Lean Manufacturing solutions
Lean manufacturing can improve operational performance by lowering manufacturing costs, increasing on-time delivery, improving quality and customer service, and generating new sources of value. Businesses that want to take advantage of lean manufacturing, however, often struggle to move from a push-based forecast model to a pull-based model based on actual customer demand.
Technology solutions from Microsoft and its partners help you energize, transform, and sustain your lean initiatives and practices. These solutions upgrade paper-based functions—such as Kanban and value stream mapping—and improve product development and wider manufacturing information systems. By effectively managing your lean manufacturing process, your people can drive efficient success by reducing waste, inventory, and cycle times, while increasing quality, revenue, and profit margins.
Lean Manufacturing partners
Technology solutions from Microsoft and its partners help you energize, transform, and sustain your lean initiatives and practices. These solutions upgrade paper-based functions, such as Kanban and value stream mapping, and tie them to product development and wider manufacturing information systems.
Choose a partner that fits your business needs
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Value stream mapping and analysis
Orlando Software Group, Inc.
LeanView
LeanViewTM is a fully integrated, lean-process design solution based on Microsoft Office Visio. It was developed to help businesses cost-effectively design, evaluate, and implement lean processes for improved operational and financial performance.
GumshoeKI
eVSMTM
eVSM (electronic value stream mapping) is a Microsoft Office system-based solution for value stream mapping, analysis, and management. It is used by 20 percent of Fortune 500 companies today.
| • | Demo: See a short introduction to eVSM. |
SigmaFlow®
SigmaFlow VSMTM
SigmaFlow VSM is a powerful tool for value stream mapping, lean benchmarking, and data analysis that integrates lean and Six Sigma principles and methods. Extensions include process simulation, integrated Six Sigma tools, and best practice standardization and replication.
Value stream modeling and simulation
ProModel Corporation
ProModel
ProModel is discrete event simulation software used for evaluating, planning, and designing situations in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and other operational and strategic areas.
Simul8® Corporation
Simul8 Standard and Simul8 Professional
Both SIMUL8 Standard and Simul8 Professional are powerful simulation tools that enable you to perform "what-if" analyses to determine the optimum mix of resources, pinpoint bottlenecks, and adjust your manufacturing line before you make any actual changes.
| • | Case Study: Read how Hewlett-Packard saved an estimated $100,000 annually in opportunity costs, as well as realizing other productivity gains. |
| • | Demo: See a live SIMUL8 Web presentation. |
Lean Six Sigma project management
SigmaFlow
Project Portfolio Management for Lean Six Sigma
This SigmaFlow® solution delivers operational-level project management and process productivity tools for superior project execution and collaboration, as well as a Web-based repository for portfolio analysis and reporting. This Microsoft .NET Framework/Microsoft SQL Server-based solution includes templates specifically for Lean Six Sigma and other leading productivity initiatives.
Lean execution
Avanade®
Lean Enterprise Management
Avanade's Lean Enterprise Management solution consolidates the power of one of the leading Microsoft enterprise systems, Microsoft Dynamics AX (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta), with the industry-revitalizing practices of lean manufacturing to deliver proven bottom-line business improvements.
eBECS
Lean Enterprise
eBECS delivers its complete Lean Enterprise solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX, a solution that combines traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) manufacturing and distribution functions with powerful lean capability to deliver true performance improvement.
Invistics
MachSix
Mach Six from Invistics® combines advanced optimization, analytics, and simulation software with a manufacturing performance method that integrates proven principles of lean manufacturing with key components of the Six Sigma basic method: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC).
| • | Webcast: See how you can optimize the factory to strengthen the supply chain. |
| • | Demo: See a live SIMUL8 Web presentation. |
DemandPoint
Pelion Lean Manufacturing Solution
Pelion's manufacturing process optimization (MPO) solution is a modular suite of software and services designed exclusively to implement and automate demand-pull manufacturing methods and operational practices.
Ultriva
Ultriva Electronic Kanban
Ultriva Electronic KanbanTM reduces stockouts while reducing inventory levels up to 75 percent. This is done by aligning inventory with actual consumption via a closed-loop replenishment process.
| • | Video case study: See how Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG), a world leader in commercial vehicle solutions, benefited. |
Ultriva Lean Scheduling
Ultriva Lean SchedulingTM increases responsiveness, maximizes production capacity, and lowers manufacturing costs by empowering shop floor supervisors to resequence and optimize production schedules instantly as new customer orders arrive.
Lean measurement
Activplant
Activplant Performance Management System
The Activplant® Performance Management System is one of the world's leading manufacturing intelligence platforms, offering true real-time operational visibility into thousands of assets, hundreds of users, and millions of data points.
HighJump Software
HighJump Manufacturing Advantage
The HighJumpTM Manufacturing Advantage solution provides a robust and affordable approach to capturing, managing, and executing mission-critical manufacturing processes.
| • | Webcast: Watch 3M: The Journey Toward Lean and a Global Manufacturing Execution System (MES). |
ICONICS
ICONICS BizViz Suite
The ICONICS manufacturing intelligence solution BizVizTM Suite enables businesses to visualize real-time, manufacturing lean key performance indicators (KPIs). This helps individuals at all levels of the enterprise to minimize waste and to improve operational efficiency.
Parsec Automation Corp.
TrakSYS 4.0
TrakSYSTM 4.0 is real-time performance management software that helps manufacturers maximize productivity and asset utilization through non-intrusive data collection, analysis, and collaborative knowledge management.
Lean product development
Sopheon
Accolade
Accolade provides strategic decision-making support to determine which concepts to advance and which to remove. This helps reduce the amount of time and risk normally associated with the introduction of new products.
Aras Corporation
Aras solutions for Lean Product Development combine program management, product engineering, and quality planning, providing a process-oriented approach to managing, measuring, and improving the product-development process.
Lean manufacturing consultants
CPQP International
The technology-oriented consulting engineers who make up CPQP International specialize in lean manufacturing and lean enterprise, delivering tools for these key areas: quality, design, supply chain improvements, plant relocation, and plant (or production) start-up.
USC Consulting Group
USC Consulting Group (USCCG) consultants help improve business performance across the supply chain. USCCG delivers real value by implementing world-class lean practices enabled and sustained by leading-edge technologies.
Lean manufacturing nonprofit groups and consortiums
Lean Aerospace Initiative
The Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) mission is to research, develop, and promulgate practices, tools, and knowledge that can enable and accelerate the envisioned transformation of the greater United States aerospace enterprise.
Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) is a not-for-profit training, publishing, and research center that develops simple but powerful tools that enable businesses to apply lean manufacturing and lean thinking principles and methods. The lean concept, initially based on the Toyota production system, was extended to an entire lean business system that can be used in many industries.