Lean- introduction
Lean manufacturing started with Henry Ford, who not only concentrated on material flow by linking manufacturing operations, but understood that, "Having a stock of raw materials or finished goods in excess of requirements is waste." He prevented the storage of material in any stage of completion by not having a single warehouse.
After World War II, Taiichi Ohno and associates, including Shigeo Shingo, built on Henry Ford's ideas and developed the Toyota Production System, described as "a reasonable method of making products since it completely eliminates unnecessary elements in production for the purpose of cost reduction. The basic idea in such a production system is to produce the kind of units needed, at the time needed, and in the quantities needed."
Toyota focused on reducing cost, and on developing continuous flow for low-volume production. Lean manufacturing puts an increased emphasis on adding value. In a mature, lean manufacturing environment, product is pulled through value-added operations to meet customer demand on time, in exact quantities, and with perfect quality. The elimination of waste and continuous improvement in every aspect of the business are core elements of lean manufacturing. With the effective adoption of lean manufacturing, lean concepts come together in an integrated set of capabilities that become the foundation for the steps to success.
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