The Lean Process for Greater Productivity

What is Lean? Lean within this sense refers to Lean Manufacturing, Lean Production or Lean Thinking.

Its roots in numerous fields so it is more accurate to describe Lean as an organic evolution of continuous enhancement and quality initiatives, as opposed to a radical new approach. It brings together the best components of earlier initiatives into a structured process which becomes a way of doing business.

Even though its roots can be traced back further, Lean really emerged when American quality experts like Deming and Juran travelled to Japan to share their theories. For the Japanese, whose economy was suffering from the second world war, it became central to their personal beliefs plus their business lives, to not waste resources on something that didnt add value for the customer. This continuous improvement is the viewpoint called Kaizen, which has become popular within the Lean Process that people know of today. This page tries to answer the most popular question “What is Lean?” and also, what makes the Lean Method different from any other manufacturing processes.

What is Lean?

Every company should strive for a process that makes them productive and efficient. This process should enable individuals to be more efficient whilst still producing products that meet quality standards. This should also be affordable and not require more manpower or significant capital investment on the part of the company.

Lean processing is a method exactly where one uses the least amount of time, money and energy to be the best. This is achieved by removing all of the waste in a process, such as waiting for parts, excessive transportation or repairing defects. A common description you will listen to is to “Work smarter, not harder” which is really evident in the lean procedure. To be the best in what you do, you need to make sure that you are not wasting any kind of resources so that you can control costs and keep the customer happy. Since lean is a method that focuses on efficiency without adding undue stress towards the workforce. It also has a strong focus on teamwork, engagement and safety which encourages a positive working atmosphere. Other benefits of the lean process tend to be low defect rates within production, improved customer loyalty, better delivery performance and elevated profit margins.

Lean principles have been applied by a number of companies, especially in the automotive industry. They model guidelines from benchmark companies like Toyota. Lean is now getting more focus in service based organisations and also the healthcare sector.

The actual Lean System Compared to Other Manufacturing Processes

Lean Six Sigma

It has become more common to see the terms Lean and Six Sigma merged in to Lean Six Sigma. So, what is lean? What is six sigma? What may be the difference? The answer is that the former deals with resources and elimination of waste in a process, while the latter looks into ways to reduce statistical variation in a procedure. Six sigma aims to reduce the amount of defects on a product, while Lean is designed to make the right number in the right time as efficiently as possible.

Another comparison is that the Lean technique tends to focus on rapid implementation, with analysis later. Six sigma on the other hand can be seen as more long winded along with data collection and analysis before action. The lean process would be to Plan, Do, then Check and Act (PDCA), whereas the actual six sigma process is to Define, Calculate, Analyse, then Improve, before Control (DMAIC). Fundamentally though, Lean Six Sigma is all about reaching the goal of improved productivity.

Theory of Constraints

The idea of Constraints looks into the actual weakest link perspective – one missed or faulty link can bring the entire system lower. It is a concept that looks at the small things in production.

However, the Lean method is a concept that looks into the macro perspective. In lean it is common to start by mapping the process at a high level to identify the areas from the business that need focus.

Overview

As far as the “What is Lean?” query goes, it is a concept which becomes less of a tool or strategic directive, and more of a way of thinking. Companies are benefiting from this Japanese ideology of being effective and putting nothing to waste materials. It has a proven record associated with helping companies improve their outcomes.

theory of constraints

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