By implementing Four51, we were able to streamline order processing for our internal customer.

- Manager of Shared Services at $3B value-added distributor

Four51 Smart Catalog Technology Eliminates Waste

These days, many organizations have some sort of operational excellence, Business Improvement Group, or far-reaching cost reduction measure in the plans or underway. Many of these are Six Sigma, LEAN, or LEAN Six Sigma in nature. Some are new, some are "revivals," but in all cases they share these characteristics:

• Allocated the best and brightest in the company
• Championed by Management like never before
• Chartered with looking beyond the Floor and into the Office, the Field, the entire Ecosystem
• Told to succeed without any new CapEx

Four51 is highly relevant to LEAN Teams because it automates manual processes and eliminates waste at multiple points in the requisition-to-reconciliation process, including compliance, approval, configuration, inventory optimization and mistake proofing. In a broad sense, waste can be considered as any activity or resource in an organization that does not add value to an external customer. The seven wastes (see table below) can be applied to a warehousing situation, an office (substituting documents for products), transactional or support service activities, and many other work functions that are not necessarily manufacturing or operational in nature. And because Four51's technology can be deployed ecosystem-wide, LEAN Teams can proceed confidently, knowing that the solution will not solve one problem while creating others.

The following chart demonstrates how Four51's Smart Catalog Technology addresses the Seven Wastes core to LEAN philosophy.

How Four51 Addresses the Seven Wastes Identified in LEAN

The Seven Wastes	Some Related Questions	Four51's Approach
Waiting	Can some tasks be done in parallel rather than in series?	Four51 allows approvals to happen in parallel to reduce Cycle Time.
Transportation	Can the process be configured to move product to the next operation, rather than have people do the moving?	With Four51's XML Integration, the order can move directly into and through the ERP system to eliminate re-keying at the order entry, production, shipping and reconciliation steps.
Processing Itself	Can some tasks be combined or eliminated?	Four51 can be configured for replenishment as well as for new orders.
Motion	What aids, such as fixtures, new equipment, or special tools, could speed up the process?	Four51 can be configured to allow multiple shipping locations for a single order. Four51 is available on-demand from anywhere at anytime.
Poor "Quality"	Where can mistake-proofing be used to eliminate or reduce errors or rework?	The elimination of re-keying has been proven to reduce errors. In addition, the visual approval process eliminates the time and errors associated with phone, fax and email-based approval systems.
Inventory	Is WIP (inventory) needed just-in-case or can we operate without it?	Four51 allows an organization to display inventory available and to set thresholds for re-order. Thumbnail images of products eliminate the practice of "ordering just to see what it looks like."
Overproduction	Can the operation produce to order rather than produce for inventory?	Reductions in cycle time and improved demand visibility across the entire ecosystem give companies the confidence needed to wean themselves from safety stock.