Why not LEAN in the greenhouse?

One of my good friends likes to ask people who are dragging their feet with a lean implementation "can you explain to me why you would NOT want to be more competetive?"

There is usually not any good answer to that one, but when we ask why not learn from the best and most competetive companies and pursue a lean implementation, there are all kinds of answers. The most common one is "Our business is different." Jeez, we grow plants, after all!!!

One of my early teachers loved this one. "Let's see," he'd say, "you take raw materials and use labor and capital to convert them to finished goods, you ship them to customers and then bill them. Yup, you're pretty unique!"

It is a brilliant perspective because it makes it so simple: If you are creating value, there are opportunities for interuption in the flow of value. We call that WASTE. It costs money and it wastes peoples' spirit. Lean is all about learning to see and eliminate those wastes. It is just as real in a greenhouse as in an auto assembly plant - it is just that we in the green industry haven't been compelled to cope with the same competetive pressures as some others in the past. Not any more.

So, as Andy steps aside, I'm going to try to step in and help guide the way and provoke some change. We've been at this for a few years now and have seen quality and delivery schedules improve as costs drop and safety and morale improve. Kind of a winning combination! There is a lot to think about and alot to learn but most important is to START.

If you're not moving forward, you can't steer. 50% improvement today is better than 90% in six months.

I'll be back with ideas, examples, and stray thoughts as often as I can. Stay tuned!