5 princípios de manufatura enxuta que os engenheiros devem conhecer

5 Lean Manufacturing Principles Engineers Should Know

Lean manufacturing is a point of view of production that considers the expenditure of resources for any objective other than creating value for the customer as wasteful. Essentially, lean production means eliminating inefficiencies in the production process: unnecessary work, production irregularities, maintenance problems, and so on. By removing/reducing these non-value-adding processes, companies can focus more resources on the value-adding process and spend more time on improving operational performance.

Lean manufacturing is understood mainly from the examples that Henry Ford applied to the manufacturing sector. He applied Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing to automobile production which focused on reducing inventory holding costs by eliminating as much inventory as possible. Modern lean manufacturing principles are derived from Toyota Production Systems. Toyota's philosophy focuses on eliminating three types of inefficiency: non-value-adding work, worker overload and productivity inequality. In other industries, Lean methodology can be applied to identify sources of waste and eliminate them, establishing clear best practices.

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Read more: Lean Manufacturing Definition – Lean Manufacturing Principles

Lean Principles:

1) Voice of the Customer
Identify who your customer is and identify the value from their perspective. Typically, a value-added activity must meet three criteria:

  • is something the customer would be willing to pay for if they had to
  • is something “physical” done to change the product or service
  • is something done right the first time, without the need for rework

2) Understand your process
Process mapping allows you to get an overview of your process so you can start making improvements. Without this, it is difficult to have transparency and see where the problems are. It also helps the team understand everyone’s role in the process. There are five different types of process maps – you don't need to do all of them, just the ones that help you understand the process.

3) Create flow
A process “flows” from person to person, department to department, or facility to facility. Flow means moving people or products through a service process – one at a time, without stopping or waiting.

4) Establish the pull
Many of our processes are sent or “given” to the next user. This creates many forms of waste, in many cases the next area or person may not be ready, causing stockpiles and delays. This is the reason why we have so many waiting rooms or waiting areas. Having a pull system means you only provide what the customer wants, when they want it.

5) Pursue Excellence
Lean thinking is rooted in the philosophy of continuous quality improvement. Lean is not a one-time event, but rather a journey to continually improve our processes and always strive to provide value to the customer, from their perspective.

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