Lean Is Alive! Why You Need It More Than Ever

Avnet, Inc. just celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Lean company. But the company's search for waste and inefficiency is far from over. Avnet is a leading distributor of electronic components, semiconductors and computer products. It's been ranked by Fortune magazine as one of the ''world's most admired companies'' for eight straight years. Avnet's strategy draws on classic principles of Lean, Six Sigma and the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. In this episode, chief global logistics and operations officer Mike Buseman talks about how far the company has come in driving waste out of the organization – and how far it has to go. Lean is a journey without end, he says. But companies must be careful not to cut so close to the bone that they undermine their ability to keep product flowing in the event of a supply-chain interruption.