Lean manufacturing is a standard that PCI Group implemented to improve its operations’ quality, accuracy, and efficiency. The role of Lean manufacturing in transactional mail is considerable, and the topic of this episode of Ask the Experts, featuring PCI Group Executive VP and Co-Owner, Skip Pawul.
Skip said, “It’s one of the most critical pieces of the puzzle for us.”
What’s unique about Lean manufacturing is that it enables process improvement based on input from those who do the daily tasks. Prior to Lean implementation, Skip noted that PCI Group was a “top-down company with a traditional US manufacturing structure.” In this model, the company was reliant on upper management to make decisions on process flow.
The reason we shifted to Lean was to empower our team of experts on the processes. “Lean has an upside-down pyramid, leaning on the experts to solve problems,” Skip explained.
When it comes to operations, those on the floor have the most knowledge, not executives. “Would you rather have a few executives solve problems? Or have 100 experts that do it day in and day out? The answer is obvious. You want the experts to solve the problem.”
With that mantra, the company has been able to improve accuracy, maintain quality, gain efficiencies, and reduce costs.
