Question

Lean production requires seven steps be taken. Why, in your opinion, should the first step be designing the process flow?

Which lean approaches work in both lean manufacturing and lean
service operations?

Why is value stream mapping such a critical first step in a company’s move toward a lean approach to operations?

Answer 1

Lean manufacturing is a systematic process to eliminate the maximum amount of waste from the production or manufacturing system. It eliminates the waste that the extra and uneven workloads generate. The process will also help reduce pollution because the companies tend to dispose of the water bodies' waste, causing water pollution and causing air pollution by the emission of harmful gases. The starting step in the process is to design the process. It is essential because the first thing that the managers should do is to organize the operations and design the flow of the tasks. It is also essential because the system's main motive is to eliminate water, and the prime step is to forecast the amount of waste each process will generate and take the necessary action. The approaches that are appropriate in both lean manufacturing and lean service are inventory reduction and scheduling. Inventory is the extra amount of goods in the company to meet the future demand. The inventory might also include the goods that the consumers did not buy. Hence, both the sectors should reduce the amount of inventory to reduce the waste.

The second approach is scheduling. The processes should follow a particular process and flow of tasks. It helps the company to schedule the tasks and work accordingly. Managers have to make a proper time table for the subordinates to remove the waste. Value stream mapping identifies the company's significant operations and reduces the volume of waste. It is the prime, and the most crucial step in lean manufacturing because it should make the graphical representation of all the operations and depicts the solutions. It is easier for the managers to understand with a graphical representation. Hence, the process is of utmost importance.