In times of an economic slowdown, companies often start looking for ways to cut costs. They try to optimize business processes, lay off staff, cut back on investments, et cetera. But by that time it is often too late: after all, improvement ought to be a continuous and ongoing process within any organization. Not only should there be constant attention for improving efficiency and quality but also for increasing flexibility, both internally and externally. The aim should be to achieve short production lead times, for both new products to be developed and for existing products.
Practice has shown that it is not easy to start such an improvement process in an organization. The most important challenge in doing so is how to set about motivating the the management and all the employees to such an extent that they see improvement as an integral part of their day to day activities. The methods most commonly used are often rather theoretical, which means that users find it difficult to put them into practice. Moreover, these improvement techniques often run out of steam and interest after a while.

We have some twenty years of practical experience in optimizing processes in various types of companies. Together we have developed an approach for improving performance; a scenario for ‘lean operations’. It sets out a course for steering an operational organization to top-level performance. In developing our approach, we selected the best elements from existing methods as described in many books (including those listed in the bibliography). Together these elements constitute a new approach, one that produces a considerable impact within a short time and with relatively little effort. In brief: we have relied on our many years of experience to combine the ‘key elements’ of the commonly used methods into a new approach. We then optimized this approach based on our day-to-day practical experience. The approach is practical, easy to understand and simple to implement in a wide range of companies and organizations; in the profit and non-profit sectors alike. Concrete improvements are achieved within a matter of months.

This book is intended for all managers who are convinced that the continuous elimination of waste is a precondition for survival. Managers whoare looking for a manageable approach that puts to use much of the improvement potential that is already present.

We have implemented the methodology at various organizations in recent years and have gained experience in applying it in a diversity of organizations where we held the positions of Operations Manager and/or General Manager. We now consider it time to share our experience with a wider public. In doing so, we also hope to stimulate many others into making the continuous improvement of an entire organization their goal. In our experience the pleasure this approach brings, the creativity it demands and the enthusiasm it generates, are sure to lead to success.

We wish to thank our colleagues at Pentapex Improvement Management, Prof. Dr. Jacques Reijniers, Drs. René Aernoudts of the Lean Management Instituut and Ir. Jasper Boers for their comments and the discussions we had with them. In addition, we also thank many colleagues at the organizations where we were allowed to implement this method and a number of whom also reviewed our manuscript.

For inqueries and/or comments the authors can be contacted at:
info@pentapex.nl

Niek Wijnands
Henk van den Boom