Lean manufacturing in Scotland

Lean manufacturing is the optimal way of producing goods through the removal of waste and implementing flow, as opposed to batch and queue.

In the book, 'Lean Thinking', five Lean Principles are defined:

Specify what creates value from the customer's perspective
Identify all the steps across the whole value stream
Make those actions which create value flow
Only make what is pulled by the customer just-in-time
Strive for perfection by continually removing successive layers of waste

Find out more about value stream at the Manufacturing Institute website

Find out more about the 7 categories of wastes at the Manufacturing Institute website

Lean manufacturing is a set of "tools" that assist in the identification and steady elimination of waste. As waste is eliminated quality improves while production time and cost are reduced. Examples of such "tools" are: Value Stream Mapping, Five S, Kanban (pull systems), and poka-yoke (error-proofing).

Lean manufacturing can help you to:

Improve productivity
prevent defects In your production
reduce stock requirements
Improves time to market.
Improve customer service

In addition, Lean manufacturing delivers changes to workforce attitudes and behaviours. As ways of working are investigated, analysed and the results shared, communication starts to flow.