The year 2021 marks a previously unknown milestone in the application of lean in laboratories. Twenty years ago, the world’s first Lean Lab project became publicly known. Since then, thousands of projects have followed to establish lean practices in laboratories. A comprehensive study conducted by Geniu examined the benefits lean can bring to lab environments – with remarkable results.
“The application of Lean Management has developed into a standard method of laboratory optimization in recent years,” says Dr. Wolf-Christian Gerstner, Managing Director of Geniu, a consultancy specialized in laboratory environments. “Anyone looking to achieve faster results with minimal effort cannot ignore the Lean Management techniques that have become established over the past decades. This insight has gained widespread acceptance in recent years.” Furthermore, many are aware that the foundations of lean were developed by Toyota and were only many years later given the name “Lean Management” by a group of professors from the USA.
However, many people are unaware whether Lean Management in laboratories – commonly referred to as “Lean Lab”- is a relatively recent trend or has been applied in labs for a longer time. This is also an important question for Dr. Gerstner, who has spent more than a decade intensely focused on optimizing laboratories using Lean techniques. “For decision-makers in labs who are considering implementing Lean Lab, it is crucial to understand how reliably Lean techniques can improve efficiency, turnaround time, and quality in laboratory environments.” According to Dr. Gerstner, knowing how long these techniques have existed and whether they have proven effective over the years is helpful in answering this question. “That’s why we spoke with individuals who have followed the development of Lean in laboratories over the past decades. Through these conversations, we were able to identify where and when the first Lean Lab project was carried out, as well as in which segment of the laboratory field.”
Another key indicator for decision-makers when introducing lean is the impact lean can have in the laboratory. This question was also examined empirically in a comprehensive meta-study. More than 100 articles on Lean Lab, published over the past 20 years, were analyzed in detail. “The study has shown that Lean Management has dramatically improved operations in many laboratories over the past two decades,” says Dr. Gerstner, who led the study 20 Years of Lean Lab. “If implemented correctly, Lean Management can significantly improve productivity, turnaround time, and quality in any laboratory—whether it’s a routine lab or an R&D environment, and regardless of the industry.”
In the coming months, Geniu will publish a series of articles on the topic “20 Years of Lean Lab.” Interested parties can register for the study at www.geniu.com. A comprehensive presentation of the study’s findings will take place on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 2 p.m. during the Lab Excellence Forum hosted by Geniu (registration for the live webinar at https://www.geniu.com/de/20-jahre-lean-lab). “I am especially pleased that we will welcome a true lean pioneer at the Lab Excellence Forum,” says Dr. Gerstner. Another program highlight is the presentation of the “10 Lean Lab Pioneers” identified as part of the study.
