9 Ways to Improve Laboratory Efficiency withthe Lean Lab Checklist from METTLER TOLEDO

Lean Laboratory is a fast-growing trend, developed from the well-established principles of lean manufacturing which originated in the Japanese automotive industry.

Applying a lean approach in a laboratory environment has been shown to increase efficiency and productivity, in industries such as pharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetics, as well as the food and beverage industry.

The Lean Lab Checklist, developed in collaboration with external experts, is an ideal place to start withthe implementation of Lean Laboratory principles.This 9-point checklist helps lab managers of any sized lab, by providing a simple way to evaluate how lean alab currently is, and identify which actions could have thegreatest potential toimprove efficiency in that situation.

The checklist is organized into nine areas of improvement, with 35 questions in total. To use this checklist, the respondent simply needs to tick “Yes” or “No” in answer each question. The total number of “Yes” responses is an indicator of how lean the laboratory is, and whether there is still room for improvement. Helpful tips and recommendations are also provided in each section.

Many lean manufacturing principles can be applied directly to the laboratory situation. Tools such as value stream mapping can help reduce lead times, costs, and levels of work-in-progress (WIP). They also improve levels of right first time (RFT) and overall quality that impacts both internal processing and the end-user experience.

To get started on improving efficiency in the laboratory and eliminating unnecessary workflow steps in order to realize significant productivity improvements, download the METTLER TOLEDO 9-pointLean Lab Checklist now.

About METTLER TOLEDO
METTLER TOLEDO is a leading global manufacturer of precision instruments. The Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. The Company also holds top-three market positions for several related analytical instruments and is a leading provider of automated chemistry systems used in drug and chemical compound discovery and development. In addition, the Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of metal detection systems used in production and packaging. Additional information about METTLER TOLEDO can be found at www.mt.com