What’s More Important in Lean Manufacturing: People or Processes?

C Tek Lean Solutions is one of many companies that has adopted lean manufacturing into its production cycle. C Tek proudly produces quality products while reducing waste. Like many people, you may wonder what makes lean manufacturing so successful. Is it the people behind the operations or the process itself? 

Customer Satisfaction Drives Business

Customer satisfaction is one of the main goals of lean manufacturing. While the process of lean manufacturing itself is important, customers are ultimately the ones responsible for driving and consuming the end product. In this case, the lean manufacturing process helps satisfy the customers, which keeps business moving. Happier customers lead to increased productivity and output, which also creates more opportunities for identifying ways to keep improving processes. 

Motivated Employees Develop Solutions

Even though C Tek Lean Solutions has lean manufacturing processes in place, it’s the company employees who put those processes to work. Employees must be motivated and trained to learn to identify and adopt the principles of lean manufacturing. Employees have the power to identify waste and figure out ways that process efficiency can improve. Ultimately, employees are responsible for carrying out lean manufacturing processes. People can put processes into place, and they can also recommend improvements to make them even better. 

The Processes are Still Important

Even though people arguably have an edge over processes in the context of lean manufacturing, the processes are still important. Lean manufacturing processes have been implemented with great success in production facilities around the world since the 1930s when they were first introduced by Toyota. Lean manufacturing processes provide the blueprint and inspiration that employees need to streamline production practices within their facilities and make them more efficient overall. 

Ultimately, people are slightly more important in lean manufacturing than the processes themselves. However, processes must be in place in order for employees to minimize waste and improve customer satisfaction. Contact the motivated staff at C Tek Lean Solutions to learn more about lean manufacturing.