What is Lean? Lean is about making your process faster (reduce leadtime) at a lower cost while improving quality. Lean applies to ALL aspects of business (NOT just manufacturing and supply chain processes). Tangible improvements and benefits are being realized in transactional, service, and other totally divergent business environments.

The right process will produce the right results

• Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface
• Use the "pull" system to avoid overproduction
• Balance the workload
• Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time
• Standardization is the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment
• Use visual control so no problems are hidden
• Transactional Mapping
• Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes

Add value to the organization by developing your people and partners

• Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others
• Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company's philosophy
• Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve

Continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning

• Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation
• Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly
• Become a learning organization through relentless analysis, and continuous improvement

EPIC's Lean approach is designed to yield benefits quickly by supporting the optimum methodology matched to a company’s business objectives and needs while establishing a sustainable process for ongoing improvement. Lean is a journey not a destination.