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The 7 Wastes – Smart Factory Glossary
The 7 wastes are activities in a process that do not add any value. The wastes are also referred to as muda, which is Japanese for "useless activity". The aim of this lean manufacturing method is to identify and eliminate wastes in order to increase efficiency.
Overview of the 7 wastes
According to Taiichi Ohno, former production manager at Toyota and founder of lean production, the seven common wastes are:
- Transportation: Material movements from one department to the next do not add any value to the customer.
- Inventory: Inventories tie up capital, cause follow-up costs, and hide weak spots as production buffers.
- Motion: A lack of ergonomics at the workplace causes unnecessary motion in order to get the required tools and materials, for example.
- Waiting: Stagnant or idle processes due to missing material, missing tools, or unsuitable resources lead to delays.
- Overproduction: The manufacture of semi-finished or finished products that the customer does not need places an unnecessary strain on production.
- Overprocessing: Complex processes and inadequate product design slow down production processes.
- Defects: Defects generate additional costs due to inspection, rework, and post-production.
Edge computing in the Smart Factory
The seven types of waste result in the acronym TIMWOOD, which is often used in this context. It is made up of the first letters of the seven wastes.
The 7 wastes are sometimes supplemented by further issues, such as the inability to engage and motivate employees and the waste caused by information interfaces.
MPDV's Executive Manufacturing Center (EMC) helps companies optimize their production processes in a sustainable way through lean management and digitalization. The consultants rely on comprehensive strategies to drive forward digital transformation.
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