Lean thinking is not just a simple process used in manufacturing and engineering. It is a philosophy that can be applied in various parts of the organization which can help deliver great results. But the principles of lean thinking does not give benefits only to manufacturing and engineering but in all other businesses worldwide.

In this article, we will be discussing the principles of lean thinking so you can have an idea on how it could work in your business.

Value

Customer values are very important in the business. If you get to know your customers and what they believe in, it will be easier for you to cut down waste and produce top notch products with added value that your customers will not have to second guess.

Value Stream

This is the second principle for lean thinking. If you know everything from the materials down to the shipping and the usage of your products, you can then eliminate other materials or cost so you can definitely eliminate waste. This can also contribute as a way to see areas which are contributing more waste so you can make a plan and try and reduce waste as much as you can.

Flow

Flow is referred to how the value stream moves. If there are unnecessary blockages in the production, this can stop the whole process. This is where inefficiency occurs and there will be a lot of waste whether it is wasted time, materials or increased storage costs that is not needed.

Pull

Pull is the fourth principle of lean thinking. Pull refers to the created products based on the customer’s preferences. This approach requires production based on the client’s orders so you can avoid waste and make use of all materials efficiently.

Perfection

Every business strives for perfection. This is the ultimate principle of lean thinking. With all that you have gone through, you can learn from each of them so you can perfect your process of production and having zero waste if possible.

As you can see, these principles can be adapted to any kind of business so you can have a better work flow, better products and still help save our earth with trying to cut down waste as much as possible. There is no reason for you not to try and apply these principles not only in your business or company but also in your daily activities.