LEAN Wastes (7/8/9 Wastes)
In the LEAN manufacturing philosophy, waste is defined as any activity that does not add value to a product or service from the customer’s perspective. The 8 LEAN wastes are:
- Overproduction: producing more than what is needed or can be sold
- Waiting: delays in the production process, such as waiting for materials or for equipment to be repaired
- Transporting: unnecessary movement of materials or products
- Over Processing: doing more work than is necessary to meet customer requirements
- Inventory: excess or unnecessary inventory that takes up space and ties up capital
- Motion: unnecessary movement by employees that does not add value, such as reaching for tools or materials
- Defects: errors or mistakes that require rework or scrap
- Underutilized talent: not fully utilizing the skills and knowledge of employees
The goal of LEAN is to eliminate or minimize these wastes in order to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality. This is typically achieved through the continuous improvement of processes and the identification and elimination of non-value-added activities.
Lean Production System:
- Inventory
- Space
- Waiting
- Over Processing
- Rework
- Excessive Motion
- Over Production
- Unused Creativity
- Transport
Acronyms:
DOWNTIME:
- Defects
- Over Production
- Wait Time
- Non-Utilisation of Talent
- Transport
- Inventory
- Motion
- Extra Processing
TIMWOOD:
- Transportation
- Inventory
- Motion
- Waiting
- Over Production
- Over Processing
- Defects
What are examples of LEAN wastes?
Some examples of LEAN wastes in a manufacturing setting include:
- Overproduction: producing more than what is needed or can be sold
- Waiting: delays in the production process, such as waiting for materials or for equipment to be repaired
- Transporting: unnecessary movement of materials or products
- Overprocessing: doing more work than is necessary to meet customer requirements
- Inventory: excess or unnecessary inventory that takes up space and ties up capital
- Motion: unnecessary movement by employees that does not add value, such as reaching for tools or materials
- Defects: errors or mistakes that require rework or scrap
- Underutilized talent: not fully utilizing the skills and knowledge of employees
In a service setting, examples of LEAN wastes might include:
- Unnecessary paperwork or administrative tasks
- Long wait times for customers
- Unnecessary steps in processes
- Lack of standardization
- Unclear communication or lack of information sharing
- Disorganized or cluttered workspaces
- Inefficient use of technology
- Unclear roles and responsibilities, leading to duplication of effort or confusion
By identifying and addressing these types of waste, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction.