The Lean Design Guidebook: Everything Your Product Development Team Needs to Slash Manufacturing Cost

Citation

Moxham, C. (2005), "The Lean Design Guidebook: Everything Your Product Development Team Needs to Slash Manufacturing Cost", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 25 No. 9, pp. 938-938. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570510613974

With its A4 ring bound pages, The Lean Design Guidebook gives the appearance of a manual rather than a textbook. This is exactly the aim of the practitioner author who emphatically states; “it is my intention that this book become dog‐eared and worn through constant use.” This will no doubt be achieved as its informal, practical, step‐by‐step style certainly lends itself to application rather than being left on the shelf.

The guidebook comprises 18 proven lean design tools. Mascitelli intends to take the practitioner on a journey which will permit cost reduction based on the principles of lean manufacturing. The tools, therefore, are introduced in chronological order with respect to implementation. However, the modular style of the book enables the practitioner to focus on any one of the 18 tools in any particular order. The tools span six‐sigma design and value engineering to Toyota's production preparation process (3P). Practical cost reduction guides are included to substantiate the immediately deployable message of the guidebook.

Over 150 figures and diagrams contribute to the user‐friendly feel of the guidebook. Each figure and diagram is clearly constructed and presented to support the accompanying text. Mascitelli has incorporated blank pages for notes at the end of each section which enables the user to customise the guidebook and supports the practitioner approach. The book can, therefore, be viewed very much as a living document which will guide and support the implementation of lean design techniques.

A valuable inclusion is the lean design deployment schedule (on page 287) which presents a time line and suggests a strategy for the rollout of lean design tools throughout an organisation. Due to the informal style of the book, the tools selected for each phase are recommendations rather than stipulations, providing the practitioner with good practice examples that can be customised. The guidebook also includes a comprehensive glossary and bibliography.

The Lean Design Guidebook will appeal to practitioners in all areas related to product design and development. The guidebook presents a manufacturing cost reduction strategy through the implementation of 18 lean design tools. Its style, presentation and language are conducive to operational rather than reference purposes, making it an excellent accompaniment to anyone embarking upon manufacturing cost reduction.