How do you measure and reduce waste using the seven types of muda?

1 Muda of overproduction

Overproduction is the most common and costly type of waste. It occurs when you produce more than what the customer needs or wants, or when you produce it too early or too fast. Overproduction leads to excess inventory, storage costs, spoilage, defects, and reduced flexibility. To avoid overproduction, you should implement pull systems, such as kanban, that synchronize your production with customer demand. You should also use small batch sizes, frequent deliveries, and just-in-time production.

2 Muda of waiting

Waiting is the waste of time and resources when a process is idle or delayed. It can be caused by bottlenecks, equipment breakdowns, long setups, poor scheduling, or lack of communication. Waiting reduces your throughput, increases your lead time, and lowers your customer satisfaction. To reduce waiting, you should optimize your process flow, eliminate bottlenecks, implement preventive maintenance, reduce setup times, and improve communication and coordination.

3 Muda of transportation

Transportation is the waste of moving materials, products, or information from one place to another. It can be caused by poor layout, long distances, multiple handoffs, or unnecessary movements. Transportation adds no value to the product and increases the risk of damage, loss, or delay. To reduce transportation, you should design your layout to minimize the distance and frequency of movements. You should also use standardized containers, labels, and routes, and eliminate redundant or unnecessary steps.

4 Muda of overprocessing

Overprocessing is the waste of doing more work than what is required or expected by the customer. It can be caused by unclear specifications, redundant activities, excessive controls, or poor quality. Overprocessing consumes more resources, time, and energy than necessary and increases the complexity and variability of your process. To avoid overprocessing, you should understand your customer's needs and expectations, simplify your process, eliminate non-value-added activities, and ensure quality at the source.

5 Muda of inventory

Inventory is the waste of storing excess materials, products, or information that are not being used or processed. It can be caused by overproduction, poor forecasting, long lead times, or low turnover. Inventory ties up your capital, space, and labor, and hides problems such as defects, obsolescence, or demand fluctuations. To reduce inventory, you should apply the principle of lean: produce only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount that is needed.

6 Muda of motion

Motion is the waste of unnecessary or excessive movements by people or machines. It can be caused by poor ergonomics, layout, or organization. Motion wastes time and energy, reduces efficiency and productivity, and increases the risk of injury or fatigue. To eliminate motion, you should design your workstations and equipment to minimize the distance and frequency of movements. You should also use 5S, a method of organizing your workplace to make it clean, orderly, and efficient.

7 Muda of defects

Defects are the waste of products or services that do not meet the quality standards or the customer's requirements. They can be caused by human errors, machine failures, poor design, or inadequate processes. Defects result in rework, scrap, returns, warranty claims, or customer complaints. They damage your reputation, increase your costs, and reduce your profitability. To prevent defects, you should implement quality management systems, such as Six Sigma, that focus on identifying and eliminating the root causes of errors and variation.