As we saw in our last article of 20/08/2021 KAIZEN is more a state of mind than an actual method.
However, the reduction of waste (MUDA) is a common thread running through the Continuous Improvement approach.
Muda refers to any activity that consumes resources without creating added value.
- Overproduction: producing more than necessary.
- Waiting : products or operators that have to wait between 2 tasks or steps.
- transport: any movement of materials, parts, products, documents or information that does not bring value to the customer.
- over-processing: a process that is too complex in relation to the selling price.
- overstocking: anything that is not essential to completing the task at the right time.
- motion: any unnecessary movement of people, generally linked to poor workstation ergonomics, which does not bring value to the customer
- defects: which require rework, additional inspection, scrapping, customer dissatisfaction…
It is also possible to add an 8th: Under-Utilisation of Skills.
A lack of training, rigid and authoritarian management, and little motivation, recognition or involvement lead to an under-utilisation of employees’ skills, and seriously harm creativity and team spirit!
Shigeo Shingo a great expert in Lean Manufacturing, said:
« The most dangerous waste is the waste we do not see »
Seeing waste is the first step towards eliminating it!
Go into the field, follow the company’s processes, map them… Human nature is made this way: once we see a defect, a problem, a waste, we can no longer carry on as before; we search for and always find a suitable solution to eliminate it.
Xavier Schuster
Consultant at SXE Consulting. Industrial consulting firm based in Luxembourg, 25 years of experience in operational excellence.
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