Drive Out Waste

Drive out waste is the new watchword in the world of lean, just-in-time manufacturing.  And like the weather, lots of people talk about it but few do much about it because they lack an organized approach and method for identification and elimination.  As a result, waste continues and often grows, margins deteriorate, and the entire enterprise becomes less profitable and less competitive.

But now there is an effective way to strike back at the forces of disorganization and  inefficiency by training managers and employees to identify the eleven types of waste found in industrial environments, and then to take focused action to eliminate it quickly.

Types of waste include:

• Waste of overproduction

• Waste of delays, waiting–lost time

• Waste of transportation–materials handling for example

• Waste of processing itself–methods and over-processing  

• Waste of inventory

• Waste of movement–can be movement on the task level as well as handling  

• Waste of making defective products–scrap, rework, opportunity cost

• Dangerous working practices–lost time, insurance rates

These are seen in a variety of ways.  For example:

• Overbuilding--making a Cadillac when the customer ordered a Chevrolet

• Failing to charge for engineering changes

• Rework

• Lost time searching for tools or waiting for information

• Poor workplace layout

• And many others...

The following graphic illustrates how Delta Dynamics' waste management program is designed and implemented.