TYPES OF LEAN WASTE

LEAN WASTE: 

Seven type of waste are:

1) Over production

2) Wait time

3) Transportation

4) Processing

5) Inventory

6) Motion

7) Defect

# EXPLANATION OF ALL TYPES OF WASTE:

1) OVER PRODUCTION:

Definition: Producing more than is needed, faster than needed or before needed is known as over production.

CHARACTERISTICS: 

1) Batch processing.

2) Building ahead.

3) Byzantine inventory management.

4) Excess equipment.

5) Excess storage racks.

6) Large lot sizes.

7) Outside storage.

CAUSES:

1) Automation in the wrong places.

2) Cost accounting practices.

3) Incapable processes.

4) Just in case reward system.

5) Low uptimes.

6) Poor planning.

Example:

Units which were produced in anticipation of future demand are often scrapped due to configuration changes.

2) WAIT TIME:

Definition: Idle time that occurs when codependent events are not fully synchronized.

CHARACTERISTICS: 

1) Idle operators waiting for equipment.

2) Lack of operator concern for equipment breakdown.

3) Production bottlenecks 

4) Production waiting for operators.

5) Unplanned equipment downtime.

CAUSE: 

1) Inconsistent work methods.

2) Lack of equipment.

3) Long setup times.

4) Low man/machine effectiveness.

5) Poor equipment maintenance.

6) Production bottle necks.

7) Skills monopolies.

Example:

An operator arrives at a work station only to find he must wait because someone else is using the equipment for production.

3) TRANSPORTATION:

Definition: Any material movement that does not directly support immediate production.

CHARACTERISTICS:

1) Complex inventory management.

2) Difficult and inaccurate inventory counts.

3) Excessive material racks.

4) High rate of material transport damaged.

5) Poor storage to production floor space ratio.

CAUSES:

1) Improper facility layout.

2) Large buffers and in process kanbans.

3) Large lot processing.

4) Large lot purchasing.

5) Poor production planning.

6) Poor scheduling.

7) Poor work place organization.

Example:

Production units are moved off the production floor to a parking area in order to gather a "full Lot" for a batch operation.

4) PROCESSING:

Definition: Redundant effort (production or communication) which adds no value to a product or service.

CHARACTERISTICS:

1) Endless product/process refinement.

2) Excessive copies/excessive information.

3) Process bottlenecks.

4) Redundant reviews and approvals.

5) Unclear customer specifications.

CAUSES: 

1) Decision making at inappropriate levels.

2) Inefficient policies and procedures.

3) Lacks of customer input concerning requirements.

4) Poor configuration control.

5) Spurious quality standards.

Example: 

Time spent manufacturing product features which are transparent to the customers or which the customer would be unwilling to pay for.

5) INVENTORY: 

Definition: Any supply in excess of process requirements necessary to produce goods or services in a Just-in-Time manner.

CHARACTERISTICS: 

1) Additional material handling resources (men, equipment,racks, storage, storage space).

2) Extensive rework of finished goods.

3) Extra space on receiving docks.

4) Long lead times for design changes.

5) Extra storage space.

CAUSES: 

1) Inaccurate forecasting systems.

2) Incapable Processes.

3) Incapable supplier's.

4) Local optimization.

5) Long change over times.

6) Poor inventory planning.

7) Poor inventory tracking.

 

Example: 

Large lot purchases of raw materials which must be stored while production catches up.

6) MOTION: 

 

Definition: Any movement of people which does not contribute added value to the product or services.

CHARACTERISTICS: 

1) Excess moving equipment.

2) Excessive reaching or bending.

3) Unnecessarily complicated procedure.

4) Excessive tool gathering.

CAUSES: 

1) Ineffective equipment, office and plant layout.

2) Lack of visual controls.

3) Poor process documentation.

4) Poor work place organization.

Example: 

It is not uncommon to see operator's make multiple trips to the tool crib at the beginning of a job. A lack of proper organization and documentation is in fact the cause for many types of waste.

7) DEFECT: 

Definition: Repair or rework of a product or service to fulfill customer requirements as well as scrap waste resulting from materials deemed to be un-repairable or un-reworkable.

CHARACTERISTICS: 

1) Complex material flows.

2) Excess finished goods inventory.

3) Excessive floor space/tools/equipment.

4) High customer complaints/ returns.

5) High scrap rates.

6) Poor production schedule performance.

7) Questionable quality.

8) Reactive organization.

CAUSES:

1) Excessive variation.

2) High inventory levels.

3) Inadequate tools/equipment.

4) Incapable/incompatible Processes.

5) Insufficient training.

6) Poor layouts/unnecessary handling (Transport damage).