Which business practice of the 1990s changed U.S. production?

Outsourcing, which is the practice of using cheap foreign labor instead of expensive domestic workers, has been around for a long time (though the word itself dates only to 1981), but it really took off in the 1990s, when Wall Street Journal business writer Peter Drucker began touting the practice as the wave of the future in 1989, and when Bill Clinton was asked how he planned to end the practice during a campaign stop in 1996, he replied that he couldn't.

To be fair, this article is being written by me from South Korea, so it is somewhat outsourced.

One significant business practice of the 1990s that changed U.S. production was the widespread adoption of lean manufacturing principles. This approach, often associated with Japanese companies like Toyota, focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency in production processes. By implementing lean manufacturing techniques such as just-in-time inventory management, continuous improvement, and empowering frontline workers to identify and solve problems, many U.S. companies were able to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and improve productivity during the 1990s. This shift towards lean manufacturing had a profound impact on U.S. production methods and contributed to the competitiveness of American businesses in the global marketplace.