Lean

(noun)

Lean is a production strategy focused on eliminating all unnecessary waste in production.

Related Terms

Examples of Lean in the following topics:

  • Lean thinking summarized into ten concise steps

    • (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), ‘Overview: What is Lean Thinking?
    • For more information about lean thinking visit the Lean Thinking Institute at www.lean.org. updated formattingThe international arm of the Lean Thinking Institute is located at www.leanglobal.org.

  • Lean-thinking weaknesses

    • Despite much positive press, lean thinking has inherent weaknesses (both physical and behavioural) that must be prepared for.
    • Physical weaknesses include making lean changes in production when:
    • Lean-thinking methodology is seen or addressed as a tertiary or secondary issue,
    • The values of the business are not in sync with lean-thinking concepts. ( Nave, Dave, ‘How To Compare Six Sigma: Lean and the Theory of Constraints: A Framework for Choosing What's Best for Your Organization", Quality Progress)

  • The origins of lean thinking

    • Lean manufacturing goes back a long way.
    • TPS concepts and techniques have since been reintroduced back into America under the umbrella of lean thinking or lean manufacturing.
    • (Alukal, George, and Manos, Anthony, ‘How Lean Manufacturing Can Help Your Mold Shop') In service firms such as banks, restaurants, hospitals and offices, lean-thinking concepts are referred to as ‘lean enterprise'.
    • (Lean Enterprise Institute, ‘What is Lean Thinking?
    • ') It has been said that Toyota is now returning to its original lean strategies.

  • Why go lean?

    • According to James Womack and Daniel Jones, authors of the book Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, the lean process is highly supportive of human dignity and begins by reassuring employees that no jobs will be lost.

  • Ready to begin?

    • Many experienced lean thinkers suggest kick-starting the lean process via the following:
    • Find a leader who is willing to take responsibility for the lean transformation.
    • Research lean-thinking practices and inform everyone about them (i.e. initiate a training program).

  • The role of the manager

    • According to lean-thinking advocate Jim Womack, the manager's role in lean thinking is to eagerly embrace the role of problem-solver.
    • Most importantly, the lean manager realizes that no manager at a higher level can or should solve a problem at a lower level (Womack calls this one of the worst abuses of lean management).
    • The lean law of organizational life is that problems can only be solved where they exist, in conversation with the people whose actions are contributing to the problem (which requires support, encouragement and relentless pressure from the higher lean manager).
    • The lean manager also realizes that problem-solving is about experimentation by means of ‘plan–do–check' with the expectation that mistakes do happen and that experiments yield valuable learning that can be applied to the next round of experiments.
    • Lastly, the lean manager knows that no problem is solved forever.

  • Introduction to Lean Thinking

    • Lean thinking (also known as lean manufacturing) is a business philosophy that demands the total and systematic elimination of waste from every process, every department and every aspect of an organization.
    • With lean thinking, however, waste is not defined as ‘not obtaining 100% from purchases and investments'.
    • Instead, waste is defined as ‘the use or loss of any resource that does not lead directly to what it is that customers want' – and what customers want, say the advocates of lean thinking, is value.
    • The Dell Computer Company is a classic example of a company that embraces the lean-thinking concept.
    • Along with a focus on made-to-order merchandise, this allowed the company to decrease its overheads and concentrate on client-oriented matters – all of which are hallmarks of lean thinking.

  • Why does lean thinking elicit strong emotions?

    • Lean thinking contradicts a number of established production theories taught in business schools because it advocates making a shift from conventional batch and queue' production practices (i.e. the mass production of large lots of a product based on anticipated demand) to a ‘one-piece flow' system that produces products in a smooth, continuous stream based on customer demand.
    • (Environmental Protection Agency, ‘Lean Thinking and Methods', Lean Manufacturing and the Environment) This means that customer wants must first be identified before manufacturing begins.

  • Operations-Management Tools

    • Six Sigma and Lean are two popular operations-management theories that help managers improve the efficiency of their production processes.
    • In order to accomplish this task, managers utilize various tools, two of the most influential being Six Sigma and Lean.
    • Lean employs tools to evaluate production workflow and determine where there is waste.
    • In many ways, Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma is reminiscent of Henry Ford and systematic process improvements.
    • Lean and Six Sigma are the two main tools for managers in operations management.

  • Six Sigma and Lean

    • Essentially, lean is centered on preserving value with less work.
    • Lean Manufacturing is a management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (hence the term "Toyotism" is also prevalent) and identified as "Lean" only in the 1990s.
    • The espoused goals of Lean Manufacturing differ between authors.
    • The following steps should be implemented to create the ideal lean manufacturing system:
    • Explain how Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing optimize the manufacturing process