Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing is a comprehensive production methodology systematically introduced into Western literature by Womack and Jones in 'Lean Thinking' (1996), with roots in the Toyota Production System (TPS, Ohno 1988). It rests on five core principles: (1) defining value from the customer perspective, (2) mapping the value stream, (3) making the flow continuous, (4) the pull-production principle, and (5) continuous improvement (kaizen) toward perfection. Lean targets eight forms of waste (muda): overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, over-processing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion, defects, and unused employee skill. Lean has two operational pillars: JIT (flow and pull) and Jidoka (quality at the source and autonomous stoppage). In an SMB context a lean transformation is treated not as a one-off project but as a cultural and operational journey; most Turkish manufacturing SMBs start lean with 5S workplace organisation, SMED quick-setup, and value-stream mapping, then deepen through kanban and OEE. OR problems such as assembly line balancing, aggregate production planning, and job-shop scheduling are reinterpreted under the lean filter — for example, keeping lot sizes minimal questions the EOQ trade-off point. References: Womack, Jones, and Roos 'The Machine That Changed the World' (1990); Liker 'The Toyota Way' (2004); Rother and Shook 'Learning to See' (1999).