How can Lean Manufacturing professionals build cyber resilience?

The usual way of doing at a VSM is looking at Value added and non value added activities (VA/NVA) from a customer perspective and this may lead to some of the activities related to Cyber security being categorised as NVA and thereby not being focused upon, this can be avoided by adding the cyber security stakeholders to the list of Customers.

through Educate staff on cyber threats, stressing cybersecurity importance Regularly assess vulnerabilities Ensure vendors follow strong cybersecurity practices to prevent chain compromise. Use secure coding, firewalls, encryption, and access controls. Develop plans for cyber threat containment, recovery, and communication. Apply Kaizen principles to cybersecurity, updating measures based on evolving threats. Establish a robust system for critical data recovery in case of cyber incidents. Foster teamwork among IT, engineers, and departments for aligned cybersecurity measures. Stay updated with industry cybersecurity standards to enhance resilience. Cultivate awareness and responsibility among employees for safeguarding company assets.

Cyber threats are becoming more common, therefore maintaining operations, safeguarding sensitive data, and adhering to Lean Manufacturing principles all depend on having a strong cyber security plan. To find potential cyberthreats and weaknesses in your manufacturing processes, do a complete risk assessment. Give every employee thorough training on cyber security. To evaluate the success of your cyber security measures, conduct regular security audits. Pay special attention to protecting industrial control systems, which are essential in production settings. Professionals can improve their organization's resistance to cyber attacks by incorporating cyber security measures into Lean Manufacturing methods.

Only by functional details, hassles, advice in functional work. This will help cyber experts where and how to take necessary precautions and can even test their program with the help of these functional experts.

Lean Manufacturing professionals can enhance cyber resilience by integrating cybersecurity practices into lean principles. Start by raising awareness and training employees on cybersecurity best practices. Implement robust access controls and encryption methods for data protection. Conduct regular cybersecurity assessments and audits to identify vulnerabilities. Establish incident response plans and ensure backups for critical systems. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging proactive measures to detect and mitigate cyber threats. Collaborate with IT experts to integrate cybersecurity into lean processes, ensuring a resilient infrastructure that prioritizes both operational efficiency and robust security measures.

In this context 5S is one of the tools we have found that has added great value in the Data privacy related aspects of the processes as it defines “a place for everything and everything in its place”. This involves sorting the necessary from the unnecessary (which is about using information as needed and when needed , defining retention periods etc) , defining standards for how information is stored , managed through standardised procedures and continuously improved and sustained through standardised work. All of these are tenets of 5S (sort, store, shine, standardise and sustain).

In 3 steps: Continuous Monitoring: Utilize diverse tools like dashboards, metrics, indicators, audits, feedback mechanisms, and incident response plans to continuously evaluate and measure cybersecurity performance. Implement Continuous Improvement Cycles: Leverage methodologies like PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) or DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) to identify, implement, and refine improvements and corrective actions in cybersecurity. Adapt to Evolving Threats: By consistently monitoring and improving cybersecurity measures, professionals can proactively respond to evolving cyber threats. This adaptability helps align security measures with the changing needs and expectations of customers and stakeholders.

Leveraging the expertise of lean manufacturing professionals, cybersecurity experts, industry associations, and government agencies enriches cybersecurity knowledge and skills. Participating in cybersecurity forums, events, webinars, podcasts, and publications ensures staying updated on the latest trends, best practices, and lessons learned in cybersecurity. This proactive engagement facilitates benefiting from collective wisdom and insights within the cybersecurity community. By embracing collaboration and continuous learning, professionals foster a culture of ongoing improvement, strengthening cyber resilience through informed practices and collective knowledge.

Lean management is all about creating flow and continual improvement. Expanding an existing framework of continuous improvement to include cyber security will go a long way in making the processes stronger and also more importantly becoming a mindset as this needs to be integrated as part of your daily work versus an event. The existing rewards and recognition structure can be leveraged to motivate team members in actively contributing to Cyber security (CS) improvements. This mechanism can be used to communicate the trends in the CS space and use the collective knowledge of the team to bridge gaps from the current state and the future state. Having this kind of a framework and an approach helps become a differentiator .