ABSTRACT
Who in the world wants to come in second? No really, it’s a serious point. You see, if all we do in business is to deploy lean thinking concepts in our companies, all that we will ever be able to do is try to catch up with companies such as the Toyota Motor Company. Toyota invented lean thinking and has reŽned and embedded the concepts into its organization and that of its suppliers so that its whole supply chain is now singing to the same tune. Most-not all, I admit-Western companies have waste in every sphere of activity; it may be small, but it will be there. So we need to eliminate waste by using the proven lean thinking concepts; but then what?
