AI Supercharges Lean Manufacturing, for Resilience and Innovation

By Ajay Bahl, Chief Growth Officer, Global Energy and Manufacturing, HCLTech

As supply chains buckle under global shocks and sustainability mandates intensify, lean transformation in manufacturing requires more than operational tweaks. It demands structural reinvention.

Tariff volatility, carbon mandates and unpredictable demand have made lean manufacturing a survival strategy rather than just a process improvement philosophy. Scaling lean manufacturing successfully demands a fresh approach that integrates AI and aligns people, data and decisions across the entire product lifecycle.

This is where the product-aligned operating model becomes critical. By breaking silos, embedding AI into workflows and enabling faster, smarter decision-making, they elevate lean principles for the modern era. This approach allows manufacturers to streamline production, democratize data access and accelerate innovation while driving efficiency and delivering superior customer outcomes.

Breaking down silos for end-to-end visibility
Siloed functions remain one of the biggest barriers to transformation in manufacturing. Teams ...