Strategies Behind a Lean Team's Dedication to Supply Chain Improvement

Strategies behind a Lean team's dedication to supply chain improvement

October 14, 2025
By Anthony Powell | Lean Solutions Lead

There’s nothing the Lean team and I love more than supply chains. Analyzing the current state, finding pain points and efficiencies, and curating detailed solutions just for you.

When you have a dedicated team finding improvements in your work, you get things like increased visibility, new ways to track consumption, and newfound cost savings that were hiding in your facility.

Sound interesting? Here’s how to begin.

Step 1: Planning

You can’t have solutions without knowing the problems. One way to root out issues that might have been brushed off as “just the way things are” is with a Total Cost of Ownership Analysis (TCOA), using Lean techniques to map current processes and spot hidden pain points.

A TCOA includes an intense investigation into the supply processes within your facility – procurement processes, stocking locations, all the steps, tasks, and touches required to go from “need it” to “got it.” The data is then analyzed to create a detailed proposal with a set of custom solutions designed to achieve YOUR desired results. Want to save on costs, space, or time? Need to improve operation efficiency? These are the returns a TCOA is meant to generate. One example shows how we helped a customer save 20% on monthly costs.

Step 2: Communication

Our team needs to understand the scenario of every part of a facility to be able to offer the best solutions. What are the non-value-added steps? The cost drivers and time drains? We need to know it all to make the implementation, and really the whole partnership, work. The more we understand, the more relevant and effective the solutions will be. This is why communication is key.

It’s a two-way street. We need to understand your usage so we can plan the supply chain. (For OEM fasteners and components, this means making a comprehensive plan for every part.) We also need to communicate our progress and expectations to minimize distractions during physical installations. Our goal: no surprises, no interruptions.

Step 3: Implementation

Okay, the problems are diagnosed, and a plan of solutions has been prepared. Next comes the real work: implementation. Our challenge is to get in, install solutions, and get out (with minimal distractions) so you can start reaping the rewards. It’s designed to be a quick and seamless process.

Pain points, however, can crop up anywhere, even in planning and implementation. There can be a disconnect between the corporate contact and individual site, or a lack of transparency or support from the incumbent supplier. (Believe me, we’ve seen it all.) A team that can handle surprises and adapt quickly, that’s the team you want.

Bottom line is it takes a lot of communication, planning, and custom solutions to not only start an implementation but also make it successful.

It's all in the details

Why is all this customization and communication so important? Because no two facilities are the same in terms of size, layout, processes, challenges, culture, and goals. Even within a single facility, you need tailored solutions to meet the needs of different departments and areas of the business.

Brian Estep, divisional director of supply chain management for Curtiss-Wright, put it this way: “Fastenal doesn’t just want to know numbers; they actually met with every single department in this building, and they wanted to know from each department: What do you need out of us as a supplier? So, they customized and tailored every solution that went into this building to fit the need of that internal customer.”

We do all this to ensure the solutions align with the unique contours of YOUR business. Putting the work in on the front end paves the way for a seamless implementation and sustainable success.

Ready to transform your supply chain?

You need (and deserve) a true supply chain partner. Contact our Lean team today. Together, we can tailor solutions that will optimize your operations and uncover hidden savings to improve your workflow.

Now, let’s begin! Email me, Anthony, at [email protected] so we can start improving your facility!