Since the start of our Smart Manufacturing Mindset series, we’ve talked at length about the role of Lean and Continuous Improvement (CI). The fundamentals of these programs are well aligned with that of Smart Manufacturing with business strategy at the core.

This month’s discussion focuses on Digital Lean, where our panelists share how digitizing Smart Manufacturing data can accelerate efficiencies and process improvements.

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Lean is focused on increasing value by reducing waste. Digital Lean accelerates optimization at the point of which traditional Lean principles intersect with IoT and digital technologies.
2. Data digitization is only one step in the process of driving efficiency. Organizational culture and behaviors will need to change in order to capture bigger, better improvements.
3. All good things come with challenges. Get the right teams involved early in the process to define what success looks like and identify what needs to be done. Stay the course and communicate early and often.
4. Digital Lean metrics play a huge role in driving behaviors. Work backwards from your business strategy and goals to find meaningful, customer-centric attributes to report on.
5. A key to success is building your roadmap. If you need help, take a look at the toolset from CESMII to get you started on your Smart Manufacturing journey.