Muda is a japanese word, which means waste, where waste is any activity that

does not add value. Reducing or eliminating muda is, of course, one of

the fundamental objectives of any quality-oriented person.

Taichi Ohno of Toyota identified what are called the seven wastes or seven

mudas, being the most common form of muda found:

MUDA

Waste from overproductionWaste of time in waiting Transportation waste Processing waste Inventory waste Waste of motion Waste from product defects

1.Waste from overproduction Which leads to excess inventory, paperwork,

handling, storage, space, interest charges, machinery, defects, people and overhead.

It is often difficult to see this waste as everyone seems busy.

Unnecessary production to show higher machine utilization (or lower manufacturing cost)

Stategies to eliminate :-Strong production planning and controlProduction according to custmer scheduleFirm delivery requirement from markting.

2.Waste of time in waiting :-

Its occurs when worker or machine is not performing its job.

People may be waiting for parts or instructions.

Mostly they are waiting for one another, which often happens because they have non-aligned objectives.

The talent of employes also wasted.Tools to identify :-KaizenMethod study

3.Transportation waste :-It is highly visible form of waste unnecessary

transportation create the need for more storage space,more equp., and workers.

Poor layouts lead to things being moved multiple times.

If things are not well place, they can be hard to find.

It can aggravate alignment of processes. Stategies to eliminate :-Store material as close to the point of use as

possibleAvoide transportation over long distance.Avoid over production.

4.Waste from product defects:-

Defects imply rework or reject. Research confirms that 20 to 30% of manufacturing company’s gross revenues are spent on correcting mistake.

Defects cause rework, confusion and upset a synchronized set of processes.

Loss of customerLoss of future businessCauses of defects:-Incorrect product designDefective materialsPoorly trained employees

Stategies to eliminate :-Design reviewsTraining to employeesMantenance of machines and equipment.

5.Waste of motion

A worker while performing a task makes use of a number of motions.some of these motion-

Are unnecessary and can be eliminatedCan be combined by changing their

sequence.Can be performed efficiently by other

members of the body.Stategies to eliminate :-Motion economy principalEffective suparvision

6.Inventory waste :-

Inventory comprises of finished goods semi-finished products or parts and supplies.Excess inventory is a real waste as it dose not add value but add to the cost by-

Occupying spaceRequiring additional equipment and facilities

such as storage racks,cupboards etc.Insurancing stock Stategies to eliminate :-Dispose off obsolete material to save space and

to avoid confusion.Do not produce items ahead of custmer’s

delivery requirements.Do not manufacture products in excess of

custmer’s requirements.

7.Processing waste :-

Processing cost of a product is mainly decided by conversion process,combination of mechanical and chemical operations and supports activities required to produce goods and services.

Additional effort may be required in an inefficient process

Causes of MUDA of processing:-Poor allocation of work to menFailure to identify and use of most

effective methodOver production

Tools to eliminate:-Method studySimplificationKaizenMuda in office:-Muda can also be found in support function

such as engineering,planning,marketing,purchase,stores,a/c and HRM etc.

Examples of muda in officeWaiting the people at meetingMaking unproductive phone callsUnnessary copies of documentsLetterheads printed in excess of requirements.

Tools to eliminate:- Work Simplification 5-s technique for office

A simplified view of muda is: Wasting time. Wasting a consumable resource, such as materials. Causing dis-satisfaction (including incomplete satisfaction). Muda is one of the '3Ms': muda, or waste, mura, meaning irregular,

uneven or inconsistent, and muri, meaning un-reasonable or excessive strain.

The acronym 'DOT WIMP' can be used to remember Muda wastes (Defects, Overproduction, Transportation, Waiting, Inventory, Motion, Processing).

A variant on Mudas is sometimes called the '8 Wastes of Lean', changing 'processing' to 'over-processing', and adding under-use of skills. This has the acronym 'TIM WOODS' (Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-production, Over-processing, Defects, Skills).

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