The Implementation of the Concept of Lean in the Process of Supply Chain Management

On the basis of a thorough analysis of the subject literature combined with empirical research, the article shows that contemporary Lean-based supply management is not only a matter of cutting costs or improving lead times. In business practice, the efficiency of Lean transformation against the whole supply chain, to a greater extent, depends on the quality of relationships with suppliers, which must, above all, be based on a mutually beneficial collaboration. In order to improve the flows between the manufacturer and his supplier, and to observe the principle of the Lean Concept, entities use a series of support tools and methods. In large companies, which are active on the global B2B market, it is an increasingly more common practice to develop the so-called Lean Matrix, which is a basis for Lean audit at the supplier’s. It is also a good practice to develop Lean supplier development programmes in order to support continuous and sustainable development, in accordance with the principles of the Lean Concept.