COMPARISON
OF LEAN AND AGILE
Lean production
and agile manufacturing are sometimes compared, and in this final section we
attempt such a comparison. Are lean and agile really different? They certainly
use different statements of principles. The four principles of lean production
are compared with the four principles of agility in Table 27.S. We also compare
the main features of the
two
systems in Table 27.6. The emphasis in lean seems to be more on technical and
operational issues, whereas agility emphasizes organization and people issues.
Lean applies mainly to the factory. Agility is broader in scope, applicable to
the enterprise level and even beyond to the formation of virtual enterprises.
One might argue that agility represents an evolutionary next phase of lean
production. Certainly the two systems do not compete. If anything, agility
complements lean. It extends lean thinking to the entire organization Agility
is to lean a, manufacturing resource planning is to material requirements
planning.
If there
is a difference between these two production paradigms, it is in the area of
change and change management. Lean tries to minimize change, at least external
change. It attempts to smooth out the ups and downs in the production schedule.
It attempts to reduce the impact of changeovers on factory operations so that
smaller batch sizes and lower inventories are feasible. It uses flexible production
technology to minimize disruptions caused by design changes. By contrast, the
philosophy of agility is to embrace change. The emphasis is on thriving in an
environment marked by continuous and unpredictable change. It acknowledges and
attempts to be responsive to change, even to be the change agent if it leads to
competitive advantage.
Is this
distinction in the way change seems to be viewed in the two systems a
fundamental difference? This author would argue that although there may be a
difference in viewpoint and perhaps strategy with regard to change, there is no
difference in method or approach. The capacity of an agile company to adapt to
change or to be a change agent depends on its capabilities to have a flexible
production system, to minimize the time and cost of changeover, to reduce
onhand inventories of finished products, and to avoid other forms of waste.
These capabilities belong to a lean production system. For a company to be
agile, it must also be lean.
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