Our Lean Journey

Charles Cohen

Benco Dental Company

January 2008

• Founded 1930, 3G Owner/Operators

• Customers: Dentists & Dental Labs

• 3rd Largest in US– 2007 Sales: $400M

(+13%)– Associates: ~1100– 4 DC’s, 48 Locations

Our Mission: We deliver success,

smile after smile.

Our Journey Begins…

• Focus on Efficiency, not Profit

• Reading on Toyota• Input from Key

Manufacturer Partners

‘Brilliant process management is our strategy. We get brilliant results from average people managing brilliant processes. We observe that our competitors often get average (or worse) results from brilliant people managing broken processes.’

Fujio Cho, Toyota Chairman

The Challenges

• Making a Choice: Lean? Six Sigma? Lean Six Sigma? ISO?

• No Literature on ‘Lean for Distribution’

• No ‘Engineering Mindset’

Our Lean Journey

• Chose Classic Lean/TPS

• Leader from Accounting (Now 4 FT)

• State Funds for Training

• Internal Marketing– Developed Own Brand: BCI– Added ‘Continuous Improvement’ to Values

• Joined/Attended AME (www.ame.org)

Our Learning

• It’s a Journey, Not a Destination

• Leadership from the Top

• Don’t be Distracted by Tracking $ Impact

• Lean Is a Mindset

$250

$300

$350

$400

$450

$500

$550

2005 2006 2007

Sales per Non-Sales Assoc ($000's)

Where to Start

• Start with Leadership: CEO & Internal Lean Champion

• Read: HBR, Wommack: ‘Lean Thinking’

• Attend AME Meeting (www.ame.org)

• ID Allies: Vendors, Government Funds, Other Companies