# Lean Manufacturing
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: ai_assisted


## 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)