Waiting Vs Flowing

In batch processing, batches are queued for processing. This may be as raw materials; semi finished goods, or finished goods. Raw materials are stored until they are taken in to the production. When taken in to production, it takes longer to process in batches. When production is finished, finished goods are stored until they sent for selling. This is how conventional manufacturing works.

Whenever there is a stoppage, value is stopped and accumulated as Work In Progress. Money is stacked here. Waiting also adds up to the lead time of manufacturing and ultimately increases the lead time. As WIP or in permanent storage, products are likely to degrade and become obsolete. This adds up to the costs of manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing hates waiting. Lean manufacturing makes value to flow. Flowing of value is achieved with JIT, Pull Scheduling, Single Minute Die Exchange techniques. This is why lean manufacturing has a very high flexibility within the system. Flowing of value also makes the system to operate with little work in capital, and can deliver goods with a short lead time.

If you carefully analyze the wastes which lean manufacturing identifies, you will find a connection with value flow. If something stops the flow of value in manufacturing, then it is identified as a waste in lean manufacturing. For an example, Waiting, WIP, inappropriate processing of the goods makes value to hold. Therefore these activities are identified as wastes in lean manufacturing.

Remember, water will be stagnated when it does not flow.

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