ABSTRACT

The purpose of this book is to provide a guide for learners and practitioners of Lean methodologies and tools. The word Lean is a broad term that encompasses many different techniques. The term refers to more than just a set of techniques; it is a philosophy or attitude that promotes continual efforts to reduce and ideally eliminate waste in an organization. Lean emphasizes the elimination of waste and creation of flow within an enterprise. The primary focus of Lean is on the customer, to address value-added and non-value-added tasks. Value-added tasks are the only operations for which the customer is ready to pay. The idea in creating flow in Lean manufacturing is to deliver products and services just in time, in the right amounts, and at the right quality levels at the right place. This necessitates that products and services are produced and delivered only when a pull is exerted by the customer through a signal in the form of a purchase. A well-designed Lean system allows for an immediate and effective response to fluctuating customer demands and requirements. Lean tools that are most commonly used to eliminate waste and achieve flow are value stream mapping, standard work, 5-S housekeeping, single-minute exchange of dies (SMED), and visual management. These tools are reinforced with thought-provoking homework problems at the end of chapters to provide stimulating work for the student readers. In addition, the book provides several real-world case studies and applications of Lean tools that have shown significant improvement in meeting customer requirements

CONTENTS

Introduction .............................................................................................................3 Lean Project Backgrounds ......................................................................................4 Lean Case Study Goals ...........................................................................................4 Lean Tools .................................................................................................................4 Learning Design ......................................................................................................5 Required Knowledge Levels for Lean Projects ...................................................5