Industry Visionary Outlines Innovative Application of Lean Manufacturing

INDIANAPOLIS, May 28, 2009—Consona Corporation (Consona), a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for companies of all sizes, today announced the general availability of the white paper entitled, “Lean for ETO Manufacturers,” written by Ben Boldt, founder and lead consultant of Visionary Solution Resources, Inc. The study examines techniques that can be used to implement lean manufacturing in non-repetitive engineer-to-order (ETO) and build-to-order (BTO) manufacturing environments.

Access “Lean for ETO Manufacturers” (http://www.encompix.com/landings/PR-Lean-Techniques-For-ETO-And-Project-...) now or read below for further details on the contents of this paper.

Lean manufacturing fundamentals were founded on the Toyota Production System, which embraces the concepts of minimal inventories and continuous improvement through the identification and elimination of waste. While lean methods were born in repetitive manufacturing, the underlying motivation applies to all organizations. Although many ETO and BTO companies have not traditionally adopted lean principles within their environments, the question remains: “Can these principles be applied to the ETO and BTO manufacturing operations?”

In this white paper, Boldt responds to this query by presenting the techniques and concepts behind lean manufacturing, their applicability to non-repetitive ETO and BTO manufacturing, and the level of investment required to implement them. “The individual techniques or methods to be used…must recognize the environment in which they are to be applied to achieve desired cost/benefit objectives,” states Boldt.

Beyond insight on how to approach lean in ETO and BTO manufacturing operations, Boldt also stresses the importance of an entire organization’s unwavering commitment to success, stating, “The application of lean techniques must be continuously applied and reinforced by management.”

“The implementation of lean principles is a significant commitment of resources,” says Boldt. “However, if you can’t make it visible and meaningful, it won’t get attention or change. Success requires a data collection and reporting process that will incorporate the performance measures to be used to identify waste and report on the progress of its elimination.”

“As a company that supports the complex business and manufacturing needs of ETO and BTO projects with our leading Encompix ERP solution, we appreciate the significance of Boldt’s contributions to the industry, and believe that his insights will make a real difference in whether or not a company can enjoy the fruits of a successful lean implementation,” said Scott Malia, general manager of Consona ERP. “In this white paper, Boldt offers expert guidance on how properly orchestrated processes and management can support the proven methods of lean manufacturing—invaluable information in today’s competitive marketplace.”