What is the meaning of lean manufacturing?
The simple definition of lean, according to the Lean Enterprise Institute, is “creating more value for customers with less resources.” Two points are key: Value is defined by customers, not the company. Anything that doesn’t add to this value is waste.Mind-setFrom the shop floor to upper management, members of lean organizations believe that every activity must create customer value or be eliminated.WasteOne of the hallmarks of lean manufacturing is its expanded definition of waste, to include: Production of items for which there are no orders Excess inventory of raw materials or components Unnecessary movement of materials and products Extra steps or motions required by employees because of the arrangement of the shop floor or structure of machines Under-utilization of employee skills and talentsToolsValue stream mapping documents the flow of materials and information required to get a product to a customer, distinguishing between value-added and non-value streams. Kaizen (Japanese fo
