Lean Thinking

Natural Capitalisms chapter had me really intrigued on the "muda" all around us. I researched further and here are some notes on my findings...

Taiichi Ono –father of Toyota (premier manufacturing org.)
-interesting approach, rare in Japan
-popular successful in the west ie. US

Article quotes from Lean Thinking

Ono’s intellectual and cultural framework for eliminating waste.
-opposition to every form of waste
-“muda” means waste in Japanese
-pinpoints and identifies “muda all around us” we would not have realized in the first place.
-Filling a lot with vehicles with no specific demand, than discounting then discounting them enough to sell them
-Does this sound like literal waste?

Not all Ono’s “muda” is perceived as waste but as a manufacturer they are things to be avoided.

Identifying “Muda”

“Airtravel” misdirection

Womack and Jones- Lean thinking...

continuous flow of value
as defined by the customer
at the pull of the customer
in search of perfection

nothing produced upstream until downstream requests it

“more muda”
cheaper production example

product travels from plant to manufacturer to factory to store, yet none of which contributes to customer value

ideal : manufacturer with small plant that can produce windshields only as fast as the assembly line pulls them in.

high batch example Coca Cola