Lean Production

Lean Production is a system of work organization that strives to deliver high quality, low-cost products through the efficient use of resources and the elimination of waste.

Lean systems are fragile and include both tangible and intangible elements.

• Tangible elements are the technical or technological aspects of the system and include: fixed position stops and u-shaped cells; andon systems; just-in-time and kanban; continuous improvement; standardized work; total productive maintenance; flat organizational structure; teams and job rotation.
• Intangible elements are the people issues of the system and include: employment security provisions; wages linked to improvement; an environment that values learning; interdependency; a joint labor-management approach for implementing lean production; an environment in which increased trust is built.