Lean method is a corporate philosophy that emphasises standardisation and simplicity of processes, as well as the elimination of waste in all forms during continuous improvement. Lean practises may help firms improve operational efficiency and customer responsiveness, which can lead to increased revenues.Lean manufacturing’s main concept is straightforward: work tirelessly to eliminate waste from the production process. Another approach to thinking of lean manufacturing is as a set of tools, processes, and concepts that have been shown to reduce waste in the manufacturing process. Lean practises may save tens of thousands of dollars. In addition to saving money and time, lean practices can free up resources to pursue other possibilities, such as new goods or services.
“Waste” is usually described in Lean manufacturing as any action that does not bring value to the customer. Waste is defined as any needless step in a production process that does not benefit the consumer and so is not worth paying for. The goal of lean manufacturing is to eliminate waste from the production process. When waste is removed, all that remains are the processes necessary to provide a satisfactory, now high-valued product to the consumer. Even though they didn’t call it that, Henry Ford and his crew at Ford Motor Company developed Lean along with the assembly line.
The Toyota Production System (TPS), or the original seven wastes: transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, extra-processing, and defects, was created by Dr. Taiichi Ohno and Toyota to improve and promote Lean. After TPS was embraced in the Western World in the 1990s, the 8th waste of underutilized talent was added.
The Five Lean Principles are a tried-and-true way for incorporating lean into your production process. These guidelines are useful because they assist you in achieving the following goals:
- Examine your process through the eyes of your consumer and determine what they value.
- Separate the phases and activities in the process that provide value from those that waste time and money.
- Eliminate bottlenecks and delays by streamlining the process.
- Adapt swiftly to changes in client demand by aligning with it.
- Encourage an internal culture of excellence and constant progress.
The final result will be improved customer value, decreased waste, enhanced productivity, a competitive edge, and, eventually, higher profitability.
Exploring 8 Wastes of Lean
- Transportation
Unwanted product movement throughout the manufacturing process is referred to as transportation. It occurs as a result of an unplanned arrangement, and products are moved from one workstation to another without need.
- Inventory
Overproduction of a semi-completed product that has to be finished. Sometimes the consumer does not get the order or the order is canceled. As a result, this sort of product is stored and referred to as waste. The advantage of inventory is that vendors will occasionally provide discounts on large purchases. Manpower and store costs are also involved in maintaining huge inventories, and there is a risk of product damage.
- Motion
Workers are transferring from one workstation to another without need, lengthening the manufacturing lead time. This form of unwelcome movement is regarded as waste. Waste in motion is created by excessive movement of employees, vehicles, or machines. This includes running, lifting, reaching, bending, stretching, and moving. Repetitive motion activities should be reduced in order to enhance labour conditions and health and safety requirements.
- Waiting
These are stretches of time when there is no value added to the product, such as when there is a time delay or when the product is idle. It is a waste of resources and demoralises personnel to have machines, men, and material wait. The operator is waiting for his turn and does not receive material on time, which is a waste of time. 2) Due to an unbalanced line, machines remain idle.
- Over-production
Production is outnumbering consumption. Market demand is lower than consumption, but companies are producing more to lower production costs. In this situation, inventory costs are rising, and money is becoming scarce. As a result, it is regarded as a waste. Overproduction refers to the production of extra items using a ‘push creation process.’ Overproduction has three countermeasures. To begin with, using ‘Takt Time’ ensures that the output pace among workstations remains constant. Second, cutting down on idle time such as loading and unloading, as well as setup periods. Third, use a pull or ‘Kanban’ approach to decrease WIP.
- Over-processing
Over-processing lengthens machining time, increases material handling time, and adds extra stages to the process. The cost of the product has increased as a result of overprocessing, which the consumer will bear. Consider standard task criteria for manufacturing to reduce overprocessing on items. Prior to beginning work, always consider the client and generate product quantities in accordance with their needs, while attempting to avoid needless operations and making numbers whenever possible.
- Defects
The product is not made according to the customer’s specifications and tolerances. Those goods are deemed garbage after passing quality inspection. When a product or substance is not appropriate for usage, it will reject it. Money will be lost as a result of the defective product/material, and the defective portion will not be reused.
- Non-utilized talent
This waste occurs when people’s knowledge, skill, and skills are not completely used. People must be involved in the process so that they may detect problems and suggest ways to improve it.
Lean thinking aims to eliminate any processes in the manufacturing or value chain that waste time, energy, or product, allowing the consumer to get high-quality items when needed. “As needed” suggests that there will be no overproduction, but rather that the correct amount of items will be produced and supplied to the client as demanded, eliminating waste. You might say that when lean principles are correctly implemented, we can accomplish more with less.
When we think about applying lean thinking to any form of activity, we constantly bring up the concept of waste. The other is physical waste, or garbage in the traditional sense.
Conclusion
Many Indian SMEs are facing intense competition from multinational counterparts in the domestic as well as global markets due to the volatile and complicated business conditions. Because resource-based competitive advantages are no longer adequate in a modern environment, the notion of lean has gained traction. As a result, if engineering industries in any region of the world are to compete successfully, lean is no longer a choice, but rather a need.
Lean Manufacturing (LM) creates a new opportunity for industry employees to produce and maintain higher value based on their core business strengths. Capturing, collecting, and disseminating information throughout the whole business unit is a big duty for senior management.
Any industry’s performance is determined by how well it manages its resources and puts them to use. The implementation of lean manufacturing through successful lean methods is based on industry interpretations of past experiences and current data. Lean manufacturing obstacles are real and intangible impediments that exist in the industry in the form of non-value-adding activities that obstruct the seamless adoption of lean (LMBs).
