lean manufacturing

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a systematic production methodology focused on minimizing waste (muda) in all forms — overproduction, waiting, transportation, over-processing, inventory, motion, and defects — while maximizing customer value; derived from the Toyota Production System and popularized globally through the book 'The Machine That Changed the World' (1990); tools include value stream mapping, 5S, kaizen, and kanban

Examples

• Lean manufacturing cut the plant's production lead time from two weeks to three days.
• The seven wastes of lean manufacturing provide a framework for identifying inefficiencies.

Synonyms: lean production, Toyota Production System, lean thinking