Lean in Medical: Problem Solving, Productivity, and a Pathway to Growth

Lean in Medical Problem Solving Improves Productivity and Balances Work Flow

At the client’s request, TBM conducted a facility-wide diagnostic of all product lines and work centers to identify opportunities for improvement. We then developed an operational improvement plan that would directly support the company’s business strategy.

This case study provides an overview of the company’s first kaizen event, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the lean methodology and problem-solving tools, as well as the potential for improvement.

We targeted one specific assembly line because: 1) each work center required a high level of manual labor content, and 2) because the product was a high potential growth category for the company.

The results of this change effort included:

• Safety improvements
• Better quality
• Higher on-time delivery
• 20% improvement in productivity