This is the first part of Welding Digest's two-part series on manufacturing strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. Read Part 2 here.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of daily life, whether it is an individual, a government or a business. Industrial manufacturers are no different — most have been forced to pivot due to reduced demand, social distancing mandates or staff reductions.

Months into the pandemic, here are some key ideas for how manufacturers can continue to be productive, best practices for reopening and more.

Lean is (still) key

Lean manufacturing was developed by Toyota during an economic crisis, in response to the difficult times experienced in Japan post-World War II. In the same vein, healthy lean principles can be helpful during a crisis like the current pandemic.

Take communication, for instance. Good communication is important to any business at all times, but is exponentially more important during difficult ones. Many manufacturers were forced to respond to COVID-19 by furloughing or even laying off staff, which requires remaining employees to learn new skills or tasks on the fly. Others set up remote work locations to distance workers, splitting up teams and severing some lines of communication.

Many lean practitioners recommend daily team huddles — short meetings held early in the day — to ensure each team member is on the same page and working on the correct tasks. In light of the above business responses, it could be helpful to hold these check-ins two or even three times a day during a crisis, whether socially distanced in person or virtually. If these meetings are correctly structured and avoid micromanaging tendencies, workers can stay on task and also feel a sense of connection.

Simply put, in a crisis situation there is no such thing as overcommunication.

Figure 1: A lean “manufactory.” Key concepts like 5S, standardized work environments and jidoka can help manufacturers thrive during a crisis, and during normal operations. Source: Laurensvanlieshout/CC BY-SA 3.0Figure 1: A lean “manufactory.” Key concepts like 5S, standardized work environments and jidoka can help manufacturers thrive during a crisis, and during normal operations. Source: Laurensvanlieshout/CC BY-SA 3.0

Lean is also helpful for reorganizing a workspace or production line. A key aspect of lean manufacturing, related to 5S, is having a well-organized work area with predefined places for important items. As manufacturers have had to provide more physical space between employees, starting with a well-planned and organized work area makes this reorganization less difficult.

Finally, as Welding Digest said in November of last year, while lean seems to be mostly about processes on the surface, it is ultimately about people. Toyota’s original lean concept strove to eliminate waste to lessen employee stress and increase focus, making for a happier and more productive workforce. A proper lean implementation can help accomplish this, even during this current time of intense cost-cutting and economic uncertainty.