SCLCI’s Early Editions

A Brief History of Lean Manufacturing

SCLCI — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:30:12 GMT

The evolution of Lean manufacturing spans centuries of innovation, gradually developing from early maritime construction into a globally adopted philosophy for eliminating waste and creating value.

1450s & 16th Century: The foundational idea of production flow began with shipbuilders in Venice, Italy, who used a moving assembly line to construct ships piece by piece. By the 16th century, the Venetian arsenal pioneered interchangeable parts and continuous flow assembly, famously building a complete galley in under an hour in 1574 by moving the hull down a channel past various workstations.
1765 & Early 19th Century: The concept of standardised, interchangeable parts gained traction when French General Jean Baptiste de Gribeauval championed their use in artillery to allow for rapid battlefield repairs. This idea spread to England in 1807, where Mark Brunel invented machines to produce identical wooden rope blocks in a precise sequence, and later to America, where Thomas Blanchard created machines that automatically passed wooden rifle stocks from station to station.
1913–1914: An American innovator named Henry revolutionised the process by combining perfectly interchangeable parts, consistent work, and a moving assembly line into what he called “flow production”. By solving earlier issues with metal warping using stronger steel tools and precise gauges, his factory achieved large-scale continuous flow and could build a car in just 93 minutes. However, this system was incredibly rigid and could only produce a single, uniform product without any options or colour choices.
1930s: The German aircraft industry introduced “takt time,” synchronising every step of final airplane assembly so that fuselages moved forward at a precise rhythmic interval.
Post-World War II: Japanese automotive innovators, including Akio and Kenji, faced a small market that demanded varied vehicle types. They integrated Henry’s continuous flow and German takt time, but added a vital new dimension: flexibility. By developing quick tool changeovers and a “pull system”—where each manufacturing step signals its needs to the preceding one—they efficiently produced small batches of diverse parts with minimal waste and waiting.
1990: A researcher named James and his team revealed this highly efficient Japanese system to the world in a book, officially coining the term “Lean”. They distilled centuries of trial and error into five core principles: define customer value, map the steps that create that value, make those steps flow smoothly, let the customer pull the value, and always strive for perfection.
Today: Lean has transcended automotive factories and is now a widespread way of thinking applied in hospitals, software companies, construction sites, and governments globally to remove waste and enhance value for everyone.

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When Your Process Excludes Solutions: A Cautionary Tale for Procurement

SCLCI — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:46:06 GMT

VISIT SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS CONSULTING ON THE WEB.

A cautionary tale for decision-makers, emphasizing that when you hire a strategist and treat them like a data-entry clerk, you aren’t just wasting money — you’re missing the transformation the business actually needs.

Learn from this classic “penny wise, pound foolish” scenario.

Strategies to Accelerate the Success of your New Business.

V.C.C. — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:29:00 GMT

The Resilient Scale-Up.

Learn how investments in research and development, effective internal communications, and a strong commitment to ongoing employee development. all contribute to advancing resliency of innovative companies. Hasten the journey to scale with these simple pointers and bring lasting positive change into your corporate culture.

Navigating the Barriers to Resilience: Before a company can scale, it must survive these “New Business Strength” factors. These aren’t just hurdles; they are the stress tests that define your market position.

Factors Effecting New Business Strength.

Understand the common challenges for new market entrants and growing companies often encounter on the pathway to scaling up. Opportunities exist for savvy business leaders when they know the risks of ignoring realities of competitive markets and not all of them are obvious.

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Metrics that Matter: How to Measure for Performance.

SCLCI — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:27:55 GMT

How you implement metrics makes a difference to performance. Learn why how you measure, also matters.

Change Management. An Exploration of Practical Application.

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:10:45 GMT

Go To Website

SECTION 1:

A 5 Minute Explanation of Two Change Management Models

Part A: The ADKAR Model for Change Management
Part B: Kotter’s 8-Step Model for Change

SECTION 2:

“Agri-RBA’s Organizational Change Challenge.”

Observe Two Change Management Models at Work.
Kotters’ 8 Steps and the ADKAR Model of Change Management.
“Agri-RBA” takes on the challenge of organizational change.

Early Edition: The State of North American Trade: A Look at CUSMA|USMCA, Tariffs, and 2026.

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:01:18 GMT

The Value Chain Coach writes "Beyond Price and Quality: Unlocking True Value in B2B Engagements"

SCLCI Early Editions — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 21:45:00 GMT

“Beyond Price and Quality: Unlocking True Value in B2B Engagements.”

By Hilary J Schmitt, BBA, SCMP.

The following insights are derived from our review of the infographic @2018 Bains and Company Consulting Inc, the B2B Elements of Value by E. Almquist et al. from HBR.ORG.

Introductions:

In the world of business-to-business procurement, the evaluation of vendors and services often centers on what we call "Table Stakes"—basic requirements like cost, quality, quantity, and availability. While these factors are essential, they represent only the starting point for a truly successful partnership. For both buyers and vendors, a singular focus on these elements can mean overlooking a significant opportunity to create exceptional, long-term value.

Announcement 📢 *New Resources.

SCLCI — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:22:09 GMT

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🏁 Give your business the break it needs and explore options from Supply Chain Logistics Consulting.

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Projects: Supply Chain Operations eBrochure

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:46:36 GMT

Strategic Supply Chain Operations Consulting

Supply Chain Operations Consulting eBrochure (PDF)

Free to view online or download the PDF with your email address.

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Projects: Supply Chain Sourcing eBrochure

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:40:49 GMT

Strategic Supply Chain Procurement Consulting

Supply Chain Procurement Consulting eBrochure (PDF)

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Projects: Supply Chain Digitization eBrochure

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:32:29 GMT

Supply Chain Transparency Consulting eBrochure (PDF)

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Project Consulting: Your Project Overview eBook

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:40:37 GMT

Project Consulting:

The Project Overview eBook

The Project Consulting Overview eBooklet. (PDF)

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Business Development 1000: The New Project Survey.

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:01:35 GMT

Business Development 1000:

The BD1000 New Project Survey (Catalogue Companion)

The BD1000 New Project Survey (Catalogue Companion)

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The Business Development 1000: Onboarding eBooklet

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 01:42:58 GMT

The Business Development 1000:

Onboarding Booklet

The BD1000 Onboarding Booklet (Catalogue Combination - PDF)

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Business Development 1000: Goals eBooklet, (The "Go-Booklet")

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 01:09:52 GMT

Business Development 1000: Goals eBooklet,

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Business Development 1000: Goals eBook (full)

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:58:17 GMT

Business Development 1000: Goals eBook

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Reimagine Your Business Through Supply Chain Transformation

SCLCI Early Editions — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:11:55 GMT

Reimagining Business through Supply Chain Transformation

The Changing Landscape of Supply Chain Globally: 

Gone are the days when supply chains were considered nothing more than a back-office function. In today's fast-paced global marketplace, supply chain management has evolved into a strategic powerhouse.

The need for businesses to deliver their products quickly, efficiently, and sustainably has never been more critical. And that's where supply chain transformation comes into play. 

Clips 🎞️ Supply Chain History of Innovation: The Shipping Container and Bar Code 🚚

SCLCI Early Editions — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:45:40 GMT

🎯 In this video, you'll learn: About innovations that transformed supply chains!

Whether you're a supply chain professional or just curious about the future of global operations, you’ll learn how a history of technologies and bold ideas reshaped the way goods move, decisions get made, and value is created.

⭐ Perfect for: Ambitious leaders, business owners, executives, department heads, and project managers!
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Get the PLAYBOOK: Your Quick-Start for SCM Development - Downloadable

SCLCI Early Editions — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 01:03:54 GMT

PLAYBOOK SCM Development - Download Link

This PLAYBOOK for SCM Transformations is complete with three workbooks to walk you through your company's supply chain management assessment.

The PLAYBOOK is available free to download when you provide your email address.

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Business Operations Alignment Assessment
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Clips 🎞️ Supply Chain Innovation History: JIT & Lean Manufacturing ⚙️

SCLCI Early Editions — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:34:20 GMT

🎯 In this video, you'll learn: About innovations that transformed supply chains!

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