Lean Vs Agile

Agile manufacturing is a term applied to an organization that has created the
processes, tools, and training to enable it to respond quickly to customer needs

and market changes while still controlling costs and quality. An enabling factor in
becoming an agile manufacturer has been the development of manufacturing
support technology that allows the marketers, the designers and the production
personnel to share a common database of parts and products, to share data on
production capacities and problems — particularly where small initial problems
may have larger downstream effects. It is a general proposition of manufacturing
that the cost of correcting quality issues increases as the problem moves
downstream, so that it is cheaper to correct quality problems at the earliest
possible point in the process. Agile manufacturing is seen as the next step after
Lean manufacturing in the evolution of production methodology. The key
difference between the two is like between a thin and an athletic person, agile
being the latter. One can be neither, one or both. In manufacturing theory, being
both is often referred to as leagile. According to Martin Christopher, when
companies have to decide what to be, they have to look at the Customer Order
Cycle (COC) (the time the customers are willing to wait) and the leadtime for
getting supplies. If the supplier has a short lead time, lean production is possible.
If the COC is short, agile production is beneficial. Agile manufacturing is an
approach to manufacturing which is focused on meeting the needs of customers
while maintaining high standards of quality and controlling the overall costs
involved in the production of a particular product. This approach is geared
towards companies working in a highly competitive environment, where small
variations in performance and product delivery can make a huge difference in the
long term to a company's survival and reputation among consumers. This
concept is closely related to lean manufacturing, in which the goal is to reduce
waste as much as possible. In lean manufacturing, the company aims to cut all
costs which are not directly related to the production of a product for the
consumer. Agile manufacturing can include this concept, but it also adds an
additional dimension, the idea that customer demands need to be met rapidly
and effectively. In situations where companies integrate both approaches, they
are sometimes said to be using “agile and lean manufacturing.” Companies
which utilize an agile manufacturing approach tend to have very strong networks
with suppliers and related companies, along with numerous cooperative teams
which work within the company to deliver products effectively. They can retool
facilities quickly, negotiate new agreements with suppliers and other partners in
response to changing market forces, and take other steps to meet customer
demands. This means that the company can increase production on products
with a high consumer demand, as well as redesign products to respond to issues
which have emerged on the open market. Markets can change very quickly,
especially in the global economy. A company which cannot adapt quickly to
change may find itself left behind, and once a company starts to lose market
share, it can fall rapidly. The goal of agile manufacturing is to keep a company
ahead of the competition so that consumers think of that company first, which
allows it to continue innovating and introducing new products, because it is
financially stable and it has a strong customer support base. Companies that
want to switch to the use of agile manufacturing can take advantage of
consultants who specialize in helping companies convert and improve existing
systems. Consultants can offer advice and assistance which is tailored to the
industry a company is involved in, and they usually focus on making companies
competitive as quickly as possible with proved agile techniques. There are also a
number of textbooks and manuals available with additional information on agile
manufacturing techniques and approaches.

Lean Vs Agile

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Agile manufacturing is a term applied to an organization that has created the

processes, tools, and training to enable it to respond quickly to customer needs

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