Lean principles could improve firms’ bottom lines and help them be more efficient.
Firms could streamline their office practices by investing in records management and cutting down on waste.
Adam Buckley, head of programmes at The Manufacturing Institute, spoke about the advantages of ‘lean processing’ and how it can help businesses drive out waste and create customer value.
"By implementing lean you will become far more competitive in both the prices you can charge and the effectiveness of the services that you can offer, thus enabling you to win more business and grow your business further," he claimed.
Mr Buckley argued that introducing lean principles can result in improvements in customer service, productivity, quality, innovation, staff morale, lead times and stock turns, while reducing waste and therefore freeing up space in the workplace.
He said that in a time of economic uncertainty and public spending cuts, it has never been more important for companies to implement lean techniques.
"The current economic climate has made it increasingly difficult for companies to obtain credit for raw materials and grow as a company, but these conditions create an opportunity for lean thinking. Lean will reduce your internal costs and your processes will be more efficient and less wasteful."
Firms that turn to paper storage services as part of their streamlining process could find they have a healthier bottom line and become more efficient as a result.
Meanwhile, insurance group Aviva has taken the next step towards the paperless office goal by providing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets to 120 of its property risk reps, with a view to significantly boosting productivity.
Paul Heybourne, senior project manager at Aviva, told Forbes: "BlackBerry devices, their software and a support process were already well established within this particular region of the Aviva Group. This, coupled with the security aspects of the PlayBook and the ergonomics of the device, helped form the decision for it to be our tablet of choice for this pilot."