Lean management principles

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Lean management principles 
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Abstract
This project deals with the principles and methods associated with lean management. Different
aspects of lean management techniques used by the manufacturing firms have been discussed in
the paper. Based on this discussion, it has been found that lean management practices adapted by
the companies allows them to utilise their resources in the optimal manner. 
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Introduction
The current manufacturing and service industry has encountered many changes from that of the
traditional manufacturing and service system which was prevalent in the past. Today the
assembly work is regularly categorized by the constant decrease in batch sizes and short
production cycles. However, the variety of products and the models are increasing and the
production capacity has also increased with the change in the manufacturing system. There has
been a constant urge for reducing the lead times which add demand for more production and thus
creates a challenging mix for the innovative and large manufacturers. In order to react quickly to
the ever growing and changing customer demands, there is a need for efficient manufacturing
system that are capable of expanding and re-configuring during their course of operation. It
should also have the ability to accommodate new procedures in the assembly techniques in such
a way that it does not make any investments for manufacturing obsolete products (Fliedner,
2011).
The lean manufacturing concept is also applicable to the service operation. There have been huge
changes in the service operation too from that of the past. The lean principle for the continuous
improvement and respect for the employees are applied to every service. It includes the
healthcare services, call centre services, higher education, public and professional services and
also in the software development services.
The Lean manufacturing approach in both the manufacturing and services operation highly
depends on the workplace organization and the flexibility of the production system. Lean
manufacturing can be defined as an outstanding initial point for the companies those who want to
create a fresh and new look for their existing manufacturing system by introducing innovative
methods of production. The lean techniques are worth for investigation since they have the
power of eliminating the large capital investment which is needed for efficient and dedicated
machineries till the mechanization is fully necessary. The lean manufacturing concept thus
signifies an important decline of the automated factory which was popular during the past years.
The “less is better” method in manufacturing guides to a remarkably simplified and uncluttered
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environment. The environment is cautiously tuned in accordance with the demands of the
manufacturers (McGiven, 2013). The manufacturing of the products are carried out once at a
time, after getting confirmation from the customers and are not done in batches, which adds up to
the stock of the companies if not sold. The main goal of the lean manufacturing is to produce
what is needed and not more than that. As there is production of limited number of products, it is
important to change the processes during the day. It is required so as to accommodate various
parts of the products and employ maximum effort from the workers, proper utilisation of the
equipments and the floor space so as to save the scarce resources (Wincel, 2004). The flexibility
that is inbuilt in the manual assembly cells is preferable for the automated assemblies. Thus,
there is a prerequisite for the utmost flexibility so as to create unique demands on lean work cells
and also, for the mechanism that are used for making the lean work cells. However, it can be
observed that the lean approach is not always a resolution for the manufacturing problems. It is
realised that it offers unique flexibility to the solutions for the assembling of the complex
products. The essay thus elaborates the principle and the techniques of the lean management
along with examples (Toyota Production System). It also highlights the lean just-in-time practice
that is exercised by the companies. The essay also highlights the assumption whether lean
principles can be applied in the low volume high variety manufacturing.
Lean Management Principles and Techniques (including Just-in-time)
The lean concept originated from the Japanese manufacturing areas. Lean can be described as the
group of tools which enables identification and elimination of the wastes. The elimination of the
wastes improves the quality of the products and also, reduces the time and cost of the production.
The examples of such lean practices are Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, Six S and Poka-Yoke.
The car manufacturing giant, Toyota, has supported the approach and added new methods to the
manufacturing concepts. The focus of the same is on recuperating flow of the work by
incessantly eliminati