When we talk"Eight wastes", usually refers to the different kinds of waste that exist in the production or service process, which can lead to reduced efficiency and increased costs. These concepts were first introduced in Lean Manufacturing to reveal all behaviors and processes that do not add value. The following is a brief explanation of these eight wastes and corresponding improvement strategies.
Ultra-production. Waste explained: Produce more than the customer actually needs.
Improvement measures: Adopt a pull production system (such as kanban) to plan production according to actual demand, and reduce storage and unsalable goods.
Await. Waste explained: Employees wait for the next production step, machines wait for maintenance or raw materials.
Improvement measures: Optimize the operation flow, ensure a smooth workflow, reduce downtime and improve the efficiency of resource utilization.
Transport. Waste explained: Unnecessary product and material movements.
Improvement measures: Rearrange the work area to reduce the distance of movement, and add handover points to coordinate the product flow.
Excess disposal.
Waste Explanation: An additional treatment or process that does not add value to a product.
Improvement measures: Judge the appropriate quality standards based on customer feedback and avoid overdoing it.
Inventory. Waste Explained: Inventory beyond the immediate operational requirement.
Improvement measures: Implement lean inventory management, and run while fixture (JIT)** to reduce unnecessary inventory overstock.
Action. Waste Explanation: Unnecessary movement or operation of people or equipment.
Improvement countermeasures: reduce the distance between workstations, improve the operation process and workstation layout of personnel.
Flaw. Waste explanation: The product is not up to standard and needs to be reworked, repaired or even scrapped.
Improvement measures: Implement error detection mechanisms (such as poka-yoke) to optimize quality control links and reduce the occurrence of errors.
Employees are not being utilized.
Waste explained: Employees' innovations and improvement proposals are not being used, or employees are being assigned the wrong tasks.
Improvement measures: enhance staff training, teamwork and leadership; Create a work environment that can be trusted, engaged, and encouraged for improvement.
The key to cleaning up these process wastes is to identify the problem and use the appropriate tools to conduct root cause analysis. Many companies use the strategies in the Six Sigma toolbox to recognize and reduce waste, starting with DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). It is important to solicit and absorb the opinions and suggestions of employees in the process of improvement, and they often have the most direct insight into the practical problems in the work.
Put simply, the journey to improve and reduce waste, whether it's a second-to-action optimization or a huge change, is driving a company's ongoing commitment to quality, efficiency, and employee engagement.