Learn about the goals and principles of Lean in this article. Lean manufacturing has a few important goals, which have led many industries to implement lean in their production processes. The goals include:
- Improving quality to stay ahead of competition in the market. This is done by capturing customer requirements and redesigning operational processes to meet those requirements.
- Eliminating waste to make processes more efficient. This is done by eliminating activities that do not add any value to the product or service.
- Reducing variabilities and inconsistencies by standardizing processes and outputs.
- And, reducing costs by ensuring that production does not exceed customer demands. By preventing overproduction, organizations can also make sure that inventory costs do not increase.
The implementation of Lean techniques in an organization is guided by a few important principles.
|
Principle |
Description |
| Value | Defining the value |
| Value stream | Identifying the value stream |
| Flow | Creating flow in the value stream |
| Pull | Creating pull in the value stream |
| Perfection | Creating a continuous improvement culture |
| Leveling | Creating a balanced workflow |
| Standardized processes | Developing standards and following them |
| Kanban | Using a visual signaling system |
| Visual control | Using visual control methods |
| Quick changeover | Enabling the reduction of time |
| Defect prevention | Reducing the cost of poor quality |
