End of the day, who is benefited by Lean Manufacturing? A dilemma of communication and pricing in buyer-supplier relationship

Retailers bring in lean programs to work closely with the process and people in suppliers' factories. Primarily, factory considers these programs highly advantageous and jumps in, as the programs are free of cost. The communication among buyers and suppliers improves a lot. But when the processes are improved and costs are reduced; the buyer comes with lower product price proposal and the suppliers are shocked and demoralized for further collaboration in any improvement initiatives. The author, as a the-then lean champion in a world class multi national apparel manufacturing company, has experienced this dilemma and proposed with a practical solution. (C) 2019 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.