Lean Manufacturing: Canadian Resource Guide to High Performance Manufacturing

Welcome

To compete globally with the world's best manufacturing companies, there is an unprecedented need for Canadian manufacturers to understand and adopt productivity-enhancing manufacturing techniques. This guide is designed to provide a relevant and up-to-date source of information to assist Canadian manufacturers in finding the tools, people and resources they need to improve their manufacturing performance.

This “Canadian Resource Guide to High Performance Manufacturing” provides information for Canadian manufacturers and service companies on lean manufacturing, six sigma, just-in-time (JIT), total quality management (TQM), value stream mapping (VSM), Theory of Constraint, kaizen and many other process improvement technologies.

The “Guide” also provides links to Canadian lean consortiums, lean plant tours, success stories/best practices, lean e-newsletters, educational material, associations and government resources. The information is presented to assist Canadian companies in their efforts to increase their productivity, profitability, competitiveness and to reduce waste.

What is High Performance Manufacturing?

High Performance Manufacturing (HPM) is an inclusive term incorporating many existing theories and approaches on productivity and waste reduction (e.g. Lean Manufacturing, Theory of Constraints, Total Quality Management, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen).

HPM is an approach based on a commitment to continuous improvement and enhanced competitiveness. It includes:

• an unrelenting focus on customer success
• total quality in all aspects of business
• systematic continuous improvement and elimination of non-value adding activities
• employee involvement, training and empowerment
• trust-based partnerships, networks and relationships

This guide is neither exclusive nor complete. Canadian manufacturers are urged to use it as an initial step in a process that will guide them toward sources of information and expertise that will help them increase their productivity, competitiveness and success.

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