Why Batching is Slowing Your Team Down

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Shayne Daughenbaugh and Andy Olrich welcome James Martin to explore why batching often feels more efficient, but can actually hurt the flow of an entire organization. James shares real-world examples of reducing batch sizes and moving toward flow, including a transformation that reduced processing time from 14 hours to as little as 1.5 hours while significantly increasing output.

The conversation explores how batching creates waiting, excess inventory, bottlenecks, and localized efficiency, and why teams need to focus on the flow of the entire system rather than individual productivity. James also explains how smaller batch sizes, experimentation, visual management, and employee empowerment can help organizations identify problems more quickly and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Whether you're trying to reduce waste, improve manufacturing flow, or build a stronger continuous improvement culture, this episode offers practical examples of how reducing batching can help work move faster and more effectively through an organization.

Key Takeaways:

1. Focus on flow—not localized efficiency
2. Smaller batches can expose and eliminate waste
3. Make bottlenecks and problems visible
4. Empower teams to experiment and improve

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-martin-4a4629254/
https://srasolutions.com.au/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/lean-summit/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/