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‘The workshop at the impressive
greenfield site in Leipzig brought
together a group of 32 participants from
20 companies and from 12 countries. A
60% majority of the attendees was
representing label companies and it was
worth noting that with delegations from
Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland and Slovakia,
Eastern Europe was well represented.
After an entertaining informal
networking dinner in the famous Barrel
Cellar at the historic Auerbachs Keller
(the place which inspired the young
student Goethe for his Faust), the next
morning kicked off with a general
overview of the principles of ‘Lean’.
THE
BENEFITS
OF
GOING
LEAN
Lean’ manufacturing considers the
expenditure of resources for any goal
other than the creation of value for the
end customer to be wasteful, and thus a
target for elimination. It aims to increase
along the automotive supply chain. In
2004, it acquired its first assignments
outside the automotive sector and since
then gained an extensive understanding
of the (carton board) packaging sector,
especially in German speaking Europe.
Outside its home base in Stuttgart, the
company now also has offices in Italy,
Brazil, the US and China.
On behalf of the hosting company,
Thomas Scheib and Stephan Lechel
explained that whereas the processes in
automotive and packaging/labels are
similar in structure, there are significant
differences in terms of size of the
supplier base, process steps to be
followed, type of customers and product
lifecycles. However, in spite of these
differences the challenges are similar.
Companies will have to respond to
shorter times to market, rapid changes in
the business environment, highly
GOING LEAN WITH PORSCHE
LEARNING
FROM
THE
AUTOMOTIVE
EXPERIENCE
The automotive industry has a long track record of applying lean practices, going back to Toyota in Japan, where the Kaizen
methodology was first introduced. On 26 March 2013, FINAT members had the opportunity to experience for themselves
how lean practices are applied at another well-known car manufacturer. The Porsche plant in Leipzig hosted a lean manufac-
turing workshop exclusively for FINAT members.
efficiency, optimize workflow and
decrease waste. In other words
preserving value for the customer with
less work, which fits perfectly in a
company’s corporate responsibility as
far as sustainability is concerned. The
lean methodology can bring a range of
benefits, such as: improved quality and
fewer defects; reduced inventory; less
space; increased manufacturing
flexibility; safer work environment;
improved worker motivation and
systematic detection of inefficiencies.
AUTOMOTIVE
AND
PACKAGING
:
DIFFERENT
CHARACTERISTICS
–
SIMILAR
CHALLENGES
As part of a necessary restructuring
process, Porsche first implemented lean
production processes in the early 1990s.
A few years later, in the mid 1990s, the
company set up its own consultancy to
share its know-how and experience
38
FINAT YEARBOOK
2013
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