ABSTRACT
For factory processes, where the thing going through the process is a physical product, the practice of identifying waste is a pretty straight forward proposition. Since the product can be seen and tracked, it is easy, for example, to identify non-value-added activities such as the transportation of the product from one machine to the next, or high levels of work-in-process inventory scattered across the factory floor. Quite simply, identifying waste opportunities can be accomplished by direct observation of the product in the factory.
