Implementation of lean manufacturing, or what is the Lean system. Lean manufacturing: basic principles of Lean technologies and efficient work of employees

From this article you will learn:

  • What is lean manufacturing
  • What lean manufacturing tools are most in demand?
  • How to implement lean manufacturing in an organization
  • What are examples of successful implementation of the lean manufacturing concept abroad and in Russia?

The main task of the production system is the continuous formation of a “value stream” for consumers. Its basis is a competent combination of production processes, allowing production of products with minimal labor costs. Also, this approach has a positive effect on the economic indicators and performance of the company, including the cost of goods, profitability of work, profit, volumes of working capital, etc. All of the above positive changes are facilitated by lean production.

What is a lean manufacturing system?

Lean manufacturing (in English there are two designations: “lean manufacturing” and “lean production”) is a special concept of company management, in which the level of work is increased by reducing waste. Note that everything that negatively affects production efficiency is considered a loss. Their main types include:

  • movements (unjustified actions of equipment, operators, provoking an increase in time spent and cost of goods);
  • transportation (useless movements causing delays, damage, etc.);
  • technology (shortcomings in technology due to which the product cannot meet all the requirements of the target audience);
  • excess production (remaining unsold products, for which you also need to pay for accounting and storage);
  • waiting (unfinished products in queue for processing, which also increases the final cost);
  • defects (damage that causes additional costs);
  • inventories (excess volume of finished goods).

The application of lean manufacturing is permissible both in the design process and in project management, during the manufacture of goods and even in the marketing of products.

The lean production system appeared in the 1980s - 1990s thanks to Japanese engineers Taiichi Ono and Shigeo Shingo (in fact, the first mentions of such an approach were already found in the middle of the 20th century, but only by the end of the century did a unified system take shape). Engineers sought to eliminate activities that did not add value to a product throughout its life cycle. This is not just about technology, it is an entire management concept that is maximally market-oriented. Its prerequisite is the interest of all company personnel in the process.

The practice of using (even individual components) has shown how effective and promising lean manufacturing is, so today this approach has found application in a variety of areas. Initially, it existed only at the Toyota, Honda, etc. factories, which is why the name was “Toyota Production System”. At the moment it is easy to meet in other areas, such as:

  • medicine;
  • trade;
  • logistics;
  • Banking services;
  • education;
  • oil production;
  • construction;
  • information Technology.

Regardless of the application, lean manufacturing makes it possible to achieve greater productivity with less waste. However, it is worth noting that this system must be adapted to the conditions of a particular company.


Enterprises whose work is based on the concept of lean manufacturing are also called “lean”. A number of characteristics distinguish them from all others:

  • Workers are considered the main factor for the normal production process. It is the personnel who are given the role of creative force, while technology is only a way to solve a problem. It is believed that even the best technologies, plans and theories are unable to lead the company to success. Only people with creative and intellectual potential are capable of this.
  • Production systems are aimed at eliminating the maximum share of losses and continuous improvement. Every team member is involved in these processes on a daily level: from ordinary workers to senior management.
  • When making any decisions, management takes into account the prospects for further development, and not current material interests. Managers do not engage in unhelpful administration and command; excessively strict control and evaluation of employees using a large number of indicators are prohibited.

The primary task of management is to organize the work process, detect, solve and prevent problems in a timely manner. Let us note that in any specialist the ability to detect difficulties and overcome them is especially valued.

Implementing a lean manufacturing system is impossible without understanding its basic principles and having the skills to work with the tools used here. First of all, let's talk about principles.

How effective is the implementation of lean manufacturing at an enterprise?

Working using Lean methods can provide significant effects:

  • increase in productivity by 3–10 times;
  • reduction in downtime by 5–20 times;
  • reduction of the production cycle by 10–100 times;
  • reduction in volumes stored in warehouses by 2–5 times;
  • reduction of waste by 5–50 times;
  • 2–5 times faster release of new products.


The best examples of foreign and domestic practices in using lean manufacturing technology show the following results in different industries:

  • Electronics industry: reducing the number of production steps from 31 to 9, speeding up product manufacturing from 9 to 1 day, freeing up a quarter of production space, saving $2 million in six months.
  • Aviation industry: order fulfillment in 16 weeks instead of 16 months.
  • Automotive industry: quality increase by 40%.
  • Non-ferrous metallurgy: productivity increase by 35%.
  • Overhaul of large-tonnage vessels: freeing up a quarter of production space, faster completion of one of the main operations - in 2 hours instead of 12, saving 400 thousand dollars in 15 days.
  • Automotive assembly: freeing up 20% of production space, eliminating the need to build a new building, saving $2.5 million in one week.
  • Pharmaceutical industry: Reduce waste from 6% to 1.2%, reduce energy consumption by 56%, save $200K each year.
  • Consumer goods manufacturing: 55% increase in productivity, 25% reduction in production cycle, 35% reduction in inventory, savings of approximately $135,000 per week.

The Russian market is acutely experiencing a shortage of specialists with experience in optimization using lean manufacturing technology. The fact is that from a Lean perspective, optimization should be carried out by all team members. Such a large-scale approach entails the main difficulty - the specialist must have the skills of a teacher, manager, forecaster and analyst.

Basic principles and goals of lean manufacturing



The lean manufacturing concept divides enterprise activities into two types: operations and processes that add value to a product for a potential customer, and operations and processes that do not. Everything that is included in the second group is considered a loss, which means it must be eliminated.

Let's name the key goals of lean manufacturing:

  • reduction of any costs, including labor;
  • reduction of product production time;
  • reduction of production and warehouse space;
  • guarantee of delivery of the order to the client;
  • maximum quality at a certain cost/minimum cost at a certain quality.

As we have already said, it will not be possible to implement lean manufacturing without understanding the principles of this system. They may seem simple enough, but the organization will have to spend a lot of effort to implement them.

Here are the basic principles of this system:

  • Find out what the product is valuable from the point of view of its end user. The fact is that a company can perform many manipulations that do not bring value to the client. Only by knowing what the consumer wants will you understand which of your processes are valuable to him and which are useless in this sense.
  • Highlight the necessary actions in the chain of work and abandon those that relate to losses. To do this, you need to describe everything in detail, from the stage of receiving an order to the delivery of the goods to the client. This way you will determine the range of opportunities for optimizing your work.
  • Change the sequence of actions in the product manufacturing chain - ideally there should be a flow of work. There can be no waiting time, downtime or other losses between operations. You will likely have to redesign processes and start using new technologies. Remember: only those actions that increase the value of the product are acceptable.
  • Do what the end consumer needs, that is, produce the products and volumes that your customers really need.
  • Strive for excellence by continuously abandoning useless actions. One-time work on the lean production system is impossible - if you decide to implement this principle, you will have to constantly improve the processes in your company.

8 Lean Manufacturing Tools



  • SMED(“change of die in one minute”) is a system for quickly reconfiguring equipment, in which one rule applies: replacing or reconfiguring a tool should take only a few minutes, or better yet, seconds.

This requirement can be met if:

  1. divide all adjustment operations into external and internal;
  2. convert internal to external;
  3. replace the fasteners with functional clamps;
  4. use additional devices.
  • TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance– a methodology for effective maintenance of equipment with the involvement of the entire team. Through preventive maintenance and maintenance of equipment in working order, its most productive, economical use is achieved.

    The key task in TPM is to identify and eliminate hardware defects before they cause problems. To use this tool, preventative maintenance schedules are required, namely cleaning, lubrication, etc. As a result, the OEE, that is, the indicator of the overall efficiency of the equipment, rises.

  • JIT, or Just-In-Time(“just on time”) is a method of careful use of materials and raw materials. All components necessary for a certain stage of production are delivered exactly on time, but not earlier. This way it is possible to avoid overcrowding of warehouses and the accumulation of unfinished goods.

What to consider when organizing a lean production system at an enterprise



When planning to implement lean manufacturing techniques in a company, it is better to start small. For example, focusing on a specific product, project or order and converting it to lean principles - this way you will evaluate the opportunities and benefits of this approach.

When reorganizing, you will have to completely abandon traditional ideas about the work process and its participants. It is better to choose the most serious of all losses and take on it. The positive outcome of such work will increase the confidence of your employees in the lean manufacturing method.

Those companies that cope best with the transition to lean mode are those that combine several streams at once and produce the final product assembled from them. This could be an assembly plant - it receives parts, assembles the car and sells it. If a transformation process is launched in such a company, it may subsequently spread to suppliers and distributors.

The main difficulty in forming a “lean” organization is often the condition of transparency of participants. A lean approach will bring maximum benefit only if all participants in the flow are visible. That is, you will have to disclose trade secrets and financial data, and companies often refuse this. To overcome mistrust, compliance with several conditions will allow:

  • the value of each product family is determined jointly by flow participants;
  • all firms in the stream should receive benefits corresponding to the volume of their investments;
  • members of the flow must collectively and constantly check all areas of the flow to detect losses and eliminate them.


As practice shows, the largest investments occur in the initial stages of the flow (replacing mass production with the production of goods in small batches). And the main benefits go to companies at the last stage of the flow, that is, sellers. To avoid such injustice, companies must find compensation mechanisms, for example, jointly investing in new production facilities.

To start using lean manufacturing in an enterprise, certain conditions are required:

  • What is needed is an “agent of change”, this is the name given to a person with sufficient authority who is ready for conflicts and the struggle to introduce new principles.
  • The company as a whole, and not just the “change agent,” must have a basic understanding of the essence of lean manufacturing and its processes.
  • Business must be in a crisis situation, because only companies in which everything is obviously bad are ready for radical changes.
  • It is necessary to have a clear and complete understanding of the value streams in the enterprise.

To implement the flow method of organization, you will have to complete the following steps:

  1. Divide production into cells by product families and form teams to work with each of them.
  2. Create a unit that will be responsible for collecting and analyzing the experience of working groups. In this way, it will be possible to identify the most productive practices and teach them to other groups.
  3. Plan and carry out activities through which traditional batch work will develop into a smooth flow, carry out technical reorganization. It is also necessary to identify those value creation processes that the organization is not able to influence at the moment (if any) and decide how to adapt to them.
  4. Develop target indicators that will become key for the company: reduce inventory, work cycles, etc.

Staff are often wary of switching to Lean, because optimization usually entails staff reductions. Not wanting to lose people, some organizations are increasing production volumes of goods. This approach is justified due to the effect of frugality, that is, increasing the competitiveness and sales volumes of the company. But we recommend preparing a growth strategy in advance.

As sad as it may be, most often the staff has to be reduced. Cuts should also be made in terms of the gains and losses of lean manufacturing - first saying goodbye to employees who do not add value to the customer.

It is advisable to direct the resources freed up due to the introduction of new operating principles to new needs of the company, to stimulate demand or develop new areas.

A successful example of implementing lean manufacturing outside of Japan



A classic example of lean manufacturing outside of Japan is the story of Porsche. Its sales peak was in 1986, when the company sold 50,000 cars, but in 1992 it managed to sell only 14,000 units. At that time, the company used a traditional German approach: the main bets were placed on engineering excellence, and the company was distinguished by a complex and rigid management structure.

For quite a long time, falling sales were perceived by managers as a temporary market fluctuation, but when Porsche lost $40 million in 1991, a serious crisis became obvious. To save the company, Wendelin Wiedeking was brought in - at that time he was one of the leaders of the largest manufacturer of automobile parts. It was he who received the role of “change agent” in the transition to lean manufacturing.

Wiedeking decided to study and borrow the experience of Japanese manufacturers who managed to capture the middle price segment of the European market. In just two years, he visited Japan four times, where he met with specialists and studied in detail the operating principles of the largest automobile companies.

As a result, Porsche entered into an agreement with the Japanese Kaizen Institute (which teaches and implements lean manufacturing worldwide). Research has shown that large losses are associated with an inflexible design and production system, conservatism of engineers, and weak connections between the stages of the value stream. And, what is most surprising for the German brand, another reason for the crisis was the large share of defects in the final products, which were then eliminated by service centers.

Like any old German company, Porsche had difficulty accepting any change. Therefore, Wiedeking had to organize training in Japan for management, engineering and production personnel and invite experts from Kaizen to Germany.


Wiedeking proposed and implemented the following steps:

  1. He reduced the number of management levels from six to four, simplifying the hierarchy of production specialists - they were divided into teams of 10 people, led by one foreman.
  2. I created a “board of shame” for visual quality control - all detected defects were recorded here. It was also decided to encourage detection of defects in the early stages while their costs remain minimal. Each employee was explained that the company had to pay much more seriously for defects that reached the consumer than for defects identified at the formation stage. Most of the concern's employees were stunned by the true cost of their mistakes.
  3. Organized a system for submitting proposals, thanks to which all employees could offer their own ideas for improving work. If a proposal actually improved quality and productivity, it was implemented and the authors of successful ideas were rewarded. Of course, such a system existed before the transition to lean methods (lean production), but then any proposal was met with hostility, and therefore made no sense.
  4. Introduced his own quality control system into Porsche. For each team of workers, a list of planned indicators was developed, which could be seen by any employee of the company. This data consisted of the percentage of defects at each stage, the accuracy of the delivery time of parts to the next stage and discipline.

In addition to implementing the above steps, Porsche followed the recommendations of Kaizen specialists, whose main goals were to reduce inventories and organize the smooth movement of parts from processing raw materials to assembling the finished product. But working with its own production facilities was not the only stage for Porsche; the company decided to promote lean manufacturing technologies among its suppliers, requiring deliveries on a just-in-time basis. As a result, over two years, 30 of the 60 supplying factories seriously changed their approach to work.

Thanks to competent management and lean production, from 1991 to 1997, Porsche's key indicators underwent the following changes:

  • the time from concept creation to production launch has been reduced from 7 to 3 years;
  • the time from the start of welding work to the release of the car was reduced from 6 weeks to 3 days;
  • inventory levels decreased by 6 times;
  • the level of defects in supplied parts has decreased by 100 times, on the production line - by 4 times;
  • labor costs for manufacturing products decreased by 3 times.

Porsche again achieved profitable results and was able to maintain its independence and its position in the market of expensive sports cars.

Examples of implementing lean manufacturing in Russia

The introduction of a lean production system in our country is a difficult task that requires a lot of energy. And one of the likely scenarios for the development of events is always failure in implementation. The main factor here is the mentality, which is radically different from the Japanese one. However, Russians, compared to the Japanese, have much greater creative potential, so management must approach any implementation creatively, instead of using dry diagrams, rules and ideal order.


Many large Russian companies are already applying the principles of lean manufacturing, due to which they can boast tangible advantages over their competitors. Thus, the GAZ group has been working according to the Lean system for 14 years and has achieved a reduction in the volume of work in progress by a third, an increase in labor productivity by 20–25% every year, a reduction in the time for equipment changeover to 100%, and a reduction in the production cycle by a third.

In 2013, RUSAL decided to take a more serious step and included suppliers in the lean production system - first of all, management was concerned about transport companies. The fact is that the lion's share of RUSAL's production costs is made up of logistics costs, so the chosen approach allowed us to save 15% on costs over five years.

The integrated use of lean methods by the KAMAZ association made it possible to reduce cycle times by 1.5 times, free up 11 thousand pieces of large-sized packaging, reduce inventories by 73 million rubles, and reduce production space by a third.


All of these companies spent 7–15 years to achieve success, but today their market positions remain unattainable by domestic competitors. Therefore, if you are just starting to work with lean methods, do not give up on your endeavors if there are no results in the first months or even years.

The best books about lean manufacturing

Much has been written about lean manufacturing and its flexible methodologies. Below are four books that can help you understand and start using this concept.

  • James P. Womack, Daniel Jones. Lean Manufacturing: How to Eliminate Waste and Make Your Company Prosper.


The authors are among the founders and popularizers of Lean, so in this book you will find detailed theory and descriptions of practical steps. It also presents many examples from the practice of companies in various countries. We recommend this book specifically to practitioners.

  • Taiichi Ono. Toyota production system.


Taiichi Ohno is the creator of the system at Toyota factories, which became the progenitor of Kanban, Lean and other methodologies. Here you will read about the structure of the system and the thirty-year history of the development and success of the brand. The book will be useful to both practitioners and people interested in the philosophy of lean manufacturing.

  • The Productivity Press team presents the textbook, Worker-Less Manufacturing.


It details the types of losses that exist and how to identify them. The authors teach you to divide all processes into those that add and do not add value to the product, and then show you how to get rid of the latter. The textbook can become a reference book for managers, directors, and owners of enterprises, and it will be useful both together with “Lean” and on its own.

  • Eric Rees. Business from scratch. Lean Startup.


The book will be of interest to beginners and more experienced entrepreneurs, as well as people who follow the trends of the modern economy. Eric Ries explains: business and all other areas are developing so rapidly that clear plans for several months are a thing of the past. They were replaced by the “lean startup”. We advise every business owner or anyone who is just thinking about starting their own business to familiarize themselves with this concept.

The production process of a modern enterprise is a complex mechanism for transforming semi-finished products, raw materials, materials and other items of labor into finished products that satisfy the needs of society. The main task of the production system in this case becomes the continuous improvement of the “value stream” for the consumer, which is based on the rational combination in time and space of all main, auxiliary and service industries. This allows you to produce products with minimal labor costs and the economic indicators and results of the production and economic activities of the enterprise depend on this, including the cost of production, profit and profitability of production, the amount of work in progress and the amount of working capital.

At the same time, at many enterprises one of the main issues is the issue of the efficiency of production processes in terms of the duration of the production cycle. There is a need to spend a lot of effort on coordinating all auxiliary and service production for the uninterrupted supply of the main production with raw materials, electricity, as well as timely maintenance of equipment, warehousing, and transportation. A situation with equipment failure at one technological stage leads to the likelihood of a shutdown of the entire workshop. Hence, the organization of an uninterrupted, efficient production cycle at an enterprise acquires particular relevance and significance for optimizing costs and achieving the best final results.

Production efficiency at most enterprises is directly related to the complexity and duration of the production cycle. The longer this cycle, the greater the number of auxiliary and service industries involved in it, the less efficient production as a whole turns out to be. This pattern is explained by the obvious need to spend a lot of effort on coordinating all activities to ensure the uninterrupted supply of basic production with raw materials, energy resources, equipment maintenance, transportation and storage of products, and loading and unloading. Equipment malfunction at one technological stage can lead to disruptions in the entire production, even to its complete stop. Thus, it is especially important to improve efficiency and achieve the best results by solving the problem of stable functioning of the entire production system.

One way to solve this problem is to introduce a system Lean technologies (“Lean manufacturing”), which is designed to optimize production processes, constantly improve product quality while constantly reducing costs. The system is not just a technology, but an entire management concept that assumes maximum market orientation of production with the interested participation of all personnel of the organization. The experience of implementing the described technology, at least in the form of individual elements, at enterprises in various industries has shown its promise, as a result of which there is no doubt about the need to study this experience and further expand the scope of its application.

Economic essence of Lean technologies

As an economic definition, production is a system of converting raw materials, semi-finished products and other objects of labor into finished products that have consumer value for society. The main task of the production system is to continuously improve the process of creating value for the consumer through the rational combination in time and space of all main, auxiliary and service industries. Thus, savings in time, material and labor resources are achieved, production costs are reduced, production profitability increases, and all economic indicators of the production and economic activities of the enterprise are improved.

As industrial relations develop, production process management systems also develop and improve. One of the latest was the Lean manufacturing system, based on the principles of effective resource management, attention to the needs of the customer, concentration on the problem of eliminating all types of losses, and the full use of the intellectual potential of the enterprise personnel. One of the main goals of the system is cost reduction, production enterprise management, based on a constant desire to eliminate all types of losses.

Lean Manufacturing Concept combines the optimization of production processes, aimed at constantly improving product quality while constantly reducing costs, with the involvement of every employee in this process. The concept is maximally focused on market business conditions.

Over the past twenty years, a new productivity paradigm has become increasingly applied in global practice. It originally originated at Toyota and was called - Toyota Production System (TPS). It is focused on growth in a post-industrial economy, when instead of mass production based on guaranteed demand, there is a need for diversified production capable of satisfying individual customer needs, operating in small batches of a variety of goods, including piece goods. The main task of such production was to create competitive products in the required quantities, in the shortest possible time and with the least expenditure of resources.

Production that meets the new requirements is called “lean” (lean, lean production, lean manufacturing), and enterprises that have increased the operational efficiency of their production thanks to the implementation of the new system are called “lean enterprises”.

Lean businesses differ from others in the following ways:

1. The basis of the production system of such enterprises is people. They are a creative force in the process of producing competitive products, and technologies and equipment are only a means of achieving their goals. No theory, strategy, or technology will make an enterprise successful; This will only be achieved by people based on their intellectual and creative potential.

2. Lean production systems enterprises are focused on complete elimination of losses and continuous improvement of all processes. All company employees, from workers to senior management, are involved in the daily work of preventing all possible types of losses and continuous improvement.

3. Enterprise management makes decisions, taking into account prospects for further development, while immediate financial interests are not decisive. The management of such companies does not engage in useless administration - command, unreasonably strict control, evaluation of employees using complex systems of various indicators; it exists for the reasonable organization of the production process, timely detection, solution and prevention of problems. The ability to see and solve problems in the workplace is valued in every employee - from senior management to workers.

Key tools of the Lean system to increase labor productivity are:

  • 5S system– a management technique designed to effectively organize the workspace. The name comes from Japanese words starting with S, for which in Russian you can find analogues starting with the letter C, these are:
    • 1) Sorting items and/or documentation at the workplace according to the degree of their need and frequency of use with the elimination of everything unnecessary;
      2) Systematization, when each item should be in a certain easily accessible place;
      3) Maintaining cleanliness and order;
      4) Standardization of the workplace ordered by previous procedures;
      5) constant improvement of the developed standard.
    • These simple and, at first glance, insignificant procedures, nevertheless, affect labor efficiency, eliminate the loss of things and time, reduce the likelihood of fires and other emergencies, and generally create a favorable microclimate in the workplace.
  • Standardized work– a clear and maximally visualized algorithm for performing a specific activity, including standards for the duration of the cycle of operations, the sequence of actions when performing these operations, the amount of materials and items in use (inventory level).
  • Methodology "Breakthrough to Flow" is to smooth out and improve the efficiency of the production flow by creating fixed production cycles. In each of the selected cycles, the principles of standardized work discussed in the previous paragraph are implemented.
  • TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) concept– system of universal equipment maintenance. This system involves combining the operation of equipment with constant technical maintenance. Thanks to the constant monitoring and maintenance of equipment in working (good) condition by production personnel, the level of losses caused by breakdowns and equipment downtime due to repair work, including planned ones, is reduced, which allows for the highest efficiency throughout the entire life cycle of the equipment. This frees up the maintenance personnel to deal with more important tasks.
  • SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) system– technology for rapid equipment changeover. In the process of equipment changeover, two groups of operations can be distinguished - external, which can be carried out without stopping the equipment, for example, preparing tools and materials, and internal, for which a break in the operation of the equipment is necessary. The essence of the system is to transfer the maximum number of internal operations to a group of external ones, which becomes possible thanks to the introduction of a number of technological and organizational improvements.
  • Pull production system is an approach to organizing the production flow that eliminates losses associated with overproduction or waiting for the completion of the previous stage of work. Each technological operation, as it were, “pulls” the required amount of product from the previous one and transfers it to the next one. As a result, there is neither a surplus nor a shortage of products in the production process.
  • System for submitting and reviewing proposals provides all employees with a clear mechanism for implementing proposals for improvement and provides measures to encourage employees to submit such proposals.

The integrated use of Lean tools allows you to achieve a significant increase in labor productivity without significant investments, almost exclusively using the company’s internal reserves. In essence, the Lean concept is a specific approach to all issues of production organization, allowing not only to implement innovative technologies that increase labor productivity and production efficiency, but to create conditions for the formation of a corporate culture based on the general participation of personnel in the process of continuous improvement of the company’s activities.

Error Prevention Process Used in Lean Systems

A widely used error prevention method used in Lean systems is the Poka-yoke technique.

Poka-yoke– (poka – random, unintentional error; yoke – error prevention), (English Zero defects – Zero error principle) – the principle of searching for the causes of errors and creating methods and technologies that exclude the very possibility of their occurrence. If it is impossible to complete the work in other ways than the correct one, but the work is done, it means it was done without errors - this is the fundamental idea of ​​the method.

Various defects in products can arise due to human forgetfulness, inattention, misunderstanding, carelessness, etc. Errors of this kind are natural and inevitable, and they must be viewed from this angle in order to find ways to prevent them.

The error prevention technique includes:

  • creating prerequisites for defect-free work,
  • introduction of defect-free work methods,
  • systematic elimination of errors that have arisen,
  • taking precautions and implementing simple technical systems to help employees prevent mistakes.

The Poka-yoke method, used in conjunction with other lean manufacturing tools, ensures that the manufactured product is defect-free and the production process runs smoothly.

Increasing the efficiency of enterprise management through Lean technologies

In general, the use of Lean principles can provide significant effects(in times):

  • productivity growth – 3-10 times;
  • reduction of downtime by 5-20 times;
  • reduction in manufacturing cycle time by 10-100 times;
  • reduction of warehouse stocks - 2-5 times;
  • reduction in cases of defects – 5-50 times;
  • acceleration of entry to the market of new products by 2-5 times.

The best foreign and Russian practice implementation of lean manufacturing tools gives such results:

  • Electronics industry: reduction of production process steps from 31 to 9. Reduction of production cycle from 9 to 1 day. Release of 25% of production space. Savings of about 2 million dollars in six months.
  • Aviation industry: reduction of order fulfillment time from 16 months to 16 weeks.
  • Automotive industry: quality increase by 40%
  • Non-ferrous metallurgy: productivity increase by 35%.
  • Overhaul of large-capacity vessels: release of 25% of production space. Reducing the time of one of the main operations from 12 to 2 hours. Saving about 400 thousand dollars in 15 days.
  • Assembly of automotive components: release of 20% of production space. Refusal to construct a new production building. Savings of approximately $2.5 million per week.
  • Pharmaceutical industry: waste reduction from 6% to 1.2%. Reduce electricity consumption by 56%. Saving 200 thousand dollars annually.
  • Consumer goods manufacturing: 55% increase in productivity. Reduction of production cycle by 25%. Inventory reduction by 35%. Savings of about 135 thousand dollars per week.

In general, today in the Russian market there is a shortage of professionals with experience in optimizing production processes through the implementation of lean manufacturing technology. Lean considers any production from the point of view of process optimization by all employees of the company. This global approach hides the main complexity of the “lean production” methodology, since a specialist in this field must combine the skills of a teacher and manager, forecaster and analyst.

Conclusion

Lean production (lean production, lean manufacturing) is a concept for managing a manufacturing enterprise based on the constant desire to eliminate all types of waste. Due to the deployment of a Lean system (lean production system) at the enterprise, the practical implementation of an innovative approach to increasing labor productivity is possible. In essence, the Lean concept is a certain system of views on the organization of production, a kind of production paradigm that makes it possible to implement a number of innovative engineering methodologies to increase production efficiency (including labor productivity) and create conditions for the transformation and formation of a corporate culture based on universal participation of personnel in the process of continuous improvement of the company’s activities.

Lean manufacturing is a special company management scheme. The main idea is to constantly strive to eliminate all types of costs. Lean manufacturing is a concept that involves involving every employee in the optimization procedure. This scheme is aimed at maximum orientation towards the consumer. Let us consider further in more detail what the lean production system is.

History of origin

The introduction of lean manufacturing into industry occurred in the 1950s at Toyota Corporation. The creator of this management scheme was Taiichi Ono. A great contribution to the further development of both theory and practice was made by his colleague Shigeo Shingo, who, among other things, created a method for rapid changeover. Subsequently, American specialists studied the system and conceptualized it under the name lean manufacturing (lean production). At first, the concept was used primarily in the automotive industry. Over time, the scheme was adapted to process production. Subsequently, lean manufacturing tools began to be used in healthcare, utilities, services, trade, the armed forces, the public administration sector and other industries.

Main aspects

Lean manufacturing in an enterprise involves analyzing the value of the product that is produced for the end consumer at each stage of creation. The main objective of the concept is the formation of a continuous process of eliminating costs. In other words, lean manufacturing is the elimination of any activity that consumes resources but does not create any value for the end customer. For example, he does not need the finished product or its components to be in stock. Under the traditional system, all costs associated with defects, rework, storage, and others are passed on to the consumer. Lean manufacturing is a framework in which all company activities are divided into processes and operations that add and do not add value to the product. The main task, therefore, is the systematic reduction of the latter.

Lean Manufacturing: Waste

In costs, the term muda is used in a number of cases. This concept means various expenses, garbage, waste and so on. Taiichi Ohno identified seven types of costs. Losses are generated due to:

  • expectations;
  • overproduction;
  • transportation;
  • unnecessary processing steps;
  • unnecessary movements;
  • release of defective goods;
  • excess stocks.

Taiichi Ono considered overproduction to be the main thing. It is a factor that causes other costs to arise. One more item has been added to the above list. Jeffrey Liker, who studied the Toyota experience, cited the unrealized potential of employees as a loss. Sources of costs include overloading of capacity, employees when carrying out activities with increased intensity, as well as uneven execution of the operation (for example, an interrupted schedule due to fluctuations in demand).

Principles

Lean manufacturing is presented as a process divided into five stages:

  1. Determining the value of a specific product.
  2. Installing this product.
  3. Ensure continuous flow of flow.
  4. Giving the consumer the ability to pull the product.
  5. The pursuit of excellence.

Among the other principles on which lean manufacturing is based are:

  1. Achieving excellent quality - delivery of goods from the first presentation, using the “zero defects” scheme, identifying and solving problems at the earliest stages of their occurrence.
  2. Forming long-term interaction with the consumer by sharing information, costs and risks.
  3. Flexibility.

The production system used at Toyota is based on two main principles: autonomy and just-in-time. The latter means that all the necessary elements for assembly arrive on the line exactly at the moment when it is needed, strictly in the quantity determined for a particular process to reduce inventory.

Components

Within the framework of the concept under consideration, various components are identified - lean production methods. Some of them may themselves act as a control circuit. The main elements include the following:

  • Flow of single goods.
  • General equipment care.
  • 5S system.
  • Kaizen.
  • Fast changeover.
  • Preventing errors.

Industry options

Lean healthcare is the concept of reducing the time spent by health care personnel not directly related to providing care to people. Lean logistics is a pull scheme that brings together all suppliers involved in the value stream. In this system, partial replenishment of reserves occurs in small volumes. The main indicator in this scheme is the logistics total cost. Lean manufacturing tools are used by the Danish Post Office. As part of the concept, large-scale standardization of the services offered was carried out. The goals of the event were to increase productivity and speed up shipments. “Value flow maps” were introduced to control and identify services. A system of motivation for department employees was also developed and subsequently implemented. In construction, a special strategy has been formed, aimed at increasing the efficiency of the construction process at all stages. Lean manufacturing principles have been adapted for software development. In city and state administration, elements of the scheme under consideration are also used.

Kaizen

The idea was formulated in 1950 by Dr. Deming. The introduction of this principle brought great profits to Japanese companies. For this, the specialist was awarded a medal by the emperor. After a while, the Union of Science announced a prize named after. Deming for the quality of industrial products.

Benefits of Kaizen Philosophy

The benefits of this system have been appreciated in every industrial sector, where conditions have been created to ensure the highest efficiency and productivity. Kaizen is considered a Japanese philosophy. It is about promoting continuous change. The Kaizen school of thought insists that constant change is the only path to progress. The system's main focus is on increasing productivity by eliminating unnecessary and drudgery. The definition itself was created by combining two words: “kai” - “change” (“transform”), and “zen” - “towards the better”. The merits of the system are quite clearly reflected by the success of the Japanese economy. This is recognized not only by the Japanese themselves, but also by world experts.

Goals of the Kaizen concept

There are five main directions in which production development is carried out. These include:

  1. Reduce waste.
  2. Immediate troubleshooting.
  3. Optimal use.
  4. Teamwork.
  5. Top quality.

It should be said that most of the principles are based on common sense. The main components of the system are improving the quality of goods, involving each employee in the process, and readiness for interaction and change. All these activities do not require complex mathematical calculations or the search for scientific approaches.

Reduce waste

The principles of Kaizen philosophy are aimed at significantly reducing losses at each stage (operation, process). One of the main advantages of the scheme is that it includes every employee. This, in turn, involves the development and subsequent implementation of proposals for improvement at each. Such work helps to minimize resource losses.

Immediate troubleshooting

Each employee, in accordance with the Kaizen concept, must counteract problems. This behavior helps resolve issues quickly. Fixing problems immediately does not increase production cycle times. Immediate problem solving allows you to direct activities in an effective direction.

Optimal use

Resolving problems quickly frees up resources. They can be used to improve and achieve other purposes. Taken together, these measures make it possible to establish a continuous process of efficient production.

Teamwork

Involving all employees in solving problems allows you to find a solution faster. Successfully overcoming difficulties strengthens the spirit and increases the self-esteem of company employees. eliminates conflict situations, promotes the formation of trusting relationships between superior and subordinate employees.

Best quality

Quick and effective problem solving contributes to well-coordinated teamwork and the creation of a large amount of resources. This, in turn, will ensure improved quality of products. All this will allow the company to reach a new level of capacity.

Lean is a whole way of thinking. A mindset that optimizes your workflow. He uses operating principles and tools for this.

Lean manufacturing or Lean originated from the production system of Toyota factories. American researchers interpreted some of Taichi Ohno's ideas and found the system he created suitable not only for the automotive industry, but also for any other areas.

The basis of the lean manufacturing concept is reducing waste. Anything that does not add value to the product is considered a loss. To reduce costs, the work process is optimized as much as possible and simplified where necessary. Another important part of Lean is the constant pursuit of excellence.

Types of losses

Waste and working to reduce it is a big part of this mindset. The creators of lean manufacturing identify seven types of waste. They may be called differently in different sources.

  1. Partially completed work. When a product or component is not fully completed, it is of no use or value. This means that resources and time were wasted.
  2. Extra steps or processes. These are processes that take time and effort, but do not make the product more expensive. Such a process could be, for example, writing reports.
  3. Unnecessary functions or overproduction. A new option or functionality may be useful, but if the customer does not need it, then it will not affect the price of the product.
  4. Multitasking and moving around. Each employee, and the team as a whole, work as efficiently as possible on one task. The more tasks are performed simultaneously, the less labor efficiency.
  5. Expectation. Work time wasted because the process may have stopped or slowed down in other steps.
  6. Transportation or movement. When workers are far away from each other, or the assembly/work process itself is extended, the time for communication or movement of product parts through production stages increases.
  7. Defects. Defective products have low value or force the team to waste time fixing defects.

Sources of losses

There are also three types or sources of losses.

  • Muda- uselessness, redundancy, wastefulness. These are the losses that were described above.
  • Moore- unevenness, lack of rhythm. Costs arising from intermittent schedules and uneven production.
  • Muri- unreasonableness, overload. Excessive workload for employees, which makes them less effective in the long run.

Lean principles

Lean manufacturing contains several principles and a number of values. Values ​​probably play a larger role here, since they reflect and explain the entire concept.

  • Elimination of losses.
  • Reinforcement learning.
  • Making decisions at the last crucial moment.
  • Reduce delay times.
  • Respect for the team and work on its effectiveness.
  • Product integrity and quality.
  • Seeing the big picture.

The principles are achieving maximum quality and eliminating costs. There are five stages of their implementation.

  1. Determining the value of the product.<
  2. Defining the value stream.
  3. Ensuring the continuous flow of this stream.
  4. Allowing the consumer to pull the product.
  5. The pursuit of excellence.

Tools

Lean provides a wide range of tools. Some tools regulate the changeover of equipment, others organize the workplace, and others analyze the results of work. Interestingly, most of the tools are applicable in various areas of production. Here are some of them.

Value Stream Map

A value stream map is a diagram that depicts the movement of a product or its specific functionality through stages.

Each stage is highlighted in a rectangle and connected by an arrow to the next one. Below the chain of rectangles, the time that the product spent in each of them and spent moving between them is depicted. Based on the time flow map, it is easy to calculate which stages take longer, as well as how many total hours or days are spent waiting or transitioning.

5 "Why?"

Five “Why?” - method of solving a problem. It allows you to get to the root cause of problems or losses. This is achieved through a series of five “Why?” questions. when a problem is detected. After this, the solution usually becomes much more obvious.

5S

5S is also one of the lean tools aimed at improving the organization of the workplace. It consists, as you might guess, of five components or steps (5 Steps).

  • Sorting is the division of all items into necessary and unnecessary, getting rid of the latter.
  • Maintaining order is organizing the storage of necessary things in such a way that they can be easily accessed.
  • Keeping it clean - regular cleaning of the workplace.
  • Standardization - drawing up standards for the three steps above.
  • Improvement - maintaining established standards and improving them.

Application of Lean

Lean manufacturing is most advantageous to implement in manufacturing industries. This is where Lean allows you to seriously save and reduce costs. The way of thinking and tools are convenient to introduce both across the enterprise and in small teams. In the software industry, lean software development has even been created - a methodology that uses the Lean concept and its principles.

The widespread use of lean manufacturing technologies was pioneered by Toyota. Following her example, many large companies, during various crises, began to look for ways to reduce costs and came to Lean. Now 2/3 of US companies adhere to its principles. Partly also because the state assisted in the dissemination of methods.

In Russia, not many companies want to organize their work process using philosophy. Nevertheless, large companies are gradually moving to new production methods. Russian Railways, KAMAZ, Irkut and Rosatom have successfully implemented Lean and achieved good results thanks to it.

Literature about Lean

A lot of different literature has been written about lean manufacturing, as well as about flexible methodologies. Three books that will help you start understanding Lean and applying it.

1. “Lean Manufacturing: How to Eliminate Waste and Make Your Company Prosper,” James P. Womack, Daniel Jones.

2. “Toyota Production System”, Taiichi Ohno.

3. “Production without losses for workers.”

4. “Business from scratch. Lean Startup, Eric Ries.

Oleg Levyakov

LIN (from the English Lean - slender, lean) production or logistics of "lean" production has caused a tremendous increase in labor productivity and production volumes and remains the main production system in many sectors of the world economy.

Lean Manufacturing is an American name Toyota Production System. The creator of lean manufacturing, Taiichi Ohno, began his first experiments in production optimization back in the 1950s. In those post-war times, Japan was in ruins and the country needed new cars. But the problem was that demand was not great enough to justify the purchase of a powerful production line, in the manner of Ford. Many different types of cars were needed (passenger cars, light and medium-duty trucks, etc.), but the demand for a specific type of car was small. The Japanese had to learn to work efficiently, creating many different models in conditions of low demand for each model. No one had solved this problem before, since efficiency was understood exclusively in terms of mass production.

Lean manufacturing involves the involvement of each employee in the business optimization process and maximum customer focus.

The starting point of lean manufacturing is customer value. From the point of view of the end consumer, a product (service) acquires actual value only at the time when direct processing and production of these elements occurs. The heart of lean manufacturing is the process of eliminating waste, which is called muda in Japanese. Muda is a Japanese word that means waste, that is, any activity that consumes resources but does not create value. For example, the consumer does not need the finished product or its parts to be in stock. However, in a traditional management system, warehouse costs, as well as all costs associated with rework, defects, and other indirect costs are passed on to the consumer.

In accordance with the concept of lean manufacturing, all activities of an enterprise can be classified as follows: operations and processes that add value to the consumer, and operations and processes that do not add value to the consumer. Therefore, anything that does not add value to the customer, from a lean manufacturing perspective, is classified as waste and must be eliminated.

The main goals of lean manufacturing are:

  • reduction of costs, including labor;
  • reduction of product creation time;
  • reduction of production and warehouse space;
  • guarantee of product delivery to the customer;
  • maximum quality at a certain cost or minimum cost at a certain quality.

As mentioned above, the history of the LIN system began with the Toyota company. Sakishi Toyoda, one of the founders of Toyota, believed that there is no limit to production improvement and, regardless of the company’s state in the market and its competitiveness, constant movement forward and improvement of all production processes are necessary. The result of this philosophy was the kaizen (continuous improvement) strategy pursued at Toyota enterprises. Sakishi Toyoda supported large investments in research work to create new cars.

Kiishiro Toyoda, Sakishi's son, understood that he would have to do something unusual in order to successfully compete with American auto giants (such as Ford). To begin with, he introduced the concept of “just in time” (Togo and Wartman) at his enterprises, which meant that any car part had to be created no earlier than it was needed. Therefore, the Japanese, unlike the Americans, did not have huge warehouses with spare parts, while the Japanese saved more time and resources. The "kaizen" and "Togo and Wartman" methods became the basis of the Toyoda family's manufacturing philosophy.

The next in the dynasty, Eiji Toyoda, began his activities by developing a five-year plan to improve production methods. To do this, Taichi Ono was invited to Toyota as a consultant, who introduced “kanban” cards - “tracking inventory movements.” Taichi Ohno taught the workers a detailed understanding of the "kaizen" and "Togo and Wartman" methods, modernized the equipment and established the correct sequence of operations. If any problem arose with the assembly of products on the conveyor, the conveyor would immediately stop in order to quickly find and fix any problems. Toyota has been implementing its industrial quality philosophy for twenty years, including with its suppliers.

Soichiro Toyoda became president and then chairman of the board of directors of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1982. Under his leadership, Toyota became an international corporation. Soishiro began his work to improve quality in the company by studying the works of the American quality expert E. Deming. Quality management at Toyota enterprises has become clearer and has been implemented in all departments of the company.

Thus, over several generations of Toyota management, a unique quality system was developed, which formed the basis of the LIN system.

The most popular Lean manufacturing tools and methods are:

  1. Value Stream Mapping.
  2. Pull-line production.
  3. Kanban.
  4. Kaizen - continuous improvement.
  5. The 5C system is a technology for creating an effective workplace.
  6. SMED system - Fast equipment changeover.
  7. TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - Total equipment care.
  8. JIT system (Just-In-Time - just on time).
  9. Visualization.
  10. U-shaped cells.

Value Stream Mapping is a fairly simple and visual graphic diagram depicting the material and information flows necessary to provide a product or service to the end consumer. A value stream map makes it possible to immediately see the bottlenecks of the flow and, based on its analysis, identify all unproductive costs and processes, and develop an improvement plan. Value stream mapping includes the following steps:

  1. Documenting the current state map.
  2. Production flow analysis.
  3. Creating a future state map.
  4. Developing an improvement plan.

Pull production(eng. pull production) - a production organization scheme in which the volume of production at each production stage is determined exclusively by the needs of subsequent stages (ultimately - by the needs of the customer).

The ideal is “single piece flow”, i.e. The upstream supplier (or internal supplier) does not produce anything until the downstream consumer (or internal consumer) tells him to do so. Thus, each subsequent operation “pulls” products from the previous one.

This way of organizing work is also closely related to line balancing and flow synchronization.


Kanban system is a system that ensures the organization of a continuous material flow in the absence of inventories: inventories are supplied in small batches, directly to the required points of the production process, bypassing the warehouse, and finished products are immediately shipped to customers. The order of product production management is reverse: from the i-th stage to the (i - 1)-th.

The essence of the CANBAN system is that all production departments of the enterprise are supplied with material resources only in the quantity and on time that are necessary to fulfill the order. The order for finished goods is submitted to the last stage of the production process, where the required volume of work in progress is calculated, which should come from the penultimate stage. Similarly, from the penultimate stage there is a request for the previous stage of production for a certain number of semi-finished products. That is, the size of production at a given site is determined by the needs of the next production site.

Thus, between each two adjacent stages of the production process there is a double connection:

  • from the i-th stage to the (i - 1)-th stage, the required amount of work in progress is requested (“pulled”);
  • From the (i - 1) stage, material resources in the required quantity are sent to the i-th stage.

The means of transmitting information in the CANBAN system are special cards (“canban”, translated from Japanese as a card). Two types of cards are used:

  • production order cards, which indicate the number of parts to be produced at a previous stage of production. Production order cards are sent from the i-th production stage to the (i - 1)-th stage and are the basis for the formation of a production program for the (i - 1)-th section;
  • selection cards, which indicate the amount of material resources (components, parts, semi-finished products) that must be taken at the previous processing (assembly) site. Selection cards show the amount of material resources actually received by the i-th production site from the (i - 1)-th.

In this way, cards can circulate not only within an enterprise using the CANBAN system, but also between it and its branches, as well as between cooperating corporations.

Enterprises using a CANBAN system receive production resources daily or even several times during the day, so the enterprise's inventory can be completely updated 100-300 times a year or even more often, while in an enterprise using an MRP or MAP system - only 10-20 times in year. For example, at Toyota Motors Corporation, resources were supplied to one of the production sites three times a day in 1976, and in 1983 - every few minutes.

The desire to reduce inventories also becomes a method for identifying and solving production problems. The accumulation of inventories and inflated production volumes make it possible to hide frequent equipment breakdowns and shutdowns, as well as manufacturing defects. Since, in conditions of minimizing inventories, production can be stopped due to defects at a previous stage of the technological process, the main requirement of the CANBAN system, in addition to the “zero inventories” requirement, becomes the “zero defects” requirement. The CANBAN system is almost impossible to implement without the simultaneous implementation of a comprehensive quality management system.

Important elements of the CANBAN system are:

  • an information system that includes not only cards, but also production, transport and supply schedules, technological maps;
  • system for regulating the need and professional rotation of personnel;
  • system of total (TQM) and selective ("Jidoka") product quality control;
  • production leveling system.

Main advantages of the CANBAN system:

  • short production cycle, high asset turnover, including inventories;
  • there are no or extremely low storage costs for production and inventory;
  • high quality products at all stages of the production process.

An analysis of global experience in using the CANBAN system has shown that this system makes it possible to reduce production inventories by 50%, inventory by 8%, with a significant acceleration of working capital turnover and an increase in the quality of finished products.

The main disadvantages of the just-in-time system are:

  • the difficulty of ensuring high consistency between product production stages;
  • significant risk of disruption to production and sales of products.

Kaizen- this is a derivative of two hieroglyphs - "change" and "good" - usually translated as "change for the better" or "continuous improvement."

In an applied sense, Kaizen is a philosophy and management mechanisms that encourage employees to propose improvements and implement them promptly.

There are five main components of Kaizen:

  1. Interaction;
  2. Personal discipline;
  3. Improved morale;
  4. Quality Circles;
  5. Suggestions for improvement;

5C system - technology for creating an effective workplace

Under this designation a system of establishing order, cleanliness and strengthening discipline is known. The 5C system includes five interrelated principles for organizing the workplace. The Japanese name for each of these principles begins with the letter "S". Translated into Russian - sorting, rational arrangement, cleaning, standardization, improvement.

  1. SORTING: separate necessary items - tools, parts, materials, documents - from unnecessary ones in order to remove the latter.
  2. RATIONAL ARRANGEMENT: rationally arrange what is left, place each item in its place.
  3. CLEANING: Maintain cleanliness and order.
  4. STANDARDIZE: Maintain accuracy by performing the first three S's regularly.
  5. IMPROVEMENT: making established procedures a habit and improving them.

Quick changeover (SMED - Single Minute Exchange of Die) literally translated as “Changing a stamp in 1 minute.” The concept was developed by Japanese author Shigeo Shingo and revolutionized approaches to changeover and retooling. As a result of the implementation of the SMED system, changing any tool and readjusting can be done in just a few minutes or even seconds, “with one touch” (“OTED” concept - “One Touch Exchange of Dies”).

As a result of numerous statistical studies, it was found that the time for carrying out various operations during the changeover process is distributed as follows:

  • preparation of materials, dies, fixtures, etc. - thirty%;
  • securing and removing dies and tools - 5%;
  • centering and placement of the tool - 15%;
  • trial processing and adjustment - 50%.

As a result, the following principles were formulated to reduce changeover time by tens and even hundreds of times:

  • separation of internal and external adjustment operations,
  • transformation of internal actions into external ones,
  • use of functional clamps or complete removal of fasteners,
  • use of additional devices.

TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - Total equipment care mainly serves to improve the quality of equipment, focused on maximum efficient use thanks to a comprehensive preventive maintenance system. The emphasis of this system is on prevention and early detection of equipment defects that can lead to more serious problems.

TRM involves operators and repairmen, who together ensure increased equipment reliability. The basis of TPM is the establishment of a schedule for preventive maintenance, lubrication, cleaning and general inspection. This ensures an increase in the Total Equipment Efficiency indicator.


JIT (Just-In-Time) system - materials management system in production, in which components from a previous operation (or from an external supplier) are delivered exactly when they are needed, but not before. This system leads to a sharp reduction in the volume of work in progress, materials and finished goods in warehouses.

A just-in-time system involves a specific approach to selecting and evaluating suppliers, based on working with a narrow range of suppliers selected for their ability to guarantee just-in-time delivery of high-quality components. At the same time, the number of suppliers is reduced by two or more times, and long-term economic relations are established with the remaining suppliers.


Visualization is any means of communicating how work should be done. This is such an arrangement of tools, parts, containers and other indicators of the state of production, in which everyone can understand at first glance the state of the system - the norm or deviation.

The most commonly used imaging methods are:

  1. Outlining.
  2. Color coding.
  3. Road sign method.
  4. Paint marking.
  5. “It was” - “it became”.
  6. Graphic work instructions.

U-shaped cells- Arrangement of equipment in the shape of the Latin letter “U”. In a U-shaped cell, the machines are arranged in a horseshoe shape according to the sequence of operations. With this equipment arrangement, the final processing stage occurs in close proximity to the initial stage, so the operator does not have to walk far to begin the next production cycle.



In a period of intense competition and an escalating crisis, enterprises around the world have no other way than, using the world's best management technologies, to create products and services that maximally satisfy customers in terms of quality and price.

Losses in any production process are an inevitable problem for many enterprises, both those producing products and providing services. Waste is a condition that, to put it mildly, does not add value to a product or service. In order to detect losses, you first need to recognize them. There are eight types of losses, due to which up to 85% of an enterprise’s resources are lost:

  1. Loss of creativity. When an employee is treated like a cog in a machine that can be thrown out or replaced at any time, when relationships are reduced to the “work with your hands and strictly follow the boss’s instructions” scheme, employees’ interest in work steadily declines. Experts believe that this order of things is outdated, it is pulling the company back, which will immediately affect the company’s profits. In Japan, for example, “quality circles” appear in various companies, where anyone has the right to express their proposals for improving the quality of processes. Analysts believe that in the 21st century, success will be for those companies that can create among their staff a feeling of involvement in improving production.
  2. Excessive production, which is expressed in the fact that more goods are produced than required, or earlier than the customer requires. As a result, those resources that could be spent on improving quality are spent on increasing quantity.
  3. Delays. When workers stand idle waiting for materials, tools, equipment, information, it is always a consequence of poor planning or insufficient relationships with suppliers, or unforeseen fluctuations in demand.
  4. Unnecessary transportation when materials or products are moved more frequently than necessary for a continuous process. It is important to deliver everything you need in a timely manner and to the right place, and for this, the enterprise must implement good logistics schemes.
  5. Excessive inventory, or storing in warehouses more products than are sold and more materials than are needed for the process.
  6. Overprocessing. Products must come out of production of such high quality that, if possible, they eliminate their rework and modifications, and quality control must be fast and effective.
  7. Defects that must be avoided at all costs, because additional funds are spent on resolving customer complaints: if a defective product needs to be corrected, extra time, effort and money are spent.
  8. Poor movement, or poor delivery of tools and materials within the enterprise, unnecessary movement of employees around the premises.

According to a study by the Institute for Integrated Strategic Studies (ICSI) on the spread of lean manufacturing in Russia in March-April 2006, out of 735 surveyed Russian industrial enterprises, 32% used Japanese experience. A repeat survey was conducted in March-April 2008. Application of Lean Manufacturing at Russian industrial enterprises in 2006-2008.” at the III Russian Lean Forum “Lean Russia”. Enterprises that were the first to apply lean production methods: Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ Group), RUSAL, EvrazHolding, Eurochem, VSMPO-AVISMA, KUMZ OJSC, Chelyabinsk Forging and Press Plant (ChKPZ OJSC), Sollers OJSC "("UAZ", "ZMZ"), KAMAZ, NefAZ, Sberbank of Russia OJSC, etc.