
and Kanban.
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 4
Breakdown of Techniques (Paraphrased from The Lean Manufacturing Employee Training Manual by Kenneth Dailey) Value Stream Mapping
The second lean technique is defined as, “the process
of identifying and charting the flows of information,
processes, and physical goods across the entire
supply chain from the raw material supplier to the
possession of the customer” (Dailey). Value stream
mapping is essentially a tool for identifying wastes
so that reorganization can occur to eliminate them.
Typically, management creates a map that visually
represents the value stream. By identifying areas
of waste, new visions of efficiency arise and are
considered for implementation.
Quality at the Source
Quality at the source is a “philosophy that places the
responsibility for meeting customer requirements
at the earliest possible point in the manufacturing
process” (Dailey). The two subcategories of this
concept are prevention and detection. Prevention,
“also known as Poka Yoke,” (Dailey), involved
redesigning production to avoid any defects that
may occur. In other words, prevention is the
process of removing defect-prone elements of
manufacturing. Detection is the process of detecting
these defect-prone elements in a timely fashion. To
do this, employees must consistently inspect the
printing process to identify any time and money
wasting defects.
Total Productive Maintenance
Total Productive Maintenance, better known as
TPM, is a technique that creates “higher levels
of equipment productivity through enhanced
utilization, performance, selection, maintenance,
and employee involvement” (Dailey). TMP involves
five strategies as outlined in the Lean Manufacturing
Employee Training Manual. They are the following:
1. Design products that can be easily produced on
existing machines.
2. Design machines, tooling and fixturing for
easier operation, changeover, and maintenance.
3. Train and retrain workers to operate and
maintain machines.
4. Purchase machines that maximize productive
potential.
5. Design a preventive maintenance plan that
spans the life of the machine.
Visual Management
Visual management is the process of “making
information about production processes and
fundamental daily activities visually available in a
coherent, timely, and regular manner” (Dailey).
In other words, it is displaying “performance
data and goals” (Dailey) in visible areas. The
subject of these displays varies from safety, to
productivity measurements, to housekeeping.
Visual management allows employees of a printing
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 5
5S
To understand lean, you must understand its core principle: 5S. Representing a “fundamental change in the
attitude towards the workplace,” 5S emphasizes the evolution towards a more productive environment through
the implementation of the five “S’s”. The 5 “S’s” stand for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.
One step that a printing business must take in order to follow 5S is Sort. Sorting requires employees to remove
unusable inventory, supplies, and equipment. In essence, it is the removal of junk from the workplace. A
common method used to implement this is the red tag method. Red tagging involves placing tags on all items
that are unnecessary. This is often an eye-opener for all employees because more often than not, the number of
removable items is overwhelmingly large. A choice of action is noted on the tag, and the useless items are sold,
donated, or disposed of according to their status. Infrequently used items are encouraged to be stored out of
the way of production.
The next two “S’s” in “5S” stand for Set in Order and Shine. Setting in order involves organizing the work
place, giving every item a place. While organizing, it is important to place items based on the need for
accessibility. Labeling storage units aids in the organization process because it allows employees to quickly find
items. Shine follows organization. The cleaning of the work area is essential for workplace morale and pride.
Taking the time to clean and buff an area can prevent various accidents from happening including personal
injury from slipping on an ink spill, clothing stains, and damage to a job. Although cleaning takes some time,
in the long run, it reduces even more time-consuming accidents.
Standardization and Sustainability are the final elements of 5S. Standardization involves creating guidelines
or standards for employees to follow. This could include end-of-the-workday chores such as organization and
cleaning to sustain the order of the workplace. This leads to the last element—Sustainability. Maintaining 5S
is the most important step because it guarantees future
productivity improvements. In order to sustain, a printing
business must make a commitment to following the
standards.
Although not one of the original 5S’s, another “S” exists
that many businesses practicing Lean have adopted as a
sixth “S”. This “S” is safety. In a Lean atmosphere, “all
potential safety hazards should be eliminated...[and]
everything should meet or exceed government safety
standards” (Henderson).
The following chart is a visual representation of 6S:
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 6
company to learn from their history and enhance
their performance based on the areas displayed.
SMED (Setup Reduction)
Streamlining is the best single word to describe
SMED. Simply put, SMED is a method of reducing
setup time. Reducing setup time results in better
efficiency and lower costs.
Batch Size Reduction
The production stream often encounters
“bulging”—a result of large batches. These bulges
are brought on by a number of constraints during
production including traditional constraint (“we’ve
Kaizen
The final technique, kaizen, is “a philosophy of continuous improvement” (Dailey). It is a form of
evaluation that leads to improvements either in “time, resources, or quality” (Dailey). The following
image illustrates the kaizen cycle, starting with assessment, evolving into a plan, implementing this
plan, and then evaluating creates a continuous circle of improvement.
always done it this way”), a lack of instructions,
equipment limitations, material limitations, and
codependency. To solve the problem of “bulges”
in production, batch size reduction effectively
recognized these constraints, and changes
production to eliminate them.
Cellular Manufacturing
Cellular manufacturing is the arranging of
equipment and workstations in an efficient manner
to reduce movement waste. Proximity is the key
to continuous-flow, economical production.
Cellular manufacturing aims to create a floor layout
Continuous Improvement
Assess/Reassess
Planand
Design
Implement
Evaluate
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 7
that reduces material movement and improves
communication between stations of production. A
typical arrangement that improves efficiency is the
U-shape arrangement. The three advantages to this
layout are as follows:
1. It combines the shipping and receiving areas.
2. It helps minimize the travel distances within the
cell.
3. The compact shape typically fits well into a
plant layout.
Cells are also typically set up to flow counter-
clockwise to aid 85% of the people who are right
handed. (Dailey)
Standardizing Work
An attempt to eliminate variability, standardizing
work is one of the most important techniques
in lean manufacturing. To eliminate variability,
the most efficient procedure is documented and
becomes the standard. Usually employees who have
worked in a printing shop for a significant amount
of time create the most effective standards, even
when compared to the designer of the product
because they have had the most hands-on experience
with various work flows.
Takt Time
T= T/D is the equation that best describes Takt
time, where T represents the production pace, T
represents the available time during production, and
D represents demand. To clarify, the measurement
of Takt time is crucial in balancing the production
line because it represents the “optimal cycle time for
sequential operations in a production line.”
Production Leveling
Production leveling is a technique aimed at
smoothing out sales extremes. Under the lean
philosophy, it is better to have steady sales
throughout the year than to have extreme peaks
and dips (during specific seasons, for example).
Production leveling is important because it avoids
“burnout and idleness”. In other words, it creates
a predictable, steady, workplace which gives
employees the security with which they can thrive.
Point-of-Use Systems
The key to point-of-use systems is availability. More
specifically, it is positioning resources for a task close
to the task site. Taking advantage of point-of-use
systems dramatically decreases movement waste.
Kanban
Also known as a “pull” system, the kanban requires
the continuous flow of production to occur through
a printing facility. Kanban utilizes “visual cues in the
form of cards, balls, carts, containers, etc...” (Dailey)
to help organize the continuous movement of a
product from start to finish.
Why you need to adopt lean in your printing business!
“The dollar ramifications are huge. We pay bills
in 10 days now because we have fewer bills to pay,
and now we have discounts. We made back the
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 8
money we paid last year in interest on our credit
line because we have so much less inventory. In
18 months we took our inventory from well over
$400,000 to under $200,000, and in those 18
months the company grew 20 percent” (Kenny).
-Tom Spina, President of Luminer Converting
If this statement alone does not convince print
managers to start or continue their efforts with
lean, perhaps some before and after pictures will.
The following are before and after photos of a
manufacturing company that implemented 5S in
the workplace. The after picture shows the extreme
improvement from a cluttered workplace to an
organized workplace. Not only is the improvement
easy on the eyes, its implications extend far beyond
this observation. An organized, efficient workplace
can lead to the following enhancements that no
printing facility can afford to ignore:
• Improved quality
• Achieve work standardization
• Decreased changeover time
• Improved safety
• Reduced storage costs
• Reduced cycle time
• Reduced machine down time
• [Improved] employee morale as well as work
environment (5S/Workplace Organization)
There are a vast number of reasons why lean should
be implemented in every printing company. The
few that have been touched on demonstrate an
explanation for need and point to the fact that
lean leads to better business practice by improving
efficiency and increasing profits by reducing waste.
Plan for Implementing Lean in a Business
There is no master plan in lean implementation,
but there are basic necessary requirements. Kaizen
Institute consultant Charlie Colosky argues
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 9
that an organization must have a clear “good
reason” to implement lean and also heightened
awareness to ensure successful lean operations.
Other requirements suggested by the consulting
organization, Stat-A-Matrix include:
1. Top leadership must have an understanding and
commitment to implement lean.
2. There must be access to current information on
customer needs.
3. A process-management system to measure
current performance and identify where you
need to make improvements must be in place.
4. Coaches, Team Leaders, and Team Members
must be trained to design and improve
processes and to assist process owners.
5. Ongoing management involvement and review
is a necessity to reinforce process management,
improvement, and design.
6. Good communication must be utilized to
ensure that lean methods are embraced
throughout the organization.
7. Responsibilities must be assigned within the
organization to carry out lean principles.
Lean can be approached in a myriad of ways. Take
for example, Nahan Printing , a small printing
company making $105 million in sales each year.
See the waste.Inventory, Long elapsed times, Unevenness
Errors, Rework, Takes Too Long to Do Some Steps, Overburden, Injuries
Setup Loss, Downtime Address Setup and Maintenance
Make ValueFlow Faster
Preparethe Workplace Improve Daily Work
1
2 3
4
5
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 10
COO Kent Gilmore remarks that Nahan grew so
rapidly they could not keep up with demand and
“could not afford to buy more equipment”, forcing
them to become more productive on the equipment
already owned. To boost efficiency, Nahan sought
lean through GE Capital Solution’s ACFC (At
the Customer For the Customer) program, which
provides free consulting services. Other places to
start “doing” lean include:
1. Researching on the Internet. The online
magazine www.industryweek.com has a good
deal of information on Six Sigma, Kaizen, and
lean manufacturing.
2. Contacting consulting agencies. For example,
the Kaizen Institute (www.kaizen-us.com) can
exam current operations.
3. Attending conferences or workshops. For
example, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s
Graphic Communication Institute offers
ongoing workshops. The one on lean and lean
implementation targets printers and will be
held in December 2007 (http://grci.calpoly.
edu/workshops/lean.html). There are also
conferences designed for printers to learn more
about lean, such as the GATF (Graphic Arts
Technical Foundation) conference coming up
in March 2008: Lean Manufacturing for Print
Managers.
In general, there are two methods of implementing
lean:
1. Top down approach: managers see how lean can
prioritize productivity.
2. Bottom up approach: employees or small
workgroups start improving workflowswithin
their own processes.
Whichever method chosen, Stat-A-Matrix suggests
creating a “road map” beforehand to identify the “key
waste drivers”. This map will also help determine
what lean tools are suitable for a particular area and
maximize their benefits. First, identify the types and
amount of waste in the work area, specific process, or
across the value stream. Once the key waste drivers are
pin pointed, you can start putting lean in action. The
following are steps of lean implementation:
1. Clean the workplace. From administration offices
to the production floor, clutter is cleared and
work spaces are reorganized for optimal efficiency.
2. Improve local work. Without the clutter, it makes
it easier to improve everyday work.
3. Eliminate waste in maintenance. Most efficiency
issues arise from poor setup time or changeover
time. Thus, by reducing or eliminating waste
from setup and maintenance will improve work
efficiency.
4. Address overburden (“functioning above designed
capacity”)/unevenness (“Swings in the work
flow”) to make value flow faster by improving
overall coordination, timing, and workflow
between processes.
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 11
Besides considering the above plan, Stat-A-Matrix
also suggests a list of tips on lean incorporation that
include:
•Avoid jargon: simplify the lean terminologies so
everyone can understand.
•Focus on people: the benefits from lean come
from employee performance, so they must be
trained and supported.
•Encourage small steps: reward small successes and
this will help build the value of lean.
•Align rewards: figure out how people are paid,
promoted, and rewarded early on.
•Identify and address cultural barriers:
communicate how the various lean tools
work together, so employees understand the
direction.
•Engage leadership: leaders that believe in
implementing lean will succeed.
•Have an infrastructure: train and develop internal
experts of lean to help with training and
coordination. The experts will also ensure that
the approaches are not off track.
Success Stories
In a slow economy and ever competitive global
market, lean has recently gained more notice in
the graphic arts industry, yet tragically, not many
printers have implemented it. Below are the few
examples of print companies implementing lean;
hopefully their stories will inspire others to follow
along:
Nahan Printing
As mentioned before, Nahan Printing approached
GE Captial Solution’s AFAC and was introduced
to 40 different kinds of lean tools. These
included tools like Kaizen Events, 5S, and Visual
Management. The COO of Nahan Printing, Kent
Gilmore, has been a believer in lean for over ten
years. Prior to being with Nahan, he was Vice
President of Manufacturing at Jostens, and to
increase profits he focused on driving cost down by
implementing lean in all 17 facilities.
At the moment, Nanhan Printing is taking on
5S, Total Production Maintenance, Value Stream
Mapping, and Setup Reduction. Kaizen Events
are continuously held to ensure full employee
participation. The establishment of Daily
Information Boards help indicate which equipment
center needs more attention. Process mapping
has helped reduce an initial “walking over 3.5
miles during makereadies...to a total of just 900
steps”. And lean in not only implemented in the
manufacturing part of the company, but also in the
office as well.
Gilmore noted that the “greatest challenge [in
implanting lean] is overcoming an organizations
fear of change.” And indeed, each individual
has a unique paradigm or set of beliefs and
humans in general resist change. Thus, it becomes
pertinent that their “efforts be championed by the
owners of the company...and keep faith through
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 12
implementation”. With this sound support can
one see the rewards of lean are “satisfied customers,
employees and owners. The customer will receive a
better product, the employee’s greater involvement
and financial opportunity and the owner’s financial
rewards and fewer headaches.”
Kell Container
Kell Container, now owned by GNC (Great
Northern Corporation) embraced lean in 2003.
Kell trained over 100 employees in 5S. To reduce
setup time, the original process was videotaped
for analysis and “pedometers used to count actual
steps taken”. Kell plans to further its lean initiative
by incorporating value stream mapping and kaizen
events in the future.
Pratt
Pratt is a $57 million screen printer in Indianapolis.
In 2005, it went about a “cultural and physical
transformation” in order to stay successful in
business. One of several reorganization methods
included the implementation of lean. To familiarize
employees with the concept and get their buy in,
Pratt assigned book readings and weekly book
discussions.
Through lean implementation, productivity, safety,
and on time deliveries all improved. Working with
what they currently have, Pratt increased quote
handling to 30% and reduced press changeover by
70%.
Associates Graphics Service
Associates Graphics Service in Wilmington,
Delaware started lean manufacturing in 1999.
Through the help of DEMEP (Delaware
Manufacturing Extension Program: helps
small/midsize organizations improve global
combativeness), AGS was trained on “Cellular Flow,
total productive maintenance, and six sigma”. A
visual board was created to check for jobs ready to
run. It included job ticket information, a blue dot
to indicate plates are exposed, and yellow dot to
indicate there is stock on hand.
As a result of lean implementation, plant
productivity increased to 30%. The plant’s 50000
sq. ft. area was maximized to full efficiency, so no
inventory sat on the floor. “[The manufacturing
process] flows seamlessly, eliminating any extra
steps,” remarks Bryan Taylor, production manager.
Turnaround time has also been reduced by 15%.
And indeed lean is not just a manufacturing tool;
it is applied to all aspects of the business–from
scheduling to customer service. “We gather data
to constantly improve our services...press time, on
time estimate, percentages for jobs, and on time
percentages for proof,” says Taylor. At AGS, lean
doesn’t stop at eliminating waste; it values quality
and constant improvement.
BASF
BASF Corporation in Louisiana manufactures
pharmaceutical products. Customers were asking
for more production capacity, but the printing
department had a major bottleneck issue. The
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 13
printing department is in charge of printing on
the tablets and must work in batches due to FDA
requirements. As a result, BASF wanted to reduce
the setup time by incorporating the 5S system.
To start off, BASF videotaped a day’s normal
production then during the first week of training,
the video was analyzed to hone in on areas in need
of improvements. In another training, the printing
department received training on 5S system and
started sorting and removing unnecessary items,
set in order the remaining items, shine or clean the
work area, standardize the first three Ss by creating
visual displays, and finally to sustain 5S employees
had to be involved and well trained.
Tom Herron, manufacturing scheduling supervisor
at BASF commented that the “most successful,
most profitable firms are those seeking to improve”.
As a result of 5S implementation, BASF’s printing
department cut changeover time from 2 hours to
17 minutes– an 86% reduction! Throughput also
increased by 57%, allow BASF to meet customer
needs. 5S not only boosted work efficiency, it is
BASF before lean implementation
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 14
also applicable outside of work. Team leader, Angela
Butler remarks that “[5S] has helped me a lot,
because I can use what I’ve learned at home, too.”
Parting Thoughts
“The possibility of victory lies in the attack.
Generally, he who occupies the field of battle first
and awaits his enemy is at ease”
The print industry is engaged in an ever-competitive
battlefield. And in order to stay competitive and
BASF after lean implementation
on top of the game, companies need to look into
strategically positioning themselves. Lean is one
way to achieve this. The greatest challenge lies
in changing the view of traditional paradigms.
Although it is innate for humans to resist change,
this resistance will hinder a company’s success.
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 15
Are you prepared?
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 16
Resources Used for “Lean in the Print Industry”
1. “What is Lean?” Lean Enterprise Institute.
<http://www.lean.org/WhatsLean/>
2. “Lean and Environmental Tool Kit.” Lean Manufacturing and Environment.
<http://www.epa.gov/lean/toolkit/ch5.htm>
3. Henderson, Bruce A. and Jorge L. Larco. Lean Transformation. Oaklea Press. Richmond: 1999.
4. Dailey, Kenneth W. The Lean Manufacturing Employee Training Manual. DW Publishing: 2004.
5. Kenny, Jack. Continuous Improvement. Label and Narrow Web.
<http://www.labelandnarrowweb.com/articles/2007/05/continuous-improvement.php>
6. 5S/Workplace Organization. IMEC.
<http://www.imec.org/imec.nsf/All/5S__Workplace_Organization?OpenDocument>
7. “BASF Lean Manufacturing Success Story” Mepol.
<http://www.mepol.org/site171.php>
8. O’Brien, Katherine. “Going with the Flow”. American Printer. July 2006
9. Cooper, Kevin. “How Going Lean Made Kell Better”. Graphic Arts Monthly. July 2006.
10. Cooper, Kevin. “Differentiating a Commodity”. Graphic Arts Monthly. August 2008.
11. “Getting ‘Lean’ Isn’t Easy.” Industry Weekly.
<http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/886296-1.html> 2000.
12. Ginn, Dana. “Achieving Lean Success: A Pathway for Implementation.” Stat-A-Matrix. 2006
(PDF)
13. Koltzenburg, Teresa. “The Latitudes of LEAN”. American Printer. August 2004.
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 17
E-mail Interview with Kent Gilmore of Nahan Printing
• As my group understands, there are not that many printers implementing lean. How was Nahan first
introduced to the concept of lean? [Kent Gilmore] I have been with Nahan for slightly less than two
years. Prior to that, I was Vice President of Manufacturing for Jostens a leading provider of memories in
the educational market. I had 17 plants five of which 5 were printing plants. As you can imagine, Jostens
was a mature company with minimal growth opportunity. In order to increase profits we focused on cost
reduction. Lean seemed to be a good approach to achieving these cost reductions. We implemented lean in
all 17 facilities. I had been a disciple of Lean for over 10 years when I came to Nahan. At Nahan we had a
totally different situation. We were growing so rapidly we could not keep up with the demand. Being a small
company ($105 million in sales) we could not afford to buy the equipment at the rate we were growing. We
had to become more productive on the equipment we already owned, hence, Lean.
• The article mentions that Nahan implemented lean through GE Capital Solution’s ACFC (At the
Customer, For the Customer) program. Was there a particular reason why Nahan chose this method? [Kent
Gilmore] As I mentioned earlier, we are a small company with limited resources. GE’s “At the Customer
for the Customer” initiative provides free consulting to its clients. I used a combination of seminars for my
leaders and consultants from GE to launch Lean at Nahan Printing, Inc.
• Do you have photos of before and after lean implementation? And if so, would you mind letting my group
use them? [Kent Gilmore] I am going to copy Dave Bednar on my e-mail to you. Dave is our Director of
Continuous Improvement at Nahan and he will be able to provide you with a number of photos that map
our progress.
• What lean tools does Nahan currently use? [Kent Gilmore] We utilize many of the lean tools. We have
an active 5S effort as well as focus on TPM, Value Stream Mapping and Set up Reduction. We utilize
Kaizen events to gain wide participation of our employees. We have active lean initiatives in not only
manufacturing but our office areas as well. Obviously strong metrics and recognition programs focusing on
people involvement are critical to Lean success and we have an active leadership team driving both of these
efforts.
• What are some challenges in implementing lean? And what are the rewards in implementing lean? [Kent
Gilmore] Obviously the greatest challenge is overcoming an organizations fear of change. In order to
accomplish this we had to create a compelling reason to change and in order to ensure this we had to have
our efforts championed by the owners of the company. This is an on-going challenge to every business and
GrC 411 Lean in the Print Industry 18
ours is no different. The challenge is keeping the faith and confidence through the implementation phase.
Remember, you are spending a great deal of money educating long before you see financial results. The
rewards of lean are satisfied customers, employees and owners. The customer will receive a better product,
the employee’s greater involvement and financial opportunity and the owner’s financial rewards and fewer
headaches. We are just now seeing these types of results for our efforts.