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Why WoodWing

How we help

icon-woodwing-enterprise-information-management-eim

Enterprise Information Management

Take charge of your content and information with Enterprise Information Management

icon-woodwing-unlock-your-potential

Unlock your potential

Unlock your potential with WoodWing's innovative solutions

icon-woodwing-content-orchestration

Content Orchestration

Managing content at scale has never been easier or more profitable

Solutions

Content Creation

icon-woodwing-content-creation

Content Creation

Collaborate and create high-quality channel-neutral content

icon-woodwing-dam

Digital Asset Management

Manage and distribute digital assets for streamlined content

icon-woodwing-multichannel-publishing

Multichannel Publishing

Maximize reach with seamless multi-channel content publishing


Content Management

icon-logo-woodwing-document-management

Document Management

Centralize and control your documents, ensuring secure access

icon-woodwing-information-management

Information Management

Become more agile, reduce risks and benefit from available data

icon-woodwing-knowledge-management

Knowledge Management

Bring knowledge and people together to work on quality

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Process Management

Describe and organize processes and make them accessible to everyone

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Quality Management

Collectively ensure that you do the right things in the right way

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Risk Management

Gain insight and control over every aspect of risk management.


Content Services

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Creative Workflow Services

Unleash creative potential with tailored support from experts

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Digital Publishing Services

Enhance digital publishing strategy with expert services

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App Integrations

Integrate WoodWing seamlessly into your existing tech stack

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WoodWing Cloud

Experience stress-free hosting, software maintenance, and more


FEATURED CONTENT PIECE

Der Spiegel

How one of Germany’s largest news publications increased editorial and production workflow efficiency using WoodWing’s publishing software.

Read this case
Products

Take charge of your content

WoodWing Studio

Streamlined content creation and multichannel publishing solution

WoodWing Studio

Collaborative content creation and multichannel publishing solution that simplifies workflows and streamlines production processes.

Assets Logo (base)

Enterprise-grade digital asset management for streamlined workflows

WoodWing Assets

Enterprise-grade digital asset management solution that streamlines your creative workflow and simplifies collaboration among team members.

WoodWing Swivle

Cloud-based DAM for seamless file management and collaboration

WoodWing Swivle

Cloud-based DAM solution for managing, sharing, and collaborating on digital files from anywhere and on any device.

WoodWing Scienta

Software to collaborate on quality and have control over and maximize the benefits of the knowledge present in your organization.

WoodWing Scienta

Quality management platform for regulated industries that simplifies compliance, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

WoodWing Xtendis

Secure digital archiving and document management system

WoodWing Xtendis

Digital archiving and document management system that allows organizations to store, manage, and access their digital assets securely.

Connect Logo (base)

Powerful integration suite for seamless connectivity and automation

WoodWing Connect

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WoodWing Smart Styles

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WoodWing Smart Styles

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Ensure unity with document, quality, and knowledge management

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Healthcare

Always access the latest version of each process, protocol, guideline, or agreement

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Document management from context, always up-to-date, complete and accurate documents

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Read this case
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What is AI Governance? Benefits, needs, regulations and tips on using AI

What is AI Governance? Benefits, needs, regulations and tips on using AI

Transforming museum collection management: how visual search is shaping heritage preservation

Transforming museum collection management: how visual search is shaping heritage preservation

AI-powered DAM: the key to gaining a competitive advantage now

AI-powered DAM: the key to gaining a competitive advantage now

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Medium Rare

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Home Inspiration Blog | WoodWing

Manufacturing

Quality Management

3 minutes of reading

Lean Manufacturing: the 5 Lean Principles for the manufacturing industry

Optimizing profit margins, achieving maximum customer satisfaction, and running eco-conscious business practices by minimizing waste are goals almost every company aspires to. These concepts are integral to Lean Manufacturing, a production methodology introduced by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. But what exactly does it entail? And what steps are involved? Let's dive in!

Shape

What is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing is a business approach focused on reducing waste in the production process while maximizing productivity and customer satisfaction with the product. It challenges organizations to work smarter and continuously improve their product.

Lean Manufacturing is based on five so-called Lean Principles: defining value, mapping the value stream, creating flow, establishing a pull system, and pursuing perfection. When the 5 Lean Principles are correctly implemented during the production process, they significantly positively affect various aspects that determine the outcome: operating costs, product quality, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, profit.

Lean Principle 1: Define Value

The first of the five Lean Manufacturing principles is defining value. The ultimate goal of Lean Manufacturing is to increase the product's value for the end-user. Defining this value is, therefore, an important first step. During this process, you ask yourself the following questions: who is the customer, what exactly do they want, and what are they willing (to pay extra) for? Examples include good customer service, and fast delivery.

Lean Principle 2: Value Stream

Once it's clear what the customer values, it's crucial to know which activities within the organization add this value and which do not. For this, you map out the value stream. The value stream simply encompasses the entire lifecycle of the product: from the purchase of raw materials to waste disposal. The 'value stream' shows how 'value' for the customer is realized. Once mapped, it becomes clear which processes do not contribute to this 'value.' The next step is to eliminate these processes or activities.

Lean Principle 3: Create Flow

The third principle involves tackling the waste that occurs during the production process. Remove all identified waste from the process so that only value-adding processes and activities remain. Creating a natural flow is of great importance. Analyze the remaining production processes and ensure they run smoothly and that bottlenecks, which slow down or interrupt the process, are removed. After all, they only cost time and money.

Follow the 5 lean principles repeatedly to execute Lean Manufacturing as intended.

Lean Principle 4: the Pull System

The so-called pull system is the fourth of the five Lean Principles. With the pull system, you ensure that you only produce what is needed to add value to the customer in the production process. Essentially, only produce when needed, when a customer has placed an order. This limits unnecessary intermediate and final inventories, storage costs, disrupted production schedules, and – the most critical element you want to avoid – low customer satisfaction.

Supermarkets make extensive use of pull systems. A simple example makes the principle immediately clear: when a bottle of cola is bought, it is automatically placed on the next purchase order. This keeps the stock level right without the warehouse overflowing with too much stock.

Lean Principle 5: Perfection

The last principle is perfection. You might think: 'perfection is a utopia, it doesn't exist.' But you have to see it slightly differently in this context. In this last phase, striving for perfection is central. A continuous process intended to elevate the entire production process to a higher level. The idea is that you keep repeating the 5 Lean Manufacturing Principles and raise your level a bit with each iteration. It's a circular process, an ongoing loop. Customer values, and thus the wishes that customers have, can change – it's normal to expect them to change over time. Not only that, but technology also develops non-stop. As a result, new 'wastes' may make their appearance in the production process – they will, in turn, have to be filtered out of the process. In other words, quality management – as we know it from many other business sectors.

Lean Manufacturing: an ongoing process

As we said, these five principles of Lean Manufacturing are not meant to be printed out and then pulled out once in a while as a memory aid to go through the five phases again. The principles need to be incorporated into the DNA of all levels of the organization. It never fades into the background because it's a continuous process. Only when you remain engaged with it and it remains a high priority within business operations will you continue to minimize waste and optimize customer satisfaction and ultimately profit. In short, Lean Manufacturing is a process you need to stay on top of!

Shape

Published on February 07, 2024

Kitty van Commenee

Kitty van Commenee, started as a Content Marketer and now a Demand Generation Manager, develops powerful marketing campaigns with a keen focus on writing, social media, and strategy.

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