In ten pages this paper examines the concept of Lean or Just In Time Manufacturing in terms of its purpose, objectives, relevant concepts, 5 S system, examples, and the benefits its use represents. Eleven sources are cited in the bibliography.
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perfection" (Peterman, 2001, p. 24). It is not really a new idea but it is one that has recently gained a great deal of attention. Over the years, lean manufacturing
has been referred to by different names, such as flow manufacturing, just-in-time production, demand flow technology and the Toyota Production System (TPS) (Peterman, 2001). The goal of lean manufacturing is
"to eliminate the eight wastes of lean-overproduction, motion, inventory, waiting, transportation, defects, underutilized people, and extra processing. Lean targets non-value-added activities. These are the same activities that contribute to poor
product quality" (Peterman, 2001, p. 24). In other words, lean manufacturing looks for those activities that do not add value and then eliminates those activities or processes. Anything referred to
as non-valued added means it is an "activity that does not add market form or function or is not necessary" (Peterman, 2001, p. 24). Lean manufacturing is intended to eliminate,
reduce, simplify or integrate non-value added activities. Peterman reported that about 95 percent of a companys total lead time is filled with non-value added activities. These include waste in
numerous areas including: machine setup, inspection, waiting, storage, transport, order processing, machine breakdown and so forth. These activities often contribute to lower qualities. Examples include: damage during transportation, rework double
handling; misidentification in storage; loss in storage; setup adjustments that results in a marginal product; breakdowns of machines instead of preventive maintenance; and inspection versus process capability. The worst waste
of time, however, is usually a lack of communication or miscommunication between operators of different components during the process between beginning and the finished product (Peterman, 2001, p. 24).
The following is a brief glossary of other terms and concepts that are associated with lean manufacturing: * Cellular manufacturing: Grouping processes, equipment and people to manufacture a