People, not working in manufacturing, often tell me they don’t think this Lean “stuff” is applicable to their service context. Particularly not when their service involves servicing a physically present customer that is, therefore, an intrinsic part of the process. Still, I see them struggling (as a consultant or customer) with reducing their service lead times or turnaround times. I am thinking of vessel turnaround times in a port, truck turnaround times at a warehouse, airplane turnaround at an airport, a visit to the outpatient department, performing scheduled maintenance, or the duration and length of roadworks resulting in traffic jams, just to name a few. To me, they all share the same challenge. Namely, to ensure the shortest, reliable time span in order not to waste any of the (internal) client’s valuable time. So why not use quick changeover principles in reducing these turnaround times? (more…)