Continuous Improvement for Lean Logistics

Written by Robert Arnt, Vice President of Lean Supply Chain Solutions

Ryder’s fifth Lean Guiding Principle is Continuous Improvement—the understanding that no matter how well a process works today, there is room to make it even better. 

Continuous Improvement is based on the idea that it is more effective to make many small gains over time than to try to accomplish massive gains all at once. Not everyone can climb Mount Everest, but nearly anyone can take a single step up a mountain trail.

In the same way, anyone can learn to shave one minute from the time it takes to unload a trailer, or to walk from Aisle 3 to Aisle 12 in a warehouse. Continue to make those small improvements, and eventually you will scale the mountain.

Five elements contribute to continuous improvement:

1. Problem solving: a structured practice for identifying a problem, analyzing its root causes and implementing solutions to resolve the problem in order to keep it from occurring again.
2. The andon concept: the use of signals to indicate when something is out of order and needs correction.
3. The Continuous Improvement Process (CIP): a formal process used to ensure that every employee knows how to identify and root out waste and is devoted to sustaining previous improvements.
4. Lean design of facilities: organizing physical facilities to allow the unimpeded flow of the right parts to the right place at the right time with the right quality, in order to meet customer demand.
5. The Hoshin Plan: a plan that defines how a company will achieve breakthrough results over the long term, while also making sure that it operates successfully day to day.

It takes a special kind of workforce to implement the principle of continuous improvement in logistics. In a lean culture, employees arrive at work each day with a desire to eliminate waste and improve quality, making effective use of tools such as the andon concept to achieve their goals.

On a single day, one individual’s contributions might seem small. But when taken together over time, this ongoing series of incremental improvements creates a powerful force, promoting high performance throughout the facility and producing tremendous employee pride.

What benefits have you gained in your operation by improving processes?

Learn more about Continuous Improvement and Ryder’s other Lean Guiding Principles.