What is Lean Manufacturing/Lean Production?
[Back to FAQ’s] Lean techniques are, in their most basic form, the systematic identification and elimination of waste (80%), and the implementation of the concepts of continuous flow and customer pull. The touted benefits of lean production systems are 50% lower production costs, 50% less personnel, 50% less time to field new products, higher quality, higher profitability, higher system flexibility, and more… However, by continually focusing on waste reduction, there are truly no end to the benefits that can be achieved. Generally, 5 areas drive lean manufacturing/production: cost, quality, delivery, safety, and morale. Just as mass production is recognized as the production system of the 20th century, lean production is viewed as the production system of the 21st century.
