Definition: Lean manufacturing is a production process that aims to identify and steadily remove any kind of waste. This term is largely associated to processes implemented by large manufacturing plants looking for cost and time reduction without sacrificing quality.What...
One of the main principles of the lean manufacturing methodology is to create customer value through the efficient manufacturing of products and services. The first step in the lean production process is to identify what product features are important for customers and which aren’t so you can foc...
Lean manufacturing, also known aslean production, orlean, is a practice that organizations from numerous fields can put into action. Some well-known companies that use lean include Toyota, Intel, John Deere and Nike. The approach is based on the Toyota Production System and is still used by t...
It can also be difficult to know which aspects of your organization could most benefit from a lean approach. For example, while leadership may think the shipping and handling department is responsible for fulfillment delays, they may fail to realize it’s actually a problem with excess processing...
What is Lean Manufacturing ?Blakemore, John
If you’ve been in the manufacturing industry for any significant length of time, you may have come across the term “lean manufacturing.” Many companies are now utilizing lean manufacturing practices to improve their output and generate higher profits. But what exactly is lean manufacturing? If...
Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means “mistake-proofing” or “fail-safing”. It is a preventative measure that is put in place to avoid errors from happening in the first place. For example, a poka-yoke could be a simple device that is used to ensure that a part is installed corr...
A simple example of pokayoke is a socket that will not accept a plug in the wrong orientation. Beyond Division of Labor From the beginnings of human civilization up until the birth of lean manufacturing, there has been a consistent trend toward the division of labor and increasing specialization...
Analyzing inefficiencies and taking steps to eliminate them at the organizational level is the first step toward becoming leaner. Lean actions can be focused on specific logistical processes, or cover the entire supply chain. For example, an analysis of a SKU would look like this: First the path...
Learn what agile manufacturing is, the key elements of an agile system, and how it relates to lean manufacturing.