ABSTRACT
Lean manufacturing is a philosophy of production that emphasizes the use of the minimum amount of all resources used in the various activities of the manufacturing process. Lean manufacturing involves identifying and eliminating non-value-adding activities in design, production, supply chain management, and dealing with customers. Lean manufacturers employ teams of multiskilled employees at all levels of the organization and use highly flexible, increasingly automated machines to produce volumes of products in potentially massive varieties. Lean manufacturing contains a set of principles and practices to reduce cost through the relentless removal of any type of waste and through the simplification of all manufacturing and support processes. Lean manufacturing has evolved in North America from its beginnings in the Toyota Production System in Japan. In general terms, key elements of lean manufacturing work together to continually improve the production process. One of the stumbling blocks to lean manufacturing is the concept and source of waste.
