Lean wastes are any activity or cost that add no value.
Waste, in Lean terms, is any activity that does not add value to the product, costs you money and resources, and earns you nothing as a business. From operating losses to missed opportunities, all seven wastes are so universal in manufacturing operations, and its causes and symptoms can more easily identify each. That’s why this series seeks to clarify each of the seven deadly wastes and helps you learn to identify and eliminate them.
Where did the idea of Lean Wastes originate?
Taiichi Ohno, the Chief Engineer at Toyota, developed the original seven wastes or MUDA the Japanese word for uselessness as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS) from 1945 to 1978. The seven wastes are Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, and Defects. They are often referred to by the acronym ‘TIMWOOD.’ The Western world added an eighth waste of non-utilized talent or ‘Skills’ of workers. As a result, the eight wastes became ‘TIMWOODS.’
In this blog series, we are digging a bit deeper into each of the Seven Wastes of Lean Manufacturing.
Continue Reading Week Two : Overproduction: Are you measuring volume or value?
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