Home About Us Services Contact Us >> Events Calendar >> Links >> TPM >> TOC >> Hybrid Solution >> Process Type Lean What is it? Lean is a continuous improvement process, which focuses on the elimination of all forms of waste by following several simple steps: - Establishing what customers value Mapping the value streams Making value flow At the pull rate of real demand Whilst striving for perfection Waste can be categorised into 8 major groupings, each of which requires the adoption of appropriate best practices to reduce or eliminate them. Overproduction Waiting Material handling and transportation Unnecessary processing Motion Unnecessary inventory Rework Unused people creativity Key best practices required to improve include: 5S, Pull systems, Standardised work, Leading and managing change, Teamwork, Visual performance measurement, Focused improvement (problem solving), Fail safe devices (Poke-Yoke), Layout Recommended Exercise Why not conduct a "waste hunt" in your organisation by sitting down with a cross functional group of people and documenting examples of the above types of waste. You may be very surprised by the amount of waste that surrounds us each and every day.