In presenting the results during a recent Industry Week Webinar, Jane Biddle, VP of Global Manufacturing Research at Aberdeen also set forth a familiar list of characteristics of the best in class: Mastered the basic tenants of lean, dedicated to continuous improvement, top management is committed and embracing a ‘culture of lean.’ So what else is new? We’ve heard it all before, but the majority of companies still aren’t hearing it.

Don’t get me wrong; I believe that support for lean is spreading in the business world, and not just in manufacturing. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.