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Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation

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  • Independent Researcher

Abstract

If The Machine That Changed the World is a description of the Toyota system in the industry of its origin, Lean Thinking is a generalization of the basic concepts so they can be applied to any company in any industry. The authors begin by summarizing the five inherent principles in any lean system: 1 correctly specify value so you are providing what the customer actually wants, 2 identify the value stream for each product family and remove the wasted steps that don't create value but do create muda (waste), 3 make the remaining value-creating flow continuously to drastically shorten throughput times, 4 allow customer to pull value from your rapid-response value streams as needed (rather than pushing products toward the customer on the basis of forecasts), and 5 never relax until you reach perfection, which is the delivery of pure value instantaneously with zero muda. (The first part of Lean Thinking devotes a chapter to each of these principles.) In the second part, the authors describe in detail how managers in a wide range of companies and industries - small, medium and large, North American, European and Japanese - transformed their business by applying the principles of lean thinking. Chapters are devoted to Pratt and Whitney, Wiremold, Lantech in North America, Porsche in Germany, and Showa Manufacturing in Japan. Lean Thinking has sold more than 300,000 copies in the English language hard-cover version alone, because it's an indispensable companion for every manager making the lean journey.
... Lean philosophy, which aims to maximize value in all forms for stakeholders, suggests that reducing variability can significantly decrease waste-though not eliminate it entirely. About three decades ago, lean as a philosophy was introduced to the construction industry by Koskela [2], followed shortly by the definition of lean principles such as pull, flow, and continuous improvement [3]. Since then, the implementation of lean in construction has steadily increased, leading to broader applicability across the industry. ...
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Current construction site conditions and practices often lead to various forms of waste, which in turn decreases productivity and value generation. Lean principles aim to minimize waste while maximizing value. However, optimizing construction flow, specially in masonry construction, remains challenging due to skilled labour shortages and rising material costs. This study developed a framework to identify and mitigate inefficiencies and reduced productivity in current construction practices. Utilizing simulation modelling, various interventions and lean scenarios were evaluated to test their effectiveness. Among the interventions evaluated, the combination of modular construction, interlocking blocks, and robotic technology yielded the most significant improvement. The results validate the potential of integrating lean practices and robotic technology to enhance productivity and efficiency in masonry construction.
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The Lean Service 5.0 concept improves service operations through sociotechnical innovation, while the Circular Economy enables sustainable processes. Thus, this research aims to empirically diagnose the key enablers of adopting LS5.0 in the dairy production system from the ce perspective. To achieve this objective, we conducted a multiple case study through structured qualitative interviews with eight dairy farmers from two of the largest milk‐producing regions of Brazil, followed by a content analysis. The results indicated four central factors: digital transformation, value co‐creation, LS5.0 implementation and ce concepts, presented as guidelines for applying LS5.0 in the dairy sector to support sustainable agro‐industrial activities. The findings highlighted that LS5.0 technologies were key enablers for farmers to promote ce in the dairy supply chain, followed by management systems and continuous improvement. This study offers empirical and theoretical support for developing dairy systems, contributing to academic research and supporting professionals.
... The principles of Lean Construction are a result of the pioneering work of Koskela, which helped optimize the principles of Lean to suit the requirements of the Construction Industry (Bertelsen & Koskela, 2004). Lean puts an emphasis on finding value, reducing unnecessary deviations and maximizing efficiency, thereby reducing wastage and doing more with less (Womack & Jones, 1997). The scale and complexity of construction makes it difficult to adopt a single approach but LC allows for optimization and managing the complexity in a way that the principles of Lean can be applied to the process. ...
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Electric vehicles (EVs) are essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. Despite being the world’s fifth-largest car market, India’s adoption of electric mobility lags behind other nations. For instance, in Germany, 26% of vehicles are electric, compared to 18% in France and the UK, and 14% in Beijing (Singh et al. 2021). In stark contrast, the Indian EV market shows significantly lower penetration, with sales figures trailing far behind these countries (Gambhir 2017). In the fiscal year 2021, India produced 22.65 million vehicles, with 81% being two-wheelers, underscoring the nation’s preference for this mode of transport (Jain 2022). However, only about 1.3% of these were electric two-wheelers. This study examines the perceptions of young Indian consumers towards electric two-wheelers using sentiment analysis on Twitter data. We identified key concerns and positive attitudes towards electric two-wheelers by analyzing tweets collected with relevant hashtags. The findings reveal a growing interest in EVs, yet significant barriers such as battery life, cost, and performance persist. These insights are crucial for policymakers and manufacturers to address consumer apprehensions and enhance EV adoption. The research underscores the importance of understanding consumer sentiment in shaping corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and promoting pro-environmental behavior among employees. By leveraging these insights, organizations can develop targeted strategies that align with consumer expectations, foster a culture of sustainability, and contribute to a greener future. The study’s implications extend to HR and marketing strategies, providing a foundation for developing comprehensive sustainability policies and innovative product development initiatives.
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