For a group of people who claim to practice management by fact, questioning the as-given condition, we in the lean community have a troubling habit of citing and accepting made-up lean enterprise statistics. In fact, I would say that at least 50 percent of statistics cited about lean have been made up by someone and passed on to others. I can say this because I personally know some of the people who have made them up. The following are a few favorites.

Only 1 percent of all manufacturers have adopted a lean strategy

In a Manufacturing News interview with former Danaher finance executive and now lean consultant, Mark Deluzio, we learn that only 1 percent of all manufacturers have adopted a lean strategy for growth.

“Q: Do you believe that only 1 percent of all manufacturers have adopted a lean strategy to grow their businesses?”

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