Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials

56 Lean suppLy ChaIn ManageMent essentIaLs

• Adding or subtracting labor by using:

• Temporary employees

• Overtime

• Subcontractors

• Staff for peak periods and working on improvements when slow

ese points show why a chase strategy is difficult in many environments. As the

skill level of the employees increases, this strategy becomes more and more difficult to

execute. e other issues listed here, such as cross-training and how to control flow,

can be overcome more easily. e staff for peak periods, while a nice fit for a true Lean

company, is rarely employed by companies who view labor as the largest controllable

cost in a company.

Which of these ...