Explanation: 7 types of waste

from Muda (Japanese for waste). The following types of waste are described:

  •     Overproduction (making more than currently needed)
  •     High stocks (final, semi-finished products, vendor parts and materials stored as stocks do not add value)
  •     Rework/errors (faulty products disrupt the production flow and require expensive repair)
  •     Area (too much occupied area is a waste of infrastructure)
  •     Search/transit times (all search and transit times are wasteful)
  •     Waiting times (‘idle hands’ of an employee, process cycle not optimised)
  •     Transport times and routes (movement of materials or products does not add value)
Synonyms: 7 W, 7W, waste



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