What principle aims to improve productivity by reducing waste in manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing is a principle designed to enhance productivity by systematically reducing waste within the manufacturing process. This approach focuses on optimizing resources, improving efficiency, and delivering higher value to customers with less effort and fewer resources.

By targeting waste in various forms—such as overproduction, waiting times, excess inventory, unnecessary transportation, and defects—Lean Manufacturing creates a streamlined operation that maximizes productivity. It encourages a culture of continuous improvement, where all employees are involved in finding ways to eliminate waste and improve processes.

Other concepts, while related, may have different focuses. For example, Six Sigma emphasizes reducing process variation and improving quality through statistical methods, but it doesn't exclusively concentrate on waste reduction like Lean does. Similarly, Advanced Manufacturing encompasses a wide range of modern technologies and methods that may improve efficiency, but it does not specifically target waste reduction as its core principle. Kaizen, although it promotes continuous improvement and could align with some Lean principles, often focuses more on ongoing incremental improvements rather than the broader framework of eliminating waste that Lean Manufacturing supports.