Lean manufacturing at its best

Well if you take a look at how lean manufacturing works, the insides and outs, really does create a higher level of quality. This additional quality goes along with a reduced amount of waste. With quality, and less waste, you end up with saving money, and increasing profit, with increased customer satisfaction.

What is lean manufacturing

When a manufacturing company implements the use of lean manufacturing, they use less of everything to create the needed goods. So, they produce the same product, or a better product, with less manpower, raw materials, etc. Therefore saving money overall for the manufacturing company.

Lean manufacturing was a method of managing and working that was brought together from several different resources. Mainly being the Toyota production system.

Though it has been considered a management fad. It is widely used, and known in the manufacturing world as one of the most effective ways to complete the production of wanted and needed products.

How does lean manufacturing work?

The way lean manufacturing works, is there is a use of a process of recognizing, identifying and eliminating unnecessary waste. This is not always a fast or easy process. However, when the process is starting and implemented consistently. You find that there is a significant and often times immediate improvement.

When you have the steady elimination of waste, the result is the improvement in quality. This quality is also a major cause for the result in less production and time that would be squandered. Thus being that replacement and repairs are less, thus creating fewer overheads.

What are the tools that are used in lean manufacturing?

When you look inside the process of lean manufacturing, you find these different tools that help the process along. They are:

1. Continuous process improvement or the Kaizen
2. The 5 whys. In addition to the mistake proofing plans or the Poka Yoke.
3. Flow improvement techniques, which are called the Kanban.

These tools are what are used to result in less waste or muda. The muda is what was found to be the main cause of many manufacturing businesses failure, or at least loss of profits.

What waste are we looking at in lean management?

Well, when looking at the waste that many are happening around you, there are key areas that need to be examined. Those areas are:

What is the value added activity, and what is the non-value added work? The non-value added work is what happens when there is action that is not necessary because of the use of better processes, or better tools.

The overall flow needs to be examined to see if there are areas that can have problems and waste eliminated. The process is aimed at eliminating the waste that occurs from a flow that could be improved simply by adjusting schedules, plans or processes.

Then you will want to look at unreasonable work. This is work that can be completed in a more efficient manner, or work that is not needed at all. If there is proper organization, and tools, the over unreasonable work can be eliminated.

The key factor that makes lean manufacturing work at its best, is the consistency that is used in the management and processes. This is the most important thing that you will find, needs to occur to make it all work. Lean manufacturing is more than a concept or brand. It is a way of creating a higher level of quality production overall.