Lean Thinking
Lean Thinking
2. Waiting
Includes people waiting on material & equipment & idle
equipment.
Caused due to unevenness in the production stations &
can result in overproduction & excess inventory.
3. Transportation
Waste in transportation includes movement of people,
tools, inventory, equipment or products further than
necessary.
4. Inventory
Having more inventory can lead to product defects,
damaged material, greater lead time in production
process inefficient allocation of capital etc.
Caused by – over-purchasing & over-producing.
5. Motion
Waste in motion includes any unnecessary movement
of people, equipment or machinery which includes
walking, lifting, reaching, bending & stretching.
6. Over-processing
Includes doing more work, adding more components or having
more steps in a product or a service than what is required.
7. Defects
When the product is not fit for use.
Results in either reworking or scrapping the product.
II. MURA (unevenness)
Muri is to Overburden your employees or machines, it can also Examples of Muri are:
be seen as “unreasonableness”. It is placing operators and Working on processes you are not trained in
Poorly laid out work places
machines under unnecessary stress by making demands on them Unclear instructions
that are unreasonable and often very unnecessary Lack of proper tools and equipment
Fluctuating demand (Mura)
Lack of proper maintenance / unreliable equipment
Unreliable processes
Poor communication routes
TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM – 14 PRINCIPLES
Toyota has based its efficient and effective production system on 14 management principles as described in ‘The Toyota Way’ book by Jeffrey K
Liker.
4. Heijunka
Consistency is more important than meeting demands. You have to maintain a pace that does not over exert the company. If there is a great
demand, your customers simply have to wait. Don’t think of the clients who turn away as lost business, it’s simply good practice not to overtax your
machines and your people.
6. Standardize tasks.
Standard worksheets leave little room for defects and are a perfect guide for a person right there in the production line.
7. Use visual control
Visual cues like cards and sign in the factories are the easiest ways for people to read signals. Always go with what’s easy and familiar to your
workers.