Is going lean the antidote for your labor shortage?
Added on 06 June 2022
"At our company, we have almost zero turnover rate," says Chris Robinson, co-owner of Robinson Nursery just outside of Portland, OR.
These days, labor shortages top the list of daily challenges for just about every green business in the U.S. and Canada. But Robinson says his company has not only won the struggle but is becoming an industry leader by centering its efforts on creating both lean production processes and a lean working culture.
"Even through COVID, when there's a mass labor exodus in almost every industry, I don't think we had anyone quit," he says.
Lean is the buzz term for the philosophy behind Toyota's world-renowned vehicle production system. Since the early 1950s, the automaker has famously mastered "the relentless pursuit of waste" helping employees work smarter, not harder and increasing productivity in leaps and bounds, according to Rick and Elizabeth Peters at The Peters Company. The couple teaches the lean philosophy to manufacturers in person and online.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Workers
"You'd be amazed at how much waste there is in a typical organization," says Rick Peters.
The goal is to eliminate any part of the production that doesn't increase the value of the product but increases its cost, such as extra handling, extra product movement, or extra inventory sitting around waiting to be worked on. And then, making the product flow like an assembly line.
Why is lean a big advantage to growers who are having trouble finding labor?
Photo: Elizabeth and Rick Peters at The Peters Company teach the lean philosophy to manufacturers in person and online. Courtesy of The Peters Company
Source: Greenhouse Grower
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