Handbook of Lean Manufacturing in the Food Industry

Lean manufacturing is a system that helps to reduce costs while improving performance and output quality. The techniques were initially developed in the automotive and engineering industries but are now being applied to a wide range of sectors including, increasingly, the food industry. The principle focus of lean manufacturing is to ?work smarter, not harder?. Through careful measurement of factory processes, causes of poor performance are identified and addressed. A variety of management tools and techniques can be used to control the activities of the business and to deliver the product and profits required.§This book presents the principles of lean manufacturing as they can be applied to food manufacturing. Other books on this topic are written at a higher level and tend to attempt to shoehorn the principles of the car and consumer electronics industries into places where they do not really fit. This is the first book to apply lean principles specifically in food industry settings, offering solutions which can alleviate pressures currently facing the industry.§Used as a handbook for managers, including at team leader / shift manager level, the book guides the reader through the steps that must be taken in order to successfully implement lean systems. It explores the various strategies suitable for different sectors of the industry and the various relationships along the food supply chain. This information can then be used to ?sell? proposed changes to the wider workforce and help junior and middle managers implement and maintain the new practices. The book is suitable as a companion to training and education courses.