With manufacturers across the country looking to save costs in every place possible, it’s no wonder that Lean manufacturing and safety have become the cornerstone of financially responsible business practices. Saving thousands on inventory, resources and workers’ compensation claims, these programs have aided many companies in surviving the recession. The 2010 Compensation Data Manufacturing survey results found that 69.7 percent of manufacturing companies utilize Lean manufacturing practices.

Of the various Lean manufacturing practices used, 5S programs were most prevalent at 69.2 percent. This was followed by Six Sigma and Kaizen at 58.6 percent and 55.7 percent, respectively. Value stream mapping was used by 47.3 percent of manufacturers. Survey respondents employed kanban at a rate of 40.6 percent. Takt time analysis was used the least, 22.1 percent.

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