By Danny Gavin, Communications Coordinator, Association of Equipment Manufacturers --
Lean manufacturing is often reduced to a set of tools or metrics. However, at its core, Lean is a comprehensive methodology focused on maximizing customer value and minimizing waste.
Rooted in decades of operational history, Lean emphasizes process improvement, workforce engagement, and a dedication to continuous change. Today, these concepts continue to shape how companies address productivity, quality, and workforce engagement.
“Process improvement has a long history – it’s not a recent development, contrary to what some may believe,” said Ami Gignac, VP of Operations at GLC Minerals, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of calcium carbonate, dolomitic lime, gypsum, and magnesium products. “Its history goes all the way back to the 1700s, and companies began to really home in on Lean operations starting in the 1940s and 50s.”
Beaver Companies’ Director of Safety Katie Woodhall joined Gignac for a conversation on Lean methodology at CONEXPOCON/AGG 2026, discussing how the process remains essential to modern manufacturing and operations.
These insights were shared during an education session held last month at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026. Sign up today to purchase on-demand education access.
Core Principles That Guide Lean Operations
Lean manufacturing is anchored by five foundational principles that help organizations align operations with customer needs and business objectives:
- Value requires clearly defining what customers need and are willing to pay for. Without a clear understanding of value, organizations risk investing time and resources into activities that don’t match their customers' needs.
- The value stream involves mapping each step within a process to identify inefficiencies and sources of waste. This exercise creates transparency across operations and establishes a baseline for improvement.
- Flow focuses on ensuring work moves through processes smoothly and continuously. Interruptions, bottlenecks, and delays disrupt efficiency and increase costs, making flow a critical performance indicator.
- The pull principle directs organizations to produce based on actual demand rather than forecasts or assumptions. Pull systems reduce overproduction and excess inventory while improving responsiveness.
- Continuous improvement reinforces that Lean is not a one-time initiative. Organizations must routinely evaluate performance, address inefficiencies, and refine processes to sustain long-term results.
“Efficiency, adaptability, and continuous improvement are areas in which companies have to be hyper-focused, especially as markets, technologies, and customer experiences evolve,” said Woodhall. “It can be easy to quickly get off-track.”
Identifying Waste Through the DOWNTIME Framework
A key component of Lean implementation is recognizing and addressing waste. The eight common forms of waste are outlined in the acronym DOWNTIME:
- Defects requiring correction or rework
- Overproduction beyond customer demand
- Waiting for materials, information, or approvals
- Nonutilized talent, where skills and ideas are underused
- Transportation time or cost that adds no customer value
- Inventory which surpasses immediate needs
- Motion that is unnecessary or inefficient
- Extra processing that does not enhance value
Identifying these wastes allows organizations to focus on improvement efforts where they will deliver the greatest impact.
Driving Results with Kaizen Blitz Events
A Kaizen Blitz event accelerates ideation and improvement and typically lasts three to five days. During a Blitz, cross-functional teams are brought together to analyze current workflows, identify waste, and implement practical solutions quickly.
Teams will run through the current state of a process and pinpoint problem areas, brainstorm improvements, prioritize the most practical or achievable solutions, and implement changes immediately following the event. Following implementation, results are evaluated and adjusted as needed.
“It’s important to understand that if you’re going to start the process, you have to follow through all the way,” said Gignac. “Whether it’s one hour a day, or four hours a day, devote the time needed to create meaningful change.”
This rapid improvement model promotes experimentation, collaboration, and momentum while minimizing disruption.
Problem Solving and Brainstorming Tools
Value stream mapping provides a visual representation of material and information flow across an entire process. By examining both current and future states, teams can clearly identify sources of waste, inefficiency, and delay.
Cross-functional participation is critical to successful value stream mapping, ensuring that all perspectives are represented and that improvements align with organizational objectives.
Lean teams often rely on structured brainstorming tools to support problem solving. Affinity diagrams help organize generated ideas into themes, while fishbone diagrams identify potential root causes across categories such as people, process, equipment, and environment. 635 brainwriting encourages participation by having six individuals generate three ideas in five minutes, with ideas expanded upon by others.
These insights are frequently captured using A3 thinking, a disciplined framework for execution and evaluation. A3 involves defining the current state, clarifying the problem, applying The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, and documenting lessons learned. Maintaining thorough documentation of this process ensures consistency and makes progress visible over time. ‑‑‑ progress visible over time.
People Are the Foundation of Lean
Lean manufacturing ultimately depends on people. Engaging employees at all levels drives collaboration, accountability, and sustainable change. Without workforce involvement and buy-in, process improvements are difficult to maintain.
One commonly used starting point to employee involvement is the 5S methodology:
- Sort: Remove unnecessary items from the work area
- Straighten: Organize and label remaining materials for easy access
- Shine: Clean and inspect the workspace to expose issues early
- Standardize: Establish procedures to maintain consistency and readiness
- Sustain: Reinforce discipline through ongoing review and improvement
“Oftentimes lack of organization can lead to safety incidents and injuries – that’s one reason why it's so important that companies create clear, functional systems of operation and organization, which can be done using 5S” said Woodhall.
These actions deliver visible improvements that often serve as a catalyst for broader lean adoption.
“The people who are actually doing the work are the ones who can best analyze workflows, and it’s important to listen to their ideas,” said Woodhall. “If there’s no space to bring ideas to management, then engagement goes out the window.”
Lean manufacturing is ultimately a change management strategy rather than a standalone toolkit. Long term success depends on leadership commitment, clear communication, and a culture that encourages continuous learning and improvement.
By aligning people, processes, and improvement efforts, organizations can embed lean thinking into their everyday operations and strengthen their ability to adapt in a rapidly changing manufacturing landscape.
