Achieving Breakthrough Performance in Manufacturing

Why Continuous improvement is Not the Total Solution

Manufacturing operations exist in an environment of constant change and challenge. Rising raw material costs, energy prices, demands of regulators and competitive threats from offshore manufacturers are just some of the challenges that drive the need to seek operational improvements. For many, this pursuit has led them on the path toward the creation of continuous improvement cultures and organizations.

Continuous Improvement (CI) remains a fundamental requirement for survival in today’s manufacturing world. That said, very rarely does any CI program provide a source of competitive advantage. In this whitepaper, performance consultancy Kepner-Tregoe describes a three phase model that adds a new dimension to traditional CI models.

Download this whitepaper to:

• Learn the common pitfalls of continuous improvement programs including initiative overload, sub-optimization by lack of focus on strategic performance drivers, and difficulty of tracking the value of CI to the business
• Identify the situations where a traditional CI approach may not be optimal
• Explore how you can use Kepner-Tregoe’s 3-phase model (Diagnose – Implement – Sustain) as a guide to assess potential improvement opportunities and selecting the optimal project mix and schedule for achieving those improvements