Article at a glance:

Beyond manufacturing: The evolution of lean production

• In many large and midsize manufacturing plants, lean techniques for improving operations have become something of a religion.
• Managers use these techniques, pioneered in Japan, to root out waste and inefficiency and to boost quality and flexibility.
• Lean tools and techniques are effective in many kinds of operations, not just in manufacturing and assembly plants. But managers must know how to use the lean approach in nonindustrial settings. Read how some are meeting the challenge in this round-up of four previously published Quarterly articles.