---
id:"kb-2026-00437"
title:"Lean Manufacturing"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"business"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones, Roos)"
    type:"book"
    year:1990
    url:"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Machine-That-Changed-the-World/James-P-Womack/9780743299794"
    institution:"Free Press"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Lean manufacturing (Toyota Production System, 1950s) maximizes value while minimizing waste. 5 principles: define value, map value stream, create flow, establish pull, pursue perfection. 7 wastes (muda): overproduction, waiting, transport, over-processing, inventory, motion, defects. Applicable beyond manufacturing.

## Core Explanation

Just-in-Time (JIT): produce only what's needed, when needed. Kanban: visual cards signal production. Kaizen: continuous improvement — small incremental changes by everyone. Poka-yoke: mistake-proofing. Andon cord: any worker can stop production line for quality. 5S: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain. Origin: Toyota, post-WWII Japan, Taiichi Ohno.

## Further Reading

- [The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones, Roos)](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Machine-That-Changed-the-World/James-P-Womack/9780743299794)