Supply Chain Assessment and Lean Evaluation System (SCALES) is a free assessment tool created to assess a company's readiness for adopting Lean Manufacturing techniques.
K3 Business Technology Group plc has launched a Supply Chain Assessment and Lean Evaluation System (SCALES). This is a free assessment tool created to assess a company's readiness for adopting lean manufacturing techniques. Designed for SMEs, SCALES is easy-to-use and easy-to-implement.

It is based on a simple question and answer format which is freely accessible on K3's special Lean website www.lenamanufacturing.com.

It will also be available from TA/Net (the DTI Sponsored Technology Network) and Benchmark Research (UK's foremost technology research company).

Other organisations will be able to license the software for use in their own Lean Manufacturing programmes and initiatives.

SCALES creates a simple rating for each of five key areas - Company Culture, Organisation Structure, Business Process, Lean Awareness and Technology - and it provides a good, lean analysis tool offering simple suggestions and recommendations to help a company move forward.

Another key benefit is automatic benchmarking which enables companies to compare themselves against the average for their market sector.

K3's CEO Andy Makeham says: 'The Engineering Employers Federation cites the lack of adoption of Lean Manufacturing amongst the SME community as the biggest threat to the recovery of the UK manufacturing sector.

I believe that whilst larger companies readily adopt new Lean techniques, the SMEs are somewhat harder to influence.

K3 is focused on the delivery of supply chain management software solutions and improvement programmes to the SME sector.

So while Lean Manufacturing has little to do with software, and everything to do with changing perceptions of how the workplace and work practices are viewed, I would like our customers to regard K3 as Business Improvement Partners, and look on our software as one of a range of tools from which they can benefit.' As with many tools, the benefit of completing the SCALES questionnaire to companies is not in the answers, but in the questions, and is designed to make key people in an organisation think and open their eyes to the scope and impact a lean enterprise initiative will have on their business.

It can also provide a useful insight into how staff perceive the business.

K3 also offers a free Lean Starter Pack with SCALES to introduce companies to Lean concepts.