What Is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean manufacturing is derived from a method created by Toyota called the TPS (Toyota Production System), that was focused on reducing waste while maintaining productivity. The specific term “lean” was coined by John Krafcik in his 1988 article, "Triumph of the Lean Production System" that he wrote after working on a joint GM-Toyota project. 

The principles outlined in that article continue to flourish today, though they’ve grown and evolved over time. One noteworthy development came in 1996 when a book was published called “Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation,” that outlined five principles of the lean method, including: 

Specifically, a lean practitioner should always focus on identifying value from the customer’s point of view. If work is being performed that doesn’t add value to the end consumer, it’s wasted effort that is driving unnecessary costs and effort. Identifying true value helps set the stage to reduce inefficiencies, which is the heart of lean. 

Mapping the value stream involves documenting how true value is created, in order to spot areas of inefficiency and waste. Once you know what value looks like, you’ll likely think of one or two major areas that you can improve upon, but actually mapping out the entire process helps you spot every area, no matter how small that can provide an incremental improvement. 

When your value and value stream are identified and mapped out, you can focus on creating flow. Flow is the process of creating value. Any time a manufacturing process is stopped or interrupted, waste is a byproduct, so creating flow means reducing unnecessary pauses, transitions, or interruptions. 

Creating a “pull” system means you only create value when there is a demand for it. You never create in advance based on expectations. This prevents overproduction helps customize products to each individual scenario, so there won’t be back-tracking or duplicated efforts. 

The fifth principle is based on the Japanese concept of “Kaizen,” or continual improvement. This is an attitude towards progress rather than a concrete action step, and requires that practitioners never accept where they are now, but instead always try to improve. 

When you work with a shop that follows the principles of lean manufacturing, you get a variety of benefits, including lower costs, better product accuracy, and increased innovation over time. This means that you’ll not only get the best products now, but you also improve your chances of getting even better results in the future as your long-term workshop partner pursues the goal of kaizen, or continuous improvement over time. So keep that in mind when searching for a manufacturing or fabrication partner, and be sure to give us a call for all of your metal fabrication and rapid prototyping needs.