According to Wikipedia, “lean is centered around creating more value with less work.” Lean manufacturing is basically creating a more streamlined process where we learn from our mistakes and reduce waste – whether physical waste or wasted time. It uses both innovation and problem solving to produce better results. The concept of “lean principles” comes from the Japanese manufacturing industry.
There are many different areas that lean manufacturing principles can be applied. They are all effective when applied to your business correctly. Some of the easiest lean manufacturing principles to implement are as follows.
Waste elimination allows you to continually keep a lookout on ways that you can reduce waste. For example, to eliminate wasted products, take the time to examine the products at various stages in the manufacturing process. This way, defects can be detected before reaching the final stages of production.
Organization of the work area can definitely be of great benefit in the lean manufacturing process. This helps prevent wasted time and makes things much easier to find. The 5S Program focuses on workplace organization.
Map your processes – write down every step involved in a process. Are all of the steps necessary? Can any of them be combined or modified to be more efficient?
So how can you implement lean manufacturing principles into your own manufacturing plant?
There is no set method that is guaranteed to work in every situation. The best way to start, however, is to take a really good look at how things currently happen at your business. Analyze what the problems may be, and how you can best solve these problems. Look at challenges and opportunities. Take a look at what can be easily eliminated, or modified to work better. These will determine what processes you should use to implement the changes that need to be made. Some possible programs include the 5S Program and Kaizen.