Lean Manufacturing

LEAN is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination.

Lean is centered on preserving value with less work.  Lean manufacturing is a management philosophy derived mostly from "Toyota Production System" (TPS) in  the 1990s. TPS is renowned for its focus on reduction of original "seven wastes" to improve overall customer value, but there are varying perspectives on how this is best achieved.  One of the lean "tools" are Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Kanban and Poka Yoke.

Lean manufacturing is a variation on the theme of efficiency based on optimizing flow. Irregular production with ups and downs in production levels would be considered waste.  Some practitioners have combined 6 Sigma ideas with Lean Manufacturing to yield a methodology called Lean 6 Sigma.

6 Sigma Project follow two project methodologies inspired by Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle.
These methodologies compose of DMAIC and DMADV.

DMAIC is applied on projects focused on improving existing business process.
DMADV is applied on projects to create new product of process designs.

DMAIC method has 5 phases:

• Define the problem
• Measure Key aspects
• Analyze the data
• Improve or optimize
• Control the future state process

The core of lean is founded on the concept of continuous products and process improvement and the elimination of non-value added activities. Improving the flow of material through new ideal system layouts at the customer's required rate would reduce waste in material movement and inventory.