Celestica Uses Lean over Six Sigma

Celestica Inc. is still riding high off its reception of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing.  Thri firm was the first EMS provider to have been awarded the prize in its 18-year history.  This award was given based upon the companies famed manufacturing process which has helped achieve better bottom lines for a number of large companies including Toyota Motor Corp.  According to executives at the firm, the success of the manufacturing process is due to the company’s incorporation of LEAN a process they felt offered them more variability than the more widely-known Six Sigma process.  Executives argued that LEAN provided them with the ability to apply efficiency changes to a real world environment, something they may have felt limited in doing with other efficiency methodologies.  My-ESM Reports:

“Lean is known by most manufacturing experts to be the best production system in the world at providing cost and execution results despite the variability that exists in the real-world environment,” said Stephen Delaney, chief executive officer of the Toronto-based company.  “Lean is gaining momentum in our industry; it provides some differentiation for Celestica.