ABS and ABS specialities producer Elix Polymers (Tarragona / Spain; www.elix-polymers.com) is working closely with the Institute of Lean Management (Barcelona / Spain; www.institutolean.org) to focus on reducing product lead times and improving their customers’ buying experience.

The first result of this collaboration is an order-to-dispatch time of 28 days for Elix’s made-to-order products and a commitment to have the best lead time in the industry for its made-to-stock products by the end of the second quarter of 2013. The company will also launch an eCommerce Portal for customers in the second quarter.

Elix Polymers CEO, Wolfgang Doering, said: “We intend to use this collaboration to incorporate lean in our production processes as well as launch new initiatives driven by our customers, enabling them to benefit from a reduction in working capital and improving our service to the market.”