Lean automation applies to all aspects of business. With the cost of computing declining as predicted by Moore’s law, we can now afford to multiply the talents
of a few excellent lean practitioners across a wider audience. This trend is matches the activity occurring in higher education where online courses are now becoming the norm. The modern computerized telecommunication miracle is leveraging the talents of the best educators across the world education system.
The secret is providing lean information at the time that it is needed. We could care less about the avalanche of medical knowledge but are extremely interested in the
specific tid bits that apply to our current malady. Blood pressure cuffs that know exactly how to automatically take a reading are a good example of embedding the skill of nurses
as an automated computerized embedded lean device.
Manufacturing has evolved from plants making a few million identical Chevy Caprices
to customized JIT manufacturing on demand. This mass customization would not be
possible without the computerized ERP, TMS and work instruction systems that provide the correct information as it is needed.
The simplest tasks sometimes have the biggest payback. It takes next to no effort to flip a light switch. Most of us have the skill to perform this task from the time we are two years old. A major cost saving is possible by implementing computerized sensors that simply turn off the light when the room is unoccupied.
Technology needs to be the servant and not the master. An “app” for your smart phone that routes you around unseen traffic tie ups saves major time in your life schedule and controls wasted fuel. Plugged into my car is a Mileage Trakker http://mileagetrakker.com that creates an IRS mileage report at tax time without me remembering to turn it on. On the opposite hand, I was talking with one of my truckers who indicated that he chose to move to another sector of the trucking industry because his former employer implemented a computerized ball and chain that rigidly enforced perfect compliance to inflexible rules.
Our lives will be better after we learn to apply the lean benefits of lower cost computing.