MENU
05 August 2024
Lean Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Guide

Lean manufacturing is a widely used term in businesses. But what exactly does lean manufacturing mean? And what is the concept behind lean manufacturing? Are there principles and ways to implement it? Find the answers by continuing to read the article below!

What is Lean Manufacturing? Simply put, lean manufacturing is an effort to minimize waste during the manufacturing process. In addition to reducing waste, lean manufacturing also aims to create a more responsive and efficient production process, thereby improving product quality. This concept was first implemented in the 1940s, under the name Toyota Production System (TPS). In this effort, there are 7 types of waste that need to be avoided, including:

  • Excess inventory
  • Unnecessary movement by employees or machines
  • Overproduction
  • Excessive or erroneous processing
  • Transportation or inefficient distance
  • Long waiting times for both machines and humans
  • Defective products

5 Principles of Lean Manufacturing The principles of lean manufacturing are an important foundation for understanding what lean manufacturing is. These principles can provide an understanding of how to optimize production efficiency and reduce waste. For a clearer explanation, please see the following explanation!

  1. Identifying Value Value here must be viewed from the customer's perspective. So, you have to identify the value of your product from the customer's side so you can determine which aspects you can reduce or add to your product. By doing so, you can create a product that is right on target with customer wants without using excessive resources.
  2. Mapping the Value Stream After that, you can map out which aspects to build that value. Here, you need to list the entire flow of materials, information, and value in the production process. This mapping will help you identify the improvements you need.
  3. Creating Flow In this principle, you need to create a smooth production flow, including eliminating potential obstacles in the flow. In this way, this workflow can reduce waiting time, overproduction, or unnecessary back-and-forth processes.
  4. Building a Pull System A pull system is production work based on customer demand. Which means you need to avoid production based on estimates or possibilities because it will create overproduction.
  5. Process Improvement (Kaizen) Lastly, you can improve or improve the production process that you have been running. So, you can improve the production flow so that it can be more efficient.

6 Lean Manufacturing Tools and Methods Lean manufacturing has several types of methods. The following is an explanation.

  1. Value Stream Mapping Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a method for visualizing and analyzing the value of each step in the production process.
  2. Kaizen Kaizen is a process of continuous improvement or improvement. This method involves many aspects of the company, such as encouraging employees, identifying problems, to implementing solutions efficiently.
  3. Kanban Kanban is a workflow management method that focuses on optimizing the performance of teams, employees, and organizations.
  4. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a simple method that facilitates your performance in four stages. You need to plan your actions, then do the plan. After that, you check your work, and you respond to it with concrete action.
  5. 5S Methods The 5S method is a method for keeping the workplace organized so that productivity remains optimal. 5S consists of sorting (sort/seiri), setting in order (set in order/seiton), shining (shine/seiso), standardizing (standardize/seiketsu), and sustaining (sustain/shitsuke).
  6. Heijunka Heijunka is a method where the production process is carried out based on demand rather than supplying excess products.

3 Tips for Implementing Lean Manufacturing After understanding what lean manufacturing means, there are also smart tips so you can implement it better. Here are the tips.

  1. Design a Simple Manufacturing System First, map or map the entire value in the workflow. Then, you can design a system with that mapping. Make the system simple so you can monitor business performance well.
  2. Design Options for Improvement After that, you can apply various methods to optimize your company's production. You can start by creating a manufacturing system based on demand to implementing the 5S method.
  3. Get Staff Support The success of lean manufacturing also depends on the support of other staff. Therefore, you need to encourage them to apply similar discipline and principles.

Do You Know What Lean Manufacturing Means? Optimizing production efficiently and effectively is the essence of what lean manufacturing means. By focusing on reducing waste, this effort can help your company achieve better performance. As an effort of lean manufacturing in the company, you can utilize waste oil as a suitable fuel supply. If you are looking for a product recommendation, Verdeen Conversion is the answer to this problem. Verdeen Conversion is an innovation that can convert waste oil into fuel oil. That way, you can reduce waste oil that can pollute the environment. Moreover, this product is made from bio-natural materials, so it is guaranteed to be environmentally friendly with high performance. In addition, this product can improve engine performance, so it can extend the life of industrial machinery. This innovation from Verdeen is guaranteed to help you in optimizing a good workflow. Visit the official website to subscribe to products or find information about other products!

Get Started
If you are a customer and are looking for immediate help, support or consultation, please use the form to get in touch with our expert.

Related News