Lean Manufacturing in the Factory

In this chapter, we describe in somewhat more depth the complexities of how lean production affects the manufacturing function. We look at both major process changes and enabling tools. We provide specific examples of lean implementation efforts and the savings that resulted. The companies that participated in this study demonstrated many lean pilot projects where savings were achieved in manufacturing functions. In terms of aircraft recurring labor costs at the prime contractor level, manufacturing constitutes more than half of the direct labor hours, so it is a very important area for focusing lean manufacturing techniques. The CCDR definition for manufacturing is in Appendix C.