A guide to lean manufacturing processes

Written by Luke Garbutt

· November 12, 2024

Lean manufacturing is the reason we exist as a company. So to create a guide to lean manufacturing processes, methods, and goals, seemed like the perfect task for us. Whether you’re new to lean manufacturing or looking to implement it from scratch, this article will give you all the info you need to know what to do next. In this blog, we’ll cover:

What is lean manufacturing?
Why is lean manufacturing important?
Key lean manufacturing concepts
- 5S
- Kaizen
- Continuous flow
- Lean Six Sigma
How to implement lean manufacturing
- Getting started
- System architecture
- Understanding value
- Tools
Get lean with the mPS

What is lean manufacturing?

Though by now a well established around the globe in many industries, the first lean manufacturing processes were developed in a specific context. The birth of the automotive industry in the early 20th Century changed manufacturing. A revolutionary product, with staggering levels of demand, required the entire productive process to be reimagined. The Ford Company designed a whole new system for manufacturing as a result. Theirs was a constantly moving production line, with hardware and processes specially designed to help the flow of product. This was the origin of lean manufacturing. But it was in post-war Japan with Toyota that it gained its true form. So how can we describe lean manufacturing? In a nutshell, lean manufacturing is the production of quality goods at the minimum required time. By quality, this means that goods must both be up to the standards set by the manufacturer, but also to the expectation of the customer. And by minimum required time, this is about both inventory depletion and supply-chain optimisation. Since lean manufacturing was first developed, different schools of thought and practice have augmented this original idea. We’ll explain some of these later. Right now, let’s talk about why lean manufacturing processes are important.

Why is lean manufacturing important?

The importance of lean manufacturing processes is pretty self-evident. If you produce quality goods quickly, you can market and sell them more reliably, thus increasing profitability. However, some of the importance of lean manufacturing comes not just from doing things more efficiently, but from how it solves certain problems. Having an effective lean manufacturing process implies a few things about your factory:

You know the ins and outs of your processes
You’ve worked on your strengths and weaknesses
Your processes and equipment match your product

These are all cornerstones of an effective lean operation. What they allow you to do is respond much more flexibly to problems and crises from within and outside the factory. Lean manufacturing is becoming increasingly relevant as the global economy becomes more complex. Today’s market is one of global supply chains, sophisticated consumers, and a fluctuating labour supply. As a methodology that encourages reduced waste and greater efficiency, lean manufacturing ensures that anything in your control is under your control; a crucial defence against unpredictability outside the factory.

Key lean manufacturing concepts

There are different types of lean manufacturing which can either work together or separately. Depending on your industry, size of operation, workforce capabilities, and tech sophistication, some may match your circumstances better than others. Let’s get into a handful of core lean manufacturing techniques to find out. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it brings together some of the most popular approaches adopted by our customers. Let’s dive in.

The 5 principles of lean manufacturing

These 5 principles define the purpose of your lean process, or processes. They should be referred back to to structure your work and provide impetus. Here they are in order:

Define value You must signal exactly what ‘value’ for the customer looks like, and have this as the ultimate goal of your operation.
Map the value stream Set out all the steps you need to take to ensure value is created for the customer.
Create flow How can you ensure product flows through your factory without undue interruption, delays, or reworks?
Establish pull Ensure your production is tied to demand from the consumer so that you don’t produce any unwanted or unnecessary goods.
Towards perfection/continuous improvement Take as your goal the total elimination of waste, and a process free of any flaws towards creating value for your customer.

By making these principles core to your factory operations, you’ll be working leaner and more efficiently. So what specific activities and concepts will help you get there?

5S

5S is a form of shopfloor management that works to eliminate common types of waste. It’s reported to be a great way to instil lean discipline in your workers, making mundane, everyday tasks critical to the lean culture of your factory. The idea is simple: by properly organising workspaces, you’ll naturally remove a lot of blockers and causes of wasted time and effort. In English, the 5Ss are:

Sort – organising and clearing workspaces of any unnecessary items
Straighten – putting everything in its proper place for easy access
Shine – ensuring workspaces are cleaned regularly
Standardise – creating repeatable, measurable processes that match your line
Sustain – keeping it all up so it becomes part of your BAU

The 5S framework helps you ensure that you’re not losing time on your line due to misplaced tools, clutter, mess, ad hoc work processes, or other unforced errors. All in all, this technique is designed to help you avoid accidents and keep everything flowing without blockers. For many, it’s the first step towards a lean factory.

Kaizen

Kaizen is a philosophy of continuous improvement of processes and systems that puts small, incremental changes first on the priority list. It was developed in Japan to make factories operate more smoothly and efficiently, but its potential scope goes beyond that. Because Kaizen is just as much about changing attitudes and creating a growth mindset as it is about making your factory more profitable. The argument goes like this: if you put a ‘zero waste’ mentality first, and invest everyone in your organisation towards it, you’ll see benefits and after effects you hadn’t planned for. A critical part of the Kaizen workflow is the Gemba Walk, an opportunity for managers to observe how work is done and question employees on the frontline. This helps mix real, practical knowledge of line work with its oversight.

Continuous flow

This is a core principle of lean manufacturing. And it goes right back to the Ford assembly line of the early 20th Century. Achieving continuous flow in your production line ensures you’re not wasting time and money with unnecessary stoppages. Your systems, hardware, and people are all geared towards ensuring the smooth running of parts from one line to the next, with waste reduced to a minimum. If you’ve spotted a theme here, you’re on the right track; pretty much every lean method is aimed at reducing waste. With continuous flow, you’re helping to reduce time waste, as well as potential waste in materials through adapting machinery and processes to better match your product.

Lean six sigma

Six sigma is a method for controlling workflows and processes. So far, so familiar. However, what separates Lean Six Sigma from other methods is its comprehensive nature. Six sigma is about making your processes as predictable as possible; anticipating problems and solving them before they happen, thus reducing waste. That’s the basic idea. However, the success of a Six Sigma approach depends on how well trained and knowledgeable your staff are. Your organisation will need to get to grips with statistics, probabilities, and other important numbers, all in aid of mastering your inputs to effect the most efficient outcome. Often, factories will have dedicated champions of Six Sigma, known as ‘black belts’, whose responsibility is to ensure that the correct processes are being followed. In any case, you’ll need buy-in from your company’s executive to make a Lean Six Sigma initiative successful.

How to implement lean manufacturing processes

Getting started

The key to getting started with lean manufacturing is to have a clear idea of the path you want to take. Take a look at how things stand. What’s going wrong? Where do you encounter most waste? And which part of your line needs the most oversight? The problem with introducing new methodologies and ways of working is that there is a delicate balance between trying too much and not trying enough. For example, if you introduce a tool that aims to completely up-end how you work in exchange for a higher pay-off, it’s likely to lack focus and cause disruption. The flipside is that if you introduce something with very limited aims, it might be harder to detect the impact it’s making. Focus on a discrete area of your production line first, and decide on a handful of key metrics to measure success. This will help you later if you want to introduce wholesale changes.

System architecture

You need a birds-eye view of your factory to successfully deploy a new lean strategy. This visibility will help you understand what impact a lean manufacturing process will make. And it might require you to design new workflows, or tighten existing ones. Each lean manufacturing methodology has something to offer here. But you’ll have a headstart if the data you’re collecting from your production line is clean and abundant. Consider investing in a software solution to help you gather, sort, and analyse data from the frontline. Options available on the market now can help you cut significant time normally spent on data management. Without it, the extra admin of introducing a lean manufacturing system could cancel out some of the gains.

Understanding value

Ultimately, profitability is the metric that manufacturers will care about most. Lean manufacturing processes can have a real influence on this, but it’s important to get a full spectrum view beyond profitability. For example, lean manufacturing is perfect for reducing uncertainty on the shopfloor. By taking charge of how work is performed, at what speed, and with the correct levels of training and skill, you’re creating an environment with reduced risk. This can mean fewer workplace accidents. It can mean a greater retention of employees, too. By optimising the work of your staff, and reducing non-value added tasks, you’re helping workers drive more value. This itself is a good enough reason to think lean, especially in the midst of an industrial skill shortage. During a lean rollout, ask stakeholders and staff how they perceive these new methods. Look to find ways to track how this sentiment moves over time, and create feedback channels for line workers to make suggestions. You’ll soon understand that the benefits of lean go far beyond profitability.

Tools

To be successful with lean, you’ll need to get the chequebook out. Not only will you need to invest in better training, but you’ll need a few tools to get you started. We’ve mentioned software as a crucial element in bringing everything together. This should be your first port of call. Take a look at what you want to do, and which tools best match your needs. A lot of these tools will be digital versions of checklists, charts, displays, and instructions. After all, lean manufacturing is about how you design the work that happens in your factory and what its purpose is.

Get lean with the mPS

The mlean Production System (mPS) is a comprehensive digital solution for lean manufacturing. It’s a modular software that features tools for each part of your production line, from pre-production to audits, maintenance, and more. And by bringing together all the lean tools you’ll need under one umbrella, it makes implementing lean manufacturing easier than ever before. Take a closer look with a free discovery call today.

Luke Garbutt

Luke is an experienced SaaS copywriter with a large portfolio of work for both B2B and B2C global audiences. His quick grasp of new technologies, and intuitive understanding of audience needs, is filtered through exceptionally crisp and skilful prose. His eye for detail and creativity mean that he's always coming up with new ways to reach and engage readers, online and in print.

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