The origins of lean management (LM) date back more than 50 years and are to be found in the production systems of the Japanese automotive industry. This management concept has been developed and optimised on a continuous basis ever since, underlining the fact that systematic and holistic implementation can lead to sustainable and measurable improvements in corporate processes.
Individual elements of this management concept can be found in numerous applications in the warehousing sector. As it has its origins in the field of production, LM has not yet been fully transferred to the warehouse environment, and the working group aims to close the remaining gaps:
1. Planning phase 01/10 to 06/10
Status analysis of LM in production
Status analysis of LM in warehouses
Comparison of participants' understanding of lean management
2. Pilot phase 06/10 to 10/11
Presentation and review of the implementation plans for the pilot projects by interdisciplinary workin groups
Start of pilot projects at each participating company (duration: 1 year)
Monitoring of efficacy based on process analysis before, during and after the pilot phase as well as ongoing KPI documentation
3. Completion of pilot phase and final documentation 10/11 to 12/11
Evaluation of gained insights
Use of insights as a basis for the preparation of application and implementation guidelines
Publication of gained insights
Under the scientific supervision of Prof. Dr. Furmans from the Institute for Conveying Technology and Logistics Systems (IFL) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 13 leading trading, industrial and logistics companies are involved in the working group.
