Introduction to Lean Manufacturing [VHS]

What is lean manufacturing? As you’ll learn in this video, lean manufacturing is a production philosophy—a way of mapping the overall manufacturing process from raw material, to finished goods, all the way to the customer. It is called “lean” because these principles help a manufacturer to produce more with less: less time, less inventory, less capital, and fewer resources. As you’ll see, lean accomplishes this by highlighting what needs to be changed to streamline the overall production process. Some of what you’ll learn in this videotape includes:

• Benefits of lean manufacturing—including shorter cycle time, lower production cost, and more. • Traits found in lean companies—including examples of “visual management” techniques to help employees spot problems quickly. • Basic principles of lean manufacturing—like the concept of “quality at the source” and how it lowers your cost of quality. • Factors that contribute to the acceptance of lean manufacturing by managers and shop floor workers. • How a pull production control system reacts to control inventory requirements.