What is Lean Manufacturing

Lean production is also called fine production, where "fine" means fine, precise and exquisite; "benefit" means benefit, efficiency and so on. Lean production is to manufacture in time, eliminate failures, eliminate all waste, and march towards zero defects and zero inventory. It was proposed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a research project called "International Automotive Program". After extensive research and comparison, they concluded that the production method of Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan is a production organization and management method suitable for modern manufacturing enterprises, called lean production, to address the shortcomings of the U.S. mass production method, which is too dry and bloated. Lean production combines the advantages of mass production and single-piece production methods, and seeks to achieve low-cost production of multiple varieties and high-quality products in mass production.

The advantages and significance of lean production

Compared to the mass production method, the lean production method used in Japan is superior in the following ways:

1. Human resources required - both in product development, production system, and other departments of the factory - can be reduced by as much as 1/2 compared to the factories under mass production.

2, new product development cycle - lower can be reduced to l/2 or 2/3.

3、In-process inventory of production process - can be reduced to 1/10 of the general level under mass production method.

4、Factory space occupation - can be reduced to 1/2 of the mass production method.

5. Inventory of finished goods - reduced to 1/4 of the average inventory level under mass production.

The Lean production method is a production and management technology that thoroughly pursues rational and efficient production and can flexibly produce high-quality products to meet various needs. The core of lean production, i.e., the basic ideas about production planning and control and inventory management, also plays an important role in enriching and developing modern production management theory.

Lean Manufacturing Core

1、The pursuit of zero inventory

Lean production is a production system that pursues inventory-free production or makes inventory extremely small, for which a series of specific methods, including "Kanban", have been developed and a unique production and management system has gradually been formed.

2. The pursuit of rapid response, that is, rapid response to market changes.

In order to respond quickly to changes in the market, lean producers have developed cellular production, fixed-variable production and other layout and production programming methods.

3. Harmonization of the internal and external environment of the company

The key to the success of the lean production method is the harmonious unification of the internal activities of the company and the external market (customer) demands with the development goals of the company.

4、Human-orientedism

Lean production emphasizes the importance of human resources and regards the wisdom and creativity of employees as the valuable assets of the enterprise and the driving force of future development. a. Full respect for employees; b. Emphasis on training; c. Collaboration.

5、Inventory is the "root of the problem"

High inventory is one of the characteristics of the mass production method. Due to the unstable operation of equipment, unreasonable process arrangement, high scrap rate and uneven production, there are often untimely deliveries, and inventory is seen as an essential "buffer". However, Lean Manufacturing considers inventory to be a "scourge" for the following reasons: 1) Inventory raises the cost of doing business; 2) Inventory hides the problems of the company.