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Success equates to reducing cycle time, inventories and costs. The Lean Manufacturing Certification program helps manufacturers see how they "measure up" to industry leaders and how they can reach full potential performance levels.

Most metal manufacturers haven't reached performance levels possible with lean manufacturing. Many have applied lean principles, but most haven't made the complete lean transition.

Lean consultant R. Michael Donovan (www.rmdonovan.com) says "Lean manufacturing allows fabricators and metalworkers to quickly react to changes in customer demand - and respond with little inventory." He insists that "today, lean supply chain performance must become the goal of every manufacturer… streamlining business and production processes to significantly reduce cycle time, decrease inventories, lower costs and increase customer service has become the mandate for survival."

This theme has led to development of a lean manufacturing assessment and scoring system for lean certification (similar to the ISO certification process.) The Lean Manufacturing Performance Certification AssessmentSM assists manufacturers assess their current lean status.

The Lean Manufacturing CertificationSM (LMC) program allows manufacturers to "measure up" to world-class manufacturing principles and best practices. The end result here is an objective, comprehensive action plan that provides specific steps to achieving higher performance. Translation: manufacturers save money, increase productivity, profitability and continue an ongoing improvement process.