THE LIMITS OF LEAN

SOME OF THE RESULTS OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN JUST-IN-TIME MANUFACT URING AND RAPID PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN FAVORABLE. As the author points out, Japan is suffering from increased traffic due to JIT deliveries, a shortage of blue-collar workers, too many product variations, overly stressed suppliers, and a lack of money for new pr oduct development. This situation offers an opportunity to companies i n the rest of the world to catch up to the Japanese, modify lean produ ction and product development to create a more balanced approach, and seek competitive advantage in new areas, for example, in more flexible automation, new materials and technologies, innovative product featur es, and expansion into developing markets.