Lean Principles Every Engineer Needs to Know
Typically considered a means to significantly improve manufacturing efficiency, lean can be employed in any organisation or production process and industry. Not all engineers are familiar with its techniques unless they are directly involved with manufacturing. However, it is vital that engineers adopt a lean strategy in their working style to enhance productivity, create a more organised workplace, and optimise performance.
Lean manufacturing is derived from Toyota’s 1930 operating model, “The Toyota Way,” and describes a process to eliminate waste – the non-value-added components of any operation. It became widely successful, with several manufacturing sectors embracing it. When correctly implemented, lean can lead to great improvements in organisational efficiency, cycle time, material, and lower costs and better competitiveness. If a business’ lean operations are left unnoticed, it can result in reputational damage and uncompetitiveness.
Founded by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones in 1997, the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) is a reliable source for lean knowledge, training and seminars. According to Womack and Jones, five main lean principles are value, value stream, flow, pull, and perfection. These principles can also be used on a smaller scale to organise any office, workspace or laboratory.
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Five Lean Principles
Value – defined by the consumers need for a certain product. Examples include the answers to questions about timelines, price points and expectations.
Value stream – the processes involved in converting a certain product from raw material to final product for the consumer. Value stream mapping extends to include any experience that identifies all the actions towards a product or service in any process. It further determines the stages that do not create value, finding ways to eliminate them.
Flow – ensures that the remaining stages following the value stream flow smoothly without interruptions, delays or congestion. It can require cross-functionality in all organisational departments and poses one of the greatest challenges in lean programmes.
Pull – time to consumer is drastically improved after flow, making it easier to deliver products and allowing the consumer to “pull” the product from the business as required. Thus, products would not need to be created in advance or materials stockpiled. This saves money for the manufacturer and consumer.
Perfection – perhaps the most important principle – incorporating lean thinking and process improvement into corporate culture. Lean is not a static system and requires regular effort and awareness to fine-tune. Furthermore, employees should be involved in its implementation.
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