Lean Manufacturing is a production philosophy that focuses on minimizing waste while maximizing efficiency and value for the customer. It originated from the Toyota Production System (TPS) and has since been adopted by industries worldwide.
Key Principles of Lean Manufacturing:
- Identify Value: Understand what the customer values and focus on delivering it.
- Map the Value Stream: Analyze the entire production process to identify and eliminate waste.
- Create Flow: Ensure a smooth and continuous production flow without delays.
- Establish Pull: Produce only what is needed when it is needed to prevent overproduction.
- Pursue Perfection: Continuously improve processes to achieve operational excellence.
Types of Waste (Muda) in Lean:
Lean identifies 7 (or 8) types of waste:
- Overproduction: Producing more than needed.
- Waiting: Idle time due to delays.
- Transport: Unnecessary movement of materials.
- Overprocessing: Doing more work than required.
- Inventory: Excess raw materials or finished goods.
- Motion: Unnecessary movement of workers.
- Defects: Errors that require rework or scrap.
- (Optional – Unused Talent): Not utilizing employees’ skills effectively.
Common Lean Tools & Techniques:
- 5S: Organizing the workplace (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain).
- Kaizen: Continuous small improvements.
- Kanban: Visual workflow management.
- Just-in-Time (JIT): Producing only what is needed when it’s needed.
- Poka-Yoke: Error-proofing methods.
- Value Stream Mapping (VSM): Visualizing and improving the production process.