The concept of lean production in a manufacturing organization basically means to try and maximise the use of materials to achieve optimum customer value and at the same time reducing waste and ensuring the same standard of quality in the finished product. Reducing the resources means it will cheaper for the organization to create the product plus also for the customer to buy it.
With regards to a manufacturing organization ‘lean production’ is basically a list of rules, tools and techniques which improves the organization in questions manufacturing processes. The main concept of ‘lean’ in a manufacturing organization is to reduce waste which can be broken down and understood as the seven wastes:-
1. Over-production – One of the worse types of waste which is the manufacture of the product before it is actually needed. This can create excess inventory.
2. Waiting – Time between the manufacturing processes
3. Motion – Time wasted from moving people around
4. Transport – Time wasted from the movement of materials from each manufacturing stage.
5. Inventory – Having too much stock that exceeds what is needed.
6. Defects – Defected products that are unusable or needed to be fixed.
7. Over processing – Hardest type of waste to detect, over processing the product that is required for the customer.
When implementing lean into a manufacturing organization the main aim is to reduce these different types of wastes. There are a number of lean production factors that are needed to make a successful system, the main lean production tools that stood out are:-
* The 5s – Sort, set, shine,