Today, successful manufacturing companies are those which have adopted efficient fulfillment strategies. Many organizations have chosen to become Lean, following demand driven rather than supply driven philosophies, in order to surpass the competition. Lean companies satisfy the needs of a dynamic marketplace by building products to order rather than investing in large inventories, overstocking of product and attempting to create customer demand.

This paper discusses the fundamentals for successful Lean manufacturing, including the establishment of optimal customer relationships, improved channel visibility, flexible product configuration, shortened cycle times, improved capacity utilization and integrated operational infrastructures.