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Glossary Tag

Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing focuses on reducing times within the production system and shortening response times from suppliers and to customers. It is closely related to another concept called Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT manufacturing in short). Just-in-time manufacturing tries to match production to demand by only supplying goods which have been ordered and focuses on efficiency, productivity (with a commitment to continuous improvement) and reduction of “wastes” for the producer and supplier of goods. This production method adopts the just-in-time approach and additionally focuses on reducing cycle, flow and throughput times by further eliminating activities which do not add any value for the customer.[1]Lean manufacturing also involves people who work outside of the manufacturing process, such as in marketing and customer service.

This production method  is particularly related to the operational model implemented in the post-war 1950s and 1960s by the Japanese automobile company Toyota called “The Toyota Way” or the Toyota Production System (TPS).[2][3] Toyota built its system on two key pillars: just-in-time inventory management and automated quality control. Toyota engineer Shigeo Shingo identified seven wastes, or “muda” in Japanese: excess inventory of raw materials and finished goods, overproduction (making more than needed), over-processing (doing more than the customer expects), unnecessary transportation (moving people or goods unnecessarily), inefficient motion (automating before improving methods), waiting (idle time due to job queues), and producing defective products (reworking avoidable defects in products and processes).[4]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing

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