What is LEAN Production
Lean Production
Lean Production in its proper sense is to work with three main objectives:
* We need to get to know the customer and give him what he wants (Business Link)
* We live to produce and it should be performed efficiently (Performance)
* Our staff must feel good and secure in their situation (Staff)
Customer needs is our main guide
We need to know what the customer values to shape the business properly. The assignment must be as easy to articulate that there is no problem to charge for the work we are doing. Dissatisfaction stems from unrealistic expectations which in turn are caused by insufficient communication. We call this the Business Link
Our core business is to produce - goods or services.
If the task is to screw in a screw, it is for that the customer pays and actually not that eg look for the screw, look for the screwdriver, get stuff, clean accommodation. Here we often speak about eliminating the 7 wastes. It is not the waste customer pays for and the waste must be minimized.
When the flow is working the money comes in - so it is important that the flow is not stopped
The staff are critical
If the staff is not OK - the firm is not OK. This applies in all contexts: Customer Relations, Commitment, Improvement, initiative, Vitality. That staff would be our most important resource is old phrases. The staff is the firm and the resources are machines, buildings and other things that are replaceable.
The momentum of the well-being of staff is enormous.
Lean Production comes from Japan
The true Lean philosophy comes from an Asian way of looking at man with its needs at its core.
Everyone wants to feel good and do good work. A man named Sakichi Toyoda often associated in what is now known as Lean Production, when he introduced these philosophies on a large scale in Toyota Motor Co.. Toyota is now one of the world's most successful companies and serves as a shining example of what can be achieved with Lean Production. Toyota literally sweeping the planet with all the competition on efficiency in terms of both production and development (goods and services).
In support of Lean Production is often used various types of tools or the help system to quickly identify, eliminate or maintain specific phenomenon. Examples of these are 5S, Continuous Improvements, Preventive Maintenance, Value Stream Mapping, root cause analysis, etc but there are many many more. These tools are not necessarily an Asian descent, but have a good fit to use of Lean Production.
It has been easier for us Westerners to begin to take on board and use these tools because they are usually more practical to work with than "a new way of thinking". These tools are often referred to as TQM (Total Quality Management) and TPM (Total Process Management), which is a more Western-collection methods to achieve production improvements.
Another application of tools is what goes under the term "Six Sigma" and is a more American application which, using various tools and structures identifies and enhances a specific phenomenon.
All three of these concepts (Lean, TQM / TPM, Six Sigma) have many common tools and practices, there are also some important differences. One can, however, depending on corporate culture and business of advantage, combine these systems and have very positive effects.
