Discussion Eliminate Waste

Lean enterprises focus on how to eliminate waste, such as time, energy, and resources. If we can eliminate wasteful activities and processes, we can increase revenue and provide our customers with the best products possible. Lean thinking encompasses many areas of improvement. Consider the myriad of possibilities for reducing waste or for saving time. Perhaps we can rearrange an office to provide a more efficient work space. Perhaps we can implement new technology to provide our customers faster access to inventory or account information. Perhaps we can consolidate shipping routes to reduce costs in transporting goods.

Tadamitsu Tsurouka, an engineer with Honda, identified seven sources of waste (Six Sigma, page 348). These seven sources, including a brief description are as follows:

Over production – Making more than the customer ordered

Idle time – Having parts waiting around to be worked on because a machine isn’t working or having parts queuing up to be worked on because the line isn’t balanced.

Delivery – Conveying a part from one side of the plant to another because two processing machines are not located near each other.

Waste in the work itself – Having to repeat work because there wasn’t enough information to complete the job the first time.

Inventory waste – Not using what was purchased or making too much of something in order to make up for quality problems.

Wasted operation motion – Walking to go get tools or parts.

Waste of rejected parts – Not making something correctly the first time.

For this discussion forum, you are to do the following:

Consider the office or organization where you are employed or where you are a member. If you do not work, you may interview an employed family member or friend to compile your information. (Cite your sources.)

Using this workplace, provide one example of each of the seven types of waste.

As a Six Sigma manager, explain how you might remove or reduce these areas of waste.

In your opinion, how would these changes benefit the organization and/or the customer or end user?

NOTE: Any evidence of intentional or unintentional plagiarism may result in an automatic F in this assignment and possibly the course itself.