Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a variation on the theme of efficiency based on optimizing flow; it is a present-day instance of the recurring theme in human history toward increasing efficiency, decreasing waste, and using empirical methods to decide what matters, rather than uncritically accepting pre-existing ideas. As such, it is a chapter in the larger narrative that also includes such ideas as the folk wisdom of thrift, time and motion study, Taylorism, the Efficiency Movement, and Fordism. Lean manufacturing is often seen as a more refined version of earlier efficiency efforts, building upon the work of earlier leaders such as Taylor or Ford, and learning from their mistakes. However, the modern view takes a more holistic approach where the definition of waste is far more generic. Irregular production with ups and downs in production levels would be considered waste. The goal of Lean then becomes the creation and maintenance of a production system which runs repetitively, day after day, week after week in a manner identical to the previous time period.

For me Lean is very important for the companies because its main objective is to reduce wastes and improve the quality in the products which nowadays is very needed. Currently the companies have been focused in many unnecessary processes that not provide value-added to the products and that customers don't pay for, therefore they should implement this methodology to avoid unneccesary expenses and maximize the productivity. 

Title: Lean Six Sigma
Author: BMGI
Date: 11/22/2011
Source: http://clickandlearn.bmgi.org/course/index.php

By Henry Badilla Medina