: An inventory strategy where materials are produced or delivered only as needed, significantly reducing storage costs and excess inventory.

: A philosophy of ongoing, incremental improvements involving every employee to strive for perfection in processes. Operational Flow Features

In operations management, lean manufacturing focuses on maximizing value by eliminating waste across all production stages. Here are the key features and principles categorized by their operational impact: Core Strategic Pillars

: "Intelligent automation" that allows machines to detect errors and stop automatically, preventing the production of defective parts. Workforce and Workplace Organization What is Lean Manufacturing and the 5 Principles Used? - TWI

: Identifying value strictly from the customer’s perspective to ensure all activities contribute directly to the final product's worth.

: Production is triggered by actual customer demand rather than forecasted capacity, ensuring the system only creates what is required next.

: Moving items through production one unit at a time to reduce lead times and quickly identify defects.

: A visualization tool used to analyze the current flow of materials and information, identifying both value-added and non-value-added activities (waste).