What is lean manufacturing and why should you be inspired by it?

Lean manufacturing is the philosophy and methodology of production management that was established in Japan, in the 20th century specifically at theToyota company. Their goal was to create a more efficient production system that increases quality while simultaneously reducing their costs. What was the result? Higher customer satisfaction and improved competitiveness. And while this may seem like something suitable for big factories, principles of lean manufacturing can be applied almost anywhere - from small businesses to everyday life.

The base principle of lean manufacturing is to eliminate everything that does not provide value. Imagine you are preparing breakfast at home. If you prepare the bowl first, then go to get the cereals, then look for a spoon, and finally have to open the fridge to get the milk, you will spend more time preparing your breakfast than if you prepared all the necessary items at once. Lean manufacturing works in a similar way - it looks for ways to simplify processes and reduce unnecessary steps.

Principles of lean manufacturing with practical examples

• Think about what is most important to your customers. For example, if you sell coffee, speed and quality is what your customers value. If their orders take too long or the coffee is not fresh, they will lose interest. What they are willing to pay for is value - fast, delicious coffee in this case.

• Think about a small bakery. If there is a step in the baking process when you have to constantly move the dough from one workbench to another to add ingredients, you are wasting time. Create a process map and remove the steps that do not add any value - simplify the flow of production to make everything go smoothly.
• Once you have optimized the steps, it is important to keep everything going smoothly. Imagine an assembly line in a car factory. If one part is missing, the entire line stops and the production gets delayed. Lean manufacturing attempts to prevent such slack in production by keeping everything in movement.
• The customer should be the one who promotes “drive” in the production. When you prepare a lot of meals in advance in a restaurant and nobody orders them, those meals are thrown away. Lean manufacturing encourages production based on current demand to reduce waste - prepare only what customers really want.
• Lean manufacturing is a continuous process of improvement. Every day you can find new ways to be more efficient. For example, in a warehouse, you can find better ways to organize products so they can be found and shipped faster.

Why should you be inspired by lean manufacturing?

1. More efficient functioning: When you minimize unnecessary steps and simplify processes, your business will run faster and smoother. For example, a small patisserie that turns its cake production into a more effective process, is able to serve more customers in less time.
2. Less waste: With lean manufacturing, you will learn to use materials and time more wisely. For example, if you sew clothes, you can reduce fabric scraps and the amount of unused materials.
3. Flexibility: If you can quickly adapt your production to demand, you can better respond to market changes. This is particularly important in sectors where trends change quickly, such as the fashion industry.
4. Higher quality: Continuous improvement brings not only efficiency but also higher product quality. For example, if you discover a better way of quality control in your production, the number of complaints is going to be reduced.
5. Staff involvement: When employees have the opportunity to actively participate in the improvement of processes, they feel more engaged and motivated. In practice, this can mean that people from your staff will come up with their own ideas on how to improve work.

Lean manufacturing is much more than just a set of techniques to improve production. It is a way of thinking that has the power to transform businesses and enhance their competitiveness. It does not matter if you run a large enterprise or a small shop - lean manufacturing principles can help you improve efficiency, reduce costs and offer customers what they really want. So why not get inspired and start applying it in your business, too?