The Lean Strategies Benchmark Report

AberdeenGroup
The Lean Strategies
Benchmark Report
Manufacturing Excellence
Moves to the Value Chain
June 2004
Sponsored byThe Lean Strategies Benchmark Report

Executive Summary
ean has become the mantra for making manufacturing competitive in many indus-
trial and consumer-oriented markets from aerospace to automotive to consumer L durables. All of these markets are under intense global competitive pressure with
customers demanding more price and service concessions than ever. Aberdeen’s
Lean Strategies Benchmark Report finds that the top five market factors for adopting
Lean strategies all point to manufacturers using Lean programs to help boost profit in the
face of price concession and increased customer service demands. Those manufacturers
that fully embrace Lean programs and stick to the journey reap the rewards; the number
of best-in-class performers triples when Lean programs extend beyond two years. How-
ever, a Lean program is about change and the associated risk. Despite Lean’s publicized
successes, many manufacturers are still finding themselves adopting it slowly because
they have not been able to quantify and track the business value delivered via Lean initia-
tives.
Key Business Value Findings
Achieving superior business performance with a Lean strategy is linked to three ele-
ments: pervasiveness, commitment, and extension across the value chain. When manu-
facturers applied a Lean strategy across the organization, had top management ...