Gemba Glossary: The 7 Wastes

Summary

This video script from the Gemba Glossary introduces the concept of the 7 Wastes, which can account for 40-90% of work being wasted in processes. The acronym 'TIM WOODS' helps remember the wastes: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, and Defects. Taiichi Ohno, of the Toyota Production System, emphasized the importance of identifying and reducing these wastes at the Gemba, the actual place of work. An eighth waste, Skills and Talent, is also mentioned, highlighting the need to utilize employees' full potential.

Takeaways

• 📊 Waste Identification: The script emphasizes the importance of identifying and countering the 7 Wastes in a process or system, which can account for 40% to 90% of wasted effort.
• 🔠 Mr. Tim Wood: An acronym to remember the 7 Wastes, where T stands for Transportation, I for Inventory, M for Motion, and so on.
• 🚚 Transportation Waste: Unnecessary movement of materials that does not add value to the product.
• 📦 Inventory Waste: Excess materials or work on hand beyond what is needed to meet immediate customer demand.
• 🏃‍♂️ Motion Waste: Unproductive movement of people, including walking and reaching for items that do not enhance the product's value.
• ⏱️ Waiting Waste: Idle time due to unprepared materials, machines, inspections, or information, leading to inefficiency.
• 🚫 Overproduction Waste: Producing more than what customers need, often considered the most detrimental waste.
• 🛠️ Overprocessing Waste: Designing processes that use more resources than necessary, leading to unnecessary consumption of space, energy, or labor.
• 🔧 Defects Waste: Work that falls below the quality level requested by both internal and external customers.
• 🏭 Gemba Principle: The concept of going to the place where work is done to relentlessly reduce waste, promoted by Taiichi Ohno, a key figure in the Toyota Production System.
• 🎓 Eighth Waste: The script introduces an additional waste, the underutilization of employees' skills and talents, expanding the original 7 to 8 wastes.
• 📚 Continuous Improvement: The script encourages viewers to subscribe for more insights on continuous improvement in future episodes of the Gemba Glossary.

Q & A

What is the significance of identifying the 7 Wastes in a process or system?

Identifying the 7 Wastes is significant because it helps to recognize and eliminate activities that add costs but no value, thereby improving efficiency and reducing waste in processes or systems.

What does the acronym 'TIM WOOD' stand for in the context of the 7 Wastes?

In the context of the 7 Wastes, 'TIM WOOD' stands for Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, and Defects, which are the seven types of waste to be identified and eliminated.

What is the definition of 'Transportation' as one of the 7 Wastes?

'Transportation' refers to the movement of materials that adds no value to the product, which is considered wasteful as it consumes resources without contributing to the product's value.

How is 'Inventory' defined in the context of the 7 Wastes?

'Inventory' in this context is any material or work on hand beyond what is immediately needed to satisfy customer demand, which ties up capital and can lead to obsolescence or unnecessary storage costs.

What constitutes 'Motion' waste in the 7 Wastes?

'Motion' waste includes any movement of people that doesn't add value to the product, such as unnecessary walking or reaching for items, which can be reduced to improve efficiency.

What is the waste of 'Waiting' and why is it considered wasteful?

The waste of 'Waiting' occurs when there is idle time created because materials, machines, inspections, or information are not ready for people. It is wasteful as it leads to underutilization of resources and lost productivity.

Why is 'Overproduction' often called the 'mother of all waste'?

'Overproduction' is called the 'mother of all waste' because it involves making more product than customers need, which can lead to excess inventory, increased costs, and potential waste of resources.

What is the waste of 'Overprocessing' and how does it occur?

The waste of 'Overprocessing' occurs when a product is designed in a way that uses more resources, such as space, energy, or labor, than is truly required, leading to inefficiency and unnecessary costs.

What are 'Defects' in the context of the 7 Wastes and why are they important to address?

'Defects' in this context refer to work that is less than the level requested by customers, both internal and external. Addressing defects is important as they can lead to rework, scrap, and dissatisfaction, impacting the overall quality and cost.

Who is Taiichi Ohno and what is his contribution to the concept of the 7 Wastes?

Taiichi Ohno is one of the chief architects of the Toyota Production System. He is credited with defining the 7 types of wastes, which describe all activities that add costs but no value, emphasizing the importance of waste reduction.

What is the concept of the 'eighth waste' and how does it relate to the original 7 Wastes?

The 'eighth waste' refers to the waste of skills and talent, meaning not fully utilizing the abilities of employees. It extends the original 7 Wastes by adding the underutilization of human resources to the list of inefficiencies to be addressed.

What does 'Gemba' mean and why is it important in the context of continuous improvement?

'Gemba' is a Japanese term meaning 'the real place', typically referring to the workplace where value is created. It is important in continuous improvement as it emphasizes the need to go to the source of work to observe, understand, and reduce waste effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The 7 Wastes: Understanding and Reducing Inefficiencies

This paragraph introduces the concept of the 7 Wastes, which are identified as key areas of inefficiency in processes and systems. Studies suggest that a significant percentage of work effort is wasted. The script outlines the importance of recognizing and combating these wastes, introducing a mnemonic device, Mr. Tim Wood, to help remember the wastes: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, and Defects. It also mentions Taiichi Ohno, a key figure in the Toyota Production System, who emphasized the importance of going to Gemba, the place where work is done, to reduce waste. Additionally, an eighth waste, the waste of skills and talent, is briefly introduced.

Keywords

💡7 Wastes

The 7 Wastes refer to the types of waste identified in the context of lean manufacturing and process improvement. They are crucial to the video's theme as they represent the primary focus of identifying and eliminating unnecessary activities that do not add value. The script mentions that these wastes can account for a significant portion of work effort, emphasizing their importance in efficiency and cost reduction.

💡Gemba

Gemba is a Japanese term meaning 'the real place' and in a manufacturing or business context, it refers to the place where value is created, such as the shop floor. The video emphasizes the importance of going to Gemba to observe and understand the processes firsthand, which is a key concept in identifying and eliminating the 7 Wastes.

💡Transportation

Transportation is one of the 7 Wastes, defined as the movement of materials that does not add value to the product. In the script, it is mentioned as a wasteful activity that should be minimized to improve efficiency. It is an example of non-value-added steps that can be targeted for elimination or reduction.

💡Inventory

Inventory, as one of the 7 Wastes, refers to any material or work that is not immediately needed to satisfy customer demand. The script points out that excess inventory ties up capital and space, which can be better utilized for value-adding activities.

💡Motion

Motion is identified as a waste when it involves any movement of people that does not add value to the product. The script illustrates this by including walking and reaching for things that do not contribute to the product's value, highlighting the need to streamline such activities.

💡Waiting

Waiting is a waste that occurs when there is idle time due to unprepared materials, machines, inspections, or information. The script explains that this waste can be reduced by ensuring that all necessary components are ready when needed, thereby reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

💡Overproduction

Overproduction, often called the 'mother of all waste,' is the act of making more product than customers need. The script emphasizes that this leads to excess inventory and wasted resources, which goes against the lean philosophy of producing only what is needed, when it is needed.

💡Over Processing

Over Processing is a waste that occurs when a product is designed or processed using more resources than necessary. The script points out that this can involve space, energy, or labor, and it is an area where efficiency can be improved by simplifying processes.

💡Defects

Defects are considered a waste because they represent work that does not meet the customer's expectations. The script mentions that this includes both internal and external customers, and reducing defects is key to ensuring quality and customer satisfaction.

💡Skills and Talent

Skills and Talent refer to the underutilization of employees' abilities, which is sometimes referred to as the eighth waste. The script suggests that recognizing and leveraging the full range of an employee's skills can lead to greater innovation and efficiency within an organization.

💡Taiichi Ohno

Taiichi Ohno is credited with defining the 7 types of wastes in the Toyota Production System. His contributions are significant to the video's theme as they form the basis for the lean manufacturing philosophy, which aims to eliminate waste and improve process efficiency.

💡Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement, often represented by the Japanese term 'Kaizen,' is the ongoing effort to improve processes and eliminate waste. The script mentions this concept in the context of the Gemba Glossary series, indicating a commitment to ongoing learning and process refinement.

Highlights

40% to 90% of work in a process is wasted effort, making identifying and countering the 7 Wastes essential.

Mr. Tim Wood helps remember the 7 wastes with T-I-M-W-O-O-D acronym.

Transportation is the movement of materials that adds no value.

Inventory includes any material or work on hand beyond immediate customer demand.

Motion refers to any movement of people that doesn't add product value, like walking and reaching.

Waiting waste is created by idle time due to unprepared materials, machines, inspections or information.

Overproduction is making more product than customers need, often called the 'mother of all waste'.

Over processing uses more resources than required, wasting space, energy, or people.

Defects are works below the level requested by internal and external customers.

Taiichi Ohno defined the 7 wastes that add costs but no value in the Toyota Production System.

Gemba is the place where work is done, and it's crucial for relentless waste reduction.

An eighth waste, the waste of skills and talent, signifies underutilization of employee abilities.

Adding the eighth waste to the list modifies Mr. Tim Wood's name to Mr. Tim Woods.

The 7 wastes describe all activities that add costs without adding value.

Subscribe to the channel for the next episode on the A to Z of continuous improvement.

Transcripts

What are the 7 Wastes and why should you care? Well let's find out in this edition of the

Gemba Glossary.

Now it may be hard to believe but numerous studies and observations have shown that anywhere

from 40% to 90% of the work or effort that goes into a process or system is nothing but

wasted effort. As such, being able to identify and ultimately counter what are commonly referred

to as the 7 Wastes is essential. Now to help you remember the names of these 7 wastes,

we'd like to introduce you to Mr. Tim Wood. Now T stands for Transportation which is the

movement of materials that adds no value to the product. I stands for Inventory which

is any material or work on hand other than what's needed right now to satisfy customer

demand. M stands for Motion which is any movement of people that doesn't add value to the product.

Now this includes walking and reaching for things. Next, anytime there is idle time created

because materials, machines, inspections or information are not ready for people, we have

the waste of waiting. Now overproduction often called the mother of all waste occurs when

we make more product then our customers need. Next we experience the waste of over processing

when something's designed in such a way that uses more resources such as space, energy,

or people then is truly required. And finally D stands for Defects which is simply work

that is less than the level the customer both internal and external has requested. Now Taiichi

Ohno one of the chief architects at the Toyota Production System is credited with having

defined these 7 types of wastes which describe all activities that add costs but no value.

Now Mr. Ohno also preached that the most important thing any of us can do is go to Gemba where

the place the work is done and relentlessly reduce any and all forms of waste. And finally,

you may also encounter a so-called eighth form of waste. The waste of skills and talent

meaning that we're not fully utilizing the gifts our employees bring to the table. Now

adding this eighth waste to the list is quite easy as our good friend Tim simply changes

his last name from Wood to Woods. And that's an overview of the 7 wastes. Well please be

sure to subscribe to this channel and tune in to the next episode of the Gemba Glossary

where you'll learn the A to Z of continuous improvement.