Lean Manufacturing FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is Lean Manufacturing

Glossary of Lean Terms 

What is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing is a methodology to help organizations learn to produce the right amount of high-quality products or services at the right time using the least amount of time, effort, and cost. The customer defines what the right product or service is, when they need it, and how much they want the organization to supply. The Lean approaches, methods, tools, and techniques are built on the world’s most efficient system—the Toyota Production System. Implementing Lean Manufacturing requires that you build quality into all steps of the process with an objective of eliminating all defects in the production process. With Lean, you are providing products and services at competitive prices by eliminating waste in the system. You are supporting team members through effective management deployment and support, and you are instituting a never-ending cycle of improvement.
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What makes Lean Manufacturing different from Six Sigma?

The difference between Lean and Six Sigma becomes apparent when you are determining which method to use for improving your processes and end products. Lean uses known approaches and applies them to known root causes, whereas Six Sigma studies the unique situation and develops customized solutions to address underlying root causes..

What are the similarities between Lean and Six Sigma?

Lean and Six Sigma share a common purpose: to increase value to the customer and the organization—they rely on three basic interdependent tenets:

  • Focus on the customer’s needs, wants, and requirements.
  • Employ a scientific approach to achieve improvements and excellence.
  • Realize that teamwork is key to the success of the process. 

Can I implement Lean if I'm already using Six Sigma?

Yes. Many organizations that already employ Six Sigma are now incorporating Lean into their programs as well. Oriel Incorporated can work with your organization to integrate Lean concepts and tools into your existing Six Sigma structure, giving you the ability to use the tools and techniques that are best suited for the specific problem being addressed.

We already have a continuous improvement program. What can Lean do for us?

Lean focuses on reducing waste in the entire value stream—the complete set of activities required to turn a product or service from a concept into the final product delivered to the customer. Focusing on the entire value stream allows you to identify and eliminate waste within each process and activity and between processes and activities. Improving individual processes and the overall value stream flow can help you reap the greatest benefits from your continuous improvement efforts.

Can Lean be used in nonmanufacturing environments?

Yes, Lean has been applied successfully in a variety of nonmanufacturing environments, including financial services, military, healthcare, government, and nonprofit organizations. Virtually any organization can be described in terms of the value stream—and any value stream includes waste, which can be identified and eliminated by employing Lean..

What are the benefits of Lean Manufacturing?

Employing Lean can bring significant benefits to your organization, including:
• Improving quality
• Reducing errors/defects
• Eradicating waste
• Improving flow
• Reducing lead/cycle time
• Reducing costs
• Simplifying complex processes
• Improving safety
• Providing the right product or service in the right amount at the right time
• Offering the highest value to the customer at the lowest possible cost
• Increasing profitability
 

What is a Lean (kaizen or blitz) event?

A Lean (kaizen or blitz) event is an intense, brief team effort to apply specific Lean approaches to reduce waste, defects, and cycle time while implementing improvements in a particular process or department.

What is a value stream map?

A value stream map is a workflow visualization tool for representing how customer needs are met. It is a graphic depiction of the entire value stream and includes elements such as supplier and customer information, the flow of materials and information, lead time, and cycle time. The value stream map makes waste easier to pinpoint and opportunities for improvement easier to identify.

What would it take for my organization to implement Lean?

Implementing Lean requires the following steps:

  1. Top management understanding the necessity of Lean and making the commitment to implement it successfully.
  2. Access to current information on customer needs—your critical data pool.
  3. A process management system to measure current performance and identify where you need to make improvements.
  4. Resources—coaches, team leaders, and team members—trained to design and improve processes and to assist process owners.
  5. Ongoing management involvement and review to reinforce process management, improvement, and design.
  6. Communication to ensure that customer focus and Lean methods are embraced throughout the organization.
  7. Assigned responsibilities for Lean within the organization.
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How do I know which processes myr organization should target for improvement?

Not every process needs immediate improvement. Start by considering which processes concern your customers the most and place your priorities there. Use your value stream map to identify waste and opportunities for improvement. For example, a grocery chain might learn from surveys that their customers care less about how many varieties of tomatoes are for sale than they do about how those tomatoes are grown and how safely they are processed.

How do I select Lean events for my organization to undertake?

There is a systematic process for selection. It begins with the organization’s top management, who identify what processes are “hurting” the organization the most and then develop value stream maps for them. Areas of waste are identified and then translated into executable improvement opportunities. The opportunities are prioritized, and then process improvement teams are assigned to work on the problems by conducting Lean events.