The Lean Consortium is an association of Northeast Florida companies who study and teach the practices of efficient business operations and production. The program started in November 2003 with 17 FCMA members and expanded into a second consortium in June 2005 with 19 members.

Those joining Consortium I are Colomer USA, a Jacksonville manufacturer of beauty products, and VAC-CON, a Green Cove Spring manufacturer of truck mounted vacuum and water jet units.

Joining Consortium II are Richard L. Oreair, a Jacksonville electrical contractor, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

“More companies are recognizing the value of the lean process,” said Daniels, “which is based originally on the Toyota production model. This process is a systemic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement of production and operations. The byproducts of such a system include reduced production cycles, improved quality, improved time shipments, better utilization of space, reduced lead time, enhanced teamwork, improved productivity and a strengthened supply base.”

FCMA is a trade association serving Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. There are over 1,500 manufacturing companies on the First Coast, supplying over 45,000 jobs and generating nearly 15% of the total gross regional product. Additional media information on FCMA is available at www.fcmaweb.com.