Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane on March 10 launched the MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme and said that LEAN has the potential to become a national movement and that it aims to provide a roadmap to global competitiveness for the MSMEs of India.
He added that LEAN will not only attempt to improve quality, productivity and performance, but also the capability to change the mind-sets of manufacturers and transform them into world class manufacturers.
This Scheme is an extensive drive to create awareness amongst MSMEs about LEAN Manufacturing practices and motivate and incentivise them to attain LEAN levels while also encouraging them to become MSME Champions.
Under the scheme, MSMEs will implement LEAN manufacturing tools like 5S, Kaizen, KANBAN, Visual workplace, Poka Yoka under the able guidance of trained and competent LEAN Consultants to attain LEAN levels like Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
Through the LEAN journey, MSMEs can reduce wastages substantially, increase productivity, improve quality, work safely, expanding their markets, and finally becoming competitive and profitable.
Welcoming the revamped MSME Competitive (LEAN) scheme, Kaizen Institute said that MSMEs are the life-blood of Indian economy, accounting for the bulk of our exports and GDP at-large. Therefore, targeted measures focused on enhancing quality, productivity and performance of the MSMEs shall not-just deliver greater competitiveness for enterprises, but a focused strategy in this regard has the potential to deliver a face-lift for the output of Indian economy.
Speaking on the development Jayanth Murthy, Joint Managing Director South Asia and Africa, Kaizen Institute said “The revamped version of the MSME Lean Manufacturing scheme distinguishes itself from two key factors. First, it has been made considerably systematic in its approach, whether it’s the intervention timeline for MSMEs or its phased implementation.”
It has come at a very ripe time for Indian MSMEs, as they seek to export more in an increasingly slowing global market. Therefore, lean-interventions can play a key role in enhancing their product and cost competitiveness. However, benefits-realization will be critically dependent on the roll-out and implementation, Murthy added.
