A manufacturer may face stringent customer requirements that prompt the process improvement journey. Or, it may be an intrinsic endeavor; an internal quest for excellence. No matter whether it is driven by internal or external pressures, no matter the tools, techniques or methodologies employed, process improvement must begin with communication and collaboration.
"Quite honestly, process improvement and most improvements, as well as any significant money that is spent, in my experience, is driven from your customers' demand," says Joe Kirchner, principal for The North Highland Co. (Atlanta). "If there's a specific thing that a major customer wants, you do it," says Kirchner. He explains further that when he was a materials manager for an automotive supplier and General Motors wanted to see a different process or have a product modified in a certain way, the wheels were immediately put in motion to make it happen.