Our
lean guide - learn all about lean
manufacturing, and just in time - we have listed all of our
articles here for easy navigation
This page is designed to help you find questions to some of the most common questions about lean manufacturing - also known as just in time manufacturing.
A condensed history of
lean manufacturing
Japanese manufacturers re-building after the
World War 2 had a difficult time. for one, they
had a limited amount of people, a limited amount
of raw material and money. These problems, born
out of necessity led to the development of lean
manufacturing practices.
Defining lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing is defined as "a systematic
approach to identifying and eliminating waste.
The goal of lean
manufacturing
Lean targets non-value-added activities. These
are the same activities that contribute to poor
product quality
Terms
associated with lean manufacturing
a brief glossary of other terms and concepts
that are associated with lean manufacturing
The
Business Process Management Guide
When we are speaking of business process
management we are discussing such techniques and
processes as business optimization, lean
enterprise and business process improvements,
Six Sigma, quality, cost cutting TQM, business
reengineering, and others.
Quality Through Lean Manufacturing
Many people believe that quality products are
expensive. Most are even willing to pay more for
a product known to be of a higher quality, which
is almost always seen as a wise move.
The 5 Ss needed
to create a lean manufacturing unit
An overview of the 5 Ss a companies needs to
create a lean manufacturing unit
Five components in lean manufacturing
An overview of the five components in lean
manufacturing
The benefits of lean
manufacturing
The benefits of the 5 componenets of lean
manufacturing but to implement the Toyota
Production System or any other lean
manufacturing system required total commitment
from all employees.
The Toyota Production system is identified as an
integrated system
There are also essential tools that will help
make the system work effectively, such as
just-in-time, small lot delivery, 5 S, quality
in the process
The
reasons that are most common for lean
manufacturing efforts to fail
The reasons that are most common for lean
manufacturing efforts to fail are
Example of lean manufacturing working
-
the lean excellence award
The company accomplished the following through
their lean manufacturing efforts:
Met customer shipping requirements while
reducing cycle time and WIP over 50 percent.
Another example of lean working, Ramped up a
production line with new workers
Every plant in the corporation has had ongoing
examinations by teams to be sure that they are
still using the most efficient processes
possible
Toyota has realized
significant benefits from their programs
One of the most important benefits they publish
is the improved quality of their product
Accounting with lean manufacturing
A lack of lean management accounting, control
and measurement will, inevitably, lead to the
failure of the lean enterprise
Achieving a "Lean" Office
While the concept of running a lean organization
has its roots in the manufacturing sector, its
influence was bound to spread throughout many
different types of organizations and industries.
Setting Zero Waste Goals
One example of a goal from lean thinking is zero
waste or zero defects. Once these goals are
determined, processes are created and
implemented to help employees reach them.
Controlling Inventory Creates More Efficient
Company
One measure of the overall efficiency of an
organization is its inventory turns. Inventory
turns are made up by adding together the
inventory needed for the three main cycles:
supply cycle, manufacturing cycle, and sales
cycle.
What
is Manufacturing Waste?
Waste is a big part of any discussion of lean
manufacturing. Often waste will be referred to
as the seven or eight manufacturing wastes.
Quality Control Through
Six Sigma
Many people see Six Sigma as the most powerful
quality management system or tool to be
introduced.
Utilizing Six Sigma in Lean Manufacturing
Concepts
The key to Six Sigma is principles which aim at
continuous improvement. When used in a
manufacturing environment it can help a company
to reduce errors and almost eliminate defective
products from their production lines.
Six
Sigma Tools Used in Lean Manufacturing
Your business could see many tangible benefits
from a lean transformation designed so that
operations can drive the overall business
strategy.
Lean Thinking - Finding Waste and Reducing Costs
Any industry is able to apply the key concepts
of lean thinking which we will describe in this
article.
Ease Into Lean Management
for Smooth Transition
With the push in today’s business environment
for constant change and improvement it makes
sense to improve the process of change itself.
How to Successfully Implement Lean Manufacturing
in Your Company
Lack of people skills, especially among top
company managers, is one of the leading reasons
that lean implementation programs fail.
BPI and BPM Keys to
Success
Business Process Management (BPM) and Business
Process Improvement (BPI) both have principles
that are known to most.