In the fall of 2005, James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones published an article in the Harvard Business Review describing a new theory called Lean Consumption.
Lean Consumption is based on Lean Manufacturing, also known as Lean Production. Lean Manufacturing was pioneered by Toyota founder Taiichi Ohno, and revolutionized and streamlined the manufacturing industry. Whereas Lean Manufacturing set out ways to streamline manufacturing processes, Lean Consumption "minimizes customers' time and effort by delivering exactly what they want when and where they want it". Processes are focused on eliminating waste, while increasing productivity, speed of operation and improving customer interaction.
This process was proposed for large corporations, but smaller corporations have been able to take this theory and apply it to small business. This has the effect of more efficient business and better customer service and SLAs.
Related fields to Lean Consumption include:
- Six Sigma
- Lean Thinking
- Theory of Constraints
Read more about Lean Consumption: Principles of Lean Consumption, Methodology, Companies That Use Lean Consumption and Variations, Lean Consumption in The IT Industry
Famous quotes containing the words lean and/or consumption:
“Falstaff sweats to death,
And lards the lean earth as he walks along.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods.”
—Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929)