Lean: Quo Vadis?

Inventory turn performance is, or should be, seen as an important measure of lean, since it relates directly to lead time and is a concomitant of many lean activities. Inventory turns, based on published data, has been studied for decades. Among more recent of those studies are findings showing long-term decreases in inventory turns in several industries and in several countries, including some prominent names in lean. This is disturbing. There may be good reasons for declining performance in inventory turns but questions as to their root causes should be of concern to lean practitioners and educators. After establishing hard-data indicators, some tentative thoughts are proposed. Hence, Lean Quo Vadis: ‘Where are you marching?’