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What is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing is a philosophy that focuses on reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining quality. It was first developed in the 1970s by Toyota, and it has since become a popular approach to manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing is based on the idea that there are three key steps to successful manufacturing: product selection, planning and control, and production.

How does Lean Manufacturing help reduce manufacturing costs?

Lean Manufacturing helps reduce manufacturing costs by focusing on the three key steps to successful Manufacturing: product selection, planning and control. By choosing products that are high quality and easy to produce, it can reduce the amount of waste that needs to be created. Additionally, you can use lean management techniques to help keep production process organized and efficient. All of these can be best managed by using a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to keep track of material movements and process effectiveness.

The five lean manufacturing principles

Lean Manufacturing has five principles that help achieve cost reduction and quality improvement. These principles are:

  1. Product selection: Select the best product for the job and minimize waste.
  2. Planning and control: Arrange work for maximum efficiency and accuracy.
  3. Production: Control the production process to deliver on time and high quality.
  4. In-house training: provide employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to produce high-quality products.
  5. Stakeholders: Make sure all stakeholders are satisfied with the manufacturing process results.

How can Lean Manufacturing help maintain quality?

One of the most important ways Lean Manufacturing helps maintain quality is by ensuring that each step in the manufacturing process is completed according to plan. This allows for consistent quality and consistency in the finished product. By following a project plan, the firm can ensure that each step in the manufacturing process is completed promptly without causing major problems. These plans can be built and managed electronically using MES systems.

Mistakes of lean Manufacturing

There are a few common mistakes that are made in trying to employ lean manufacturing principles. The first is product selection. When a company begins lean, they may select the wrong products to reduce costs and improve quality on. This often leads to waste. Many companies choose products without understanding whether their investment will positively impact their bottom line. This can lead to wasted resources without much return on investment.

The second mistake is in planning and control. When companies begin Lean Manufacturing, they often don't have enough information about their current production process. This can lead to chaos and ineffective production planning. It's important to understand the entire process before instituting new processes. This means having a clear understanding of what needs to be done, who should be doing it, and when it should happen. It also means setting boundaries for when production should be scheduled.

Finally, companies need to ensure that their workforce is ready to meet the necessary standards of the new Lean process. The firm will likely suffer from sloppy production or bad customer service if the workforce aren't ready to perform in the manner required.
A third mistake is not locating and fixing inefficient or low-quality operations. When companies can’t identify the early signs of quality problems, they can end up with products that are faulty or unsuitable for customers.

The 5 Worst Wastes of Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing is a process of improving efficiency and quality by reducing waste. Unfortunately, many Lean manufacturing practices can lead to destruction if not managed properly. Here are five of the worst wastes of lean manufacturing:
1. Unnecessary Design Changes:
When designers change an existing product, they may not consider how it will impact the final product. For example, if a company decides to add a new product to its line, it may have to redesign the entire packaging or design system to ensure that the product is safe and effective. This can result in significant cost overruns and increased production time.
2. Overproduction:
If there's too much of a good thing, it's often studio Production Syndrome (OSP) when companies overproduce their products. This is when companies produce more units than they need to meet customer demand or meet Specs & Prices (SP). OSP can also lead to customer dissatisfaction and a decrease

The Problem with Overproduction
When it comes to Lean Manufacturing, overproduction can be a real problem. It can lead to higher costs and increased production time, which can, in turn, cause the company to miss their target market or even fail to meet its goals. Additionally, overproduction can lead to product quality issues. For example, if there's too much of a good thing, it will often be Studio Production Syndrome (OSP) when companies overproduce their products. This is when companies produce more units than they need to meet customer demand or meet Specs & Prices (SP). OSP can also lead to customer dissatisfaction and a decrease in sales.

How To Reduce Overproduction

One way to reduce overproduction is to understand your customer's needs better. By understanding how your products appeal to your customers, you can produce the necessary units at a lower cost. You can also use production planning and forecasting to ensure that you have the resources required to meet customer demand.

3. Excess inventory
To avoid excessive inventory, it's important to understand the SP and its relation to the product. If you can find a way to meet or exceed the SP, then you'll be able to reduce your waste. However, this doesn't always happen in Lean manufacturing practices. Sometimes companies overproduce and end up with too much inventory that they can't sell or use to satisfy customer demands. This can lead to a loss of revenue and wasted opportunity.

4. Ineffective Use of Materials
When designers change an existing product, they may not consider how it will impact the final product. For example, if a company decides to add a new product to its line, it may have to redesign the entire packaging or design system to ensure that the product is safe and effective. This can result in significant cost overruns and increased production time.

5. Defects that require costly correction
If a product has any defects, it's often necessary to correct them. Correction can be expensive and time-consuming, but it's worth protecting your customers and maintaining quality control.

Advantages of lean Manufacturing

There are many advantages to lean Manufacturing. Here are a few:

  • Reduced manufacturing costs: Lean Manufacturing allows companies to produce products with less waste and more accuracy. This results in a lower overall cost for the product, leading to increased profits.
  • More consistent quality: Lean Manufacturing focuses on producing high-quality products, which leads to a higher level of customer satisfaction. This means that customers are more likely to recommend your business to friends and family.
  • Efficient use of resources: Lean Manufacturing is often easier and faster than traditional methods, leading to increased efficiency in your business.

Disadvantages of lean Manufacturing

There are several disadvantages to Lean Manufacturing. One is that it can be difficult to achieve consistent quality in products. As a result, some products may not meet customers' expectations. Additionally, Lean Manufacturing can lead to increased production costs, impacting your bottom line.

How can it be implemented?

You can implement Lean Manufacturing in several ways, but the most common method is to use production lines. Production lines help reduce the time it takes to produce a product, which means your products will be of higher quality and more consistent. Additionally, using production lines also helps you save on resources. You can emphasize quality control and ensure that your products are correct by using production lines.

Production lines need workers who understand the Lean process and are ready to implement it on a day-to-day basis. Properly training employees and supervisors in the process as well as continuous oversight to maintain the efficacy of Lean.

The use of a software system to provide that oversight, control and planning makes implementation much easier for manufacturers. Systems like MES can manage the scheduling of processes and materials as well as keep track of production line performance. Manufacturing Execution Systems like MV2 can provide this management and data collection in real time, as well as historically. This provides managers the ability to address problems as they happen and to identify issues before they become big problems.

Conclusion

Lean Manufacturing is a system-wide approach to manufacturing that helps reduce costs and maintain quality. Many businesses can benefit from its implementation, including those with little to no manufacturing capacity or struggling with cost overruns or manufacturing delay.

If you’re considering moving to a lean manufacturing process and would like to learn more about shop floor software that can help make the transition and continual management easier, contact us today.

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