Lean

lean-manufacturing

What is it?

Lean is a Continuous Improvement Process, which focuses on the elimination of all forms of waste by following several simple steps: –

  • Establishing what customers value
  • Identifying the value streams in a business
  • Mapping the value streams
  • Establishing how to make value flow
    • At the pull rate of real demand
  • Whilst striving for perfection

What is waste?

Waste can be grouped into 8 major categories, each of which requires the adoption of appropriate best practices to reduce or eliminate them.

  • Overproduction
  • Waiting
  • Material handling and transportation
  • Unnecessary processing
  • Motion
  • Unnecessary inventory
  • Rework
  • Lost human creativity

What are the Best Practices we need to improve?

5S, Pull Systems, Standard Work, Leading and Managing Change, Teamwork, Visual Measures, Problem Solving, Fail Safe Devices (Poka-Yoke), Layout etc.

Recommended Exercise

Why not conduct a “waste hunt” in your organisation by sitting down with a cross functional group of people and documenting examples of the above types of waste. You may be very surprised by the amount of waste that surrounds us each and every day.

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