Any activity that doesn’t add to the market form or function of a product (things for which the customer is willing to pay) is a non-value added activity, or the “wastes” that lean seeks to eliminate. Interestingly, many manufacturers don’t even recognize some of these as “wastes,” but simply necessary evils of doing business.
Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement to allow product flow at the pull of the customer, in pursuit of perfection.
Results matter and in a competitive market, every advantage you can gain will set you apart from the competition.
Effective implementation of lean techniques can generate significant benefits like:
