IDENTFYING SEVEN WASTES IN LEAN PRODUCTION
1. Waiting. Time spent waiting on something, or someone, to complete a task.
Lean tool: Design processes so that flow is continuous, and there are minimal (or no) buffers between steps in production.
2. Motion. Any unnecessary movement of people that does not add value to the product or service.
Lean tool: Ensure that work areas are logically organized, e.g., rather than having a worker walk 20 feet to pick up spare parts every half-hour, minimize the distance to 5 feet to significantly reduce excess motion.
3. Overprocessing. Using more energy or activity than is needed to produce a product.
Lean tool: Look for potential simplifications to the manufacturing process, e.g., instead of completing 100-percent inspections on parts that never fail, reduce the number of parts inspected to greatly reduce processing time.
4. Inventories and queues. Excess product waiting to be processed.
Lean tool: Excess or just-in-case inventory can result in lost money and resources caused by storage. Aiming for just-in-time inventory reduces downtime associated with inventory problems.
5. Transportation. Unnecessary movement to get goods from one process to the next.
Lean tool: The transportation of goods or material can be risky. Damages or delays incurred while goods are in transit uses up resources. Effective planning can ensure that excess wastes in terms of moving do not occur.
6. Overproduction. Making more parts or information than is required.
Lean tool: Pacing material flow through production to match customer demand can help to minimize overproduction, and is more cost-efficient in the long run.
7. Fixing defects and mistakes. Time spent repairing or reworking material or information.
Lean tool: The cost of fixing defects or mistakes is often cheaper the sooner they are found.
Lean tool: Design processes so that flow is continuous, and there are minimal (or no) buffers between steps in production.
2. Motion. Any unnecessary movement of people that does not add value to the product or service.
Lean tool: Ensure that work areas are logically organized, e.g., rather than having a worker walk 20 feet to pick up spare parts every half-hour, minimize the distance to 5 feet to significantly reduce excess motion.
3. Overprocessing. Using more energy or activity than is needed to produce a product.
Lean tool: Look for potential simplifications to the manufacturing process, e.g., instead of completing 100-percent inspections on parts that never fail, reduce the number of parts inspected to greatly reduce processing time.
4. Inventories and queues. Excess product waiting to be processed.
Lean tool: Excess or just-in-case inventory can result in lost money and resources caused by storage. Aiming for just-in-time inventory reduces downtime associated with inventory problems.
5. Transportation. Unnecessary movement to get goods from one process to the next.
Lean tool: The transportation of goods or material can be risky. Damages or delays incurred while goods are in transit uses up resources. Effective planning can ensure that excess wastes in terms of moving do not occur.
6. Overproduction. Making more parts or information than is required.
Lean tool: Pacing material flow through production to match customer demand can help to minimize overproduction, and is more cost-efficient in the long run.
7. Fixing defects and mistakes. Time spent repairing or reworking material or information.
Lean tool: The cost of fixing defects or mistakes is often cheaper the sooner they are found.
