Essay On Lean Manufacturing

Why Lean Manufacture?

Lean manufacturing can be defined as the philosophy of continually reducing waste within all areas and in all forms within a manufacturing process1. The systematic method takes into account waste, created through over burden, any activity that consumes resources without adding value and waste created in unevenness in workloads2.The result of this being a reduction in production time and loss. At the beginning, Ford, Taylor & Gilbreth had an initial influence on lean manufacturing, with regard how they organised and de-skilled the workforce to provide an efficient mass production system. However the main problem that existed here was there was a divide between top management and operators in terms of quality. This divide

One organisation, the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the UK has worked with thousands of companies performing business improvement projects. Most of these projects have been based on lean manufacturing. The following figures are average results for companies in many differing industries and of different sizes over a period of several years:

Delivery: +26%

Stock Turns: +33%

Productivity: +25%

Scrap: -26%

Space: -33%

Figures like these would represent a vast improvement in a company resulting in increased profits, satisfied customer and a successful business.

Deming once quoted “It is not necessary to change, survival is not mandatory!” As companies expand and the manufacturing industry grows, competition is ever increasing between companies. Competitors grow, evolve and look for a share in the market. In order for a company to combat this and rise above and conquer competition they must adopt a new way of thinking. Waiting for a crisis to hit before making improvements is not the way forward, instead continual business improvement ensures the survival of a company. Implementing Lean Manufacturing and Lean Tools are a proven method to having a successful