Lean is used extensively by the automotive supplier industry and Lean thinking enables automotive manufacturers to survive in their cutthroat business environment. Automotive suppliers must continuously improve their performance to retain the business of automakers. However, seldom do Woodworking Manufacturers force their suppliers to be competitive beyond price. Automotive manufacturers are typically much larger than the suppliers. Consider Ford, GM, Toyota, and VW against Cummins, Continental, and Delphi. The former group of companies is significantly…