Breaking the Cost Barrier: A Proven Approach to Managing and Implementing Lean Manufacturing

Citation

Ruffa, S.A. and Perozziello, M.J. (2000), "Breaking the Cost Barrier: A Proven Approach to Managing and Implementing Lean Manufacturing", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 100 No. 9, pp. 459-460. https://doi.org/10.1108/imds.2000.100.9.459.4

“Success is often the culmination of a series of lesser known accomplishments” (Stephen A. Ruffa and Michael J. Perozziello).

In the Muroc, California desert over 50 years ago, a team of contractors and government engineers – along with a daring young test pilot named Chuck Yeager – achieved the seemingly impossible and broke the sound barrier. It was a brilliant, selfless team effort; one that opened the doors for limitless advances in aviation.

Yet once again, this industry is faced with an apparently insurmountable barrier; not one of performance, but of cost. To break the barrier, a team of manufacturing professionals led by the Department of Defence’s Stephen Ruffa was given unprecedented access by the giants of military and commercial aircraft engines and avionics production. Their mission? Go beyond the age‐old focus on flying farther, faster, and higher to discover how to effectively and permanently slash the cost of producing aircraft to allow this industry to continue its rapid pace of advancement.

The results of their study set the stage for a new approach that will again change the face of this industry. These findings – lauded by leaders across the industry and comprehensively explored in Breaking the Cost Barrier – prove that production variation, as opposed to more common targets like labor utilization and inventory levels, is the chief cause of escalating production costs.

More importantly, they reveal how companies can control spiraling production costs by first controlling the variability that has for too long been considered a necessary evil in manufacturing circles.

While much has been written about what “lean production” techniques are, Breaking the Cost Barrier explains how to effectively put lean techniques into place. It presents the big picture on how you can understand and adopt the industry‐proven techniques used in the lean production environment – and coordinate the best into one powerhouse variation management program. Case studies and examples showcase how these techniques can be applied to control production variability across industries and requirements.