Where do 7 Wastes (TIMWOOD) fit in the Toyota Trilogy of Wastes (Muda, Mura, & Mira)?
In the early 1950s, Eiji Toyoda and Taichi Ohno of the Toyota Motor Corporation visited the Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan. They subsequently defined three different types of waste – Muda (waste), Mura (unevenness), and Muri (overburden) – that impact the flow of products and services and upon their return to Japan waste […]
Principles of Lean Office
In the beginning of a Lean journey, the tools and concepts are typically applied on the factory floor. Since administrative inefficiencies can be more difficult to see than those in the manufacturing process and bottlenecks are not as obvious as they are on the shop floor. Too often, organizations ignore the waste and delays built […]
Better Business Decision Making Using Hypothesis Testing
Description Making the right decisions in business has never been more critical than it is today. Faced with unprecedented uncertainty, you need to make sure that your decisions are not only based on data, but an understanding of—and quantification of—your acceptable level of risk. Hypothesis testing is a tool that allows you to maximize your chance […]
6S as Part of the New Reality
6S is a systematic approach for productivity, quality and safety improvement that is applicable to all types of businesses. It represents five Japanese disciplines for maintaining visual control at a workplace.- Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke – that can be translated from Japanese as Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. The 6th […]
Basic Quality Tools for Problem Solving and Process Improvement
Basic statistical methods (sometimes included in the phrase “Seven Quality Tools”) are called basic because they can be used by people with little formal training in statistics. Although they’re called “the basic tools,” they are nonetheless very powerful. Kaoru Ishikawa, awarded the Deming Prize in Japan for his many contributions in the field of quality, […]
