With the recession and everyone struggling to get the economy back on track every company needs to find ways to make their businesses more viable. Lean manufacturing is the way manufacturing companies are making their own efforts to produce goods more economically and make a bigger profit.

What Is Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a method of manufacturing in which companies eliminate much of their production waste by making changes in the way they they purchase and distribute inventory and conduct quality control checks on products produced.

Some of the features of lean manufacturing are:

  • Small amounts of inventory are ordered and stockpiled right on the factory floor rather than purchasing large amounts of inventory and filling up a warehouse. By having less inventory the company encourages workers to exercise more care when they assembly products to reduce the waste caused by careless mistakes and use of the inventory.

  • The company strives to achieve optimum quality for each product produced by having every part inspected immediately after completion to insure it is up to standard. That way if a product shows a defect, production for that part can be immediately stopped and the problem corrected before there are hundreds of defective parts manufactured thus cutting down waste on the parts and products that are produced.

  • Training and empowering workers to make production decisions beginning at the lowest levels of the production chain to insure that each and every part meets the company's standards before that part goes to the next level of the production process thereby eliminating waste throughout the entire production process while producing the highest quality products possible.

By using those lean manufacturing techniques already developed and seeking to develop new techniques as well, manufacturing companies are finding that they often need to run their machinery less frequently and often do not have to operate full out which saves wear and tear and the machinery itself and often saves money on repairs of equipment.

Benefits Of Lean Manufacturing

There are several benefits to lean manufacturing for companies. Some of these benefits were predictable and some were less so. Here are some of the benefits of lean manufacturing.

  • Less waste resulting in lower costs for raw material and less need to keep large inventories of material in stock resulting in less cash out flow for companies operating on a strict budget.

  • Better overall quality of products. By checking each part of every product immediately as it goes through the production process, the overall quality of the finished product improves and there is less wasted materials due to defective parts.

  • Improved work ethic. When each worker is involved in the decision making process involving production they feel as though their contributions are important and they strive to insure that the job they do is the best possible. When workers truly feel part of a team they take more satisfaction and pride in the work they do which often results in better overall attitude towards the job and the company itself.

By using lean manufacturing techniques to produce all kinds of various products companies reap some real benefits both in terms of real profits and increased worker morale.