1. Lean: a philosophy or a tool like any other?

Even if the Lean approach is supported by a large number of tools, such as the deployment of 5S, the continuous improvement principles of Kaizen, Kanban inventory management, and SMED for efficient tool changeovers in production, to name but the most important, associating it solely with a toolbox would be reductive. Lean remains a philosophy, a state of mind that inspires all employees in their day-to-day work, enabling them to concentrate on creating value for the customer, and chasing away anything that can or might create non-value added.