Studied and applied since the nineties, Lean Thinking, or theory of Lean Thinking, originates from the efforts of several companies, united by a single goal: eliminating any type of waste in order to be more efficient.
Globalization, rapid changes and innovations, market competitiveness and dynamism, changes in consumer behavior put companies in the position of having to rethink and improve their organization and processes, to increase efficiency and performance.
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At the basis of Lean Thinking is the elimination of Muda, the Japanese word which means Waste.
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Any activity that absorbs resources for purposes other than creating value for the end customer is considered a waste and, as such, must be eliminated or, if this is not possible, reduced to a minimum.
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The first thing Lean Thinking teaches is learning to see waste, in order to increase the efficiency of the organization as a whole, the quality of its products and services.
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This, to better respond to the needs of the customer, who must always be placed at the center of attention of every person who is part of the organization: it is the customer who defines the value and is willing to pay a price for the product or service that meets his needs.
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Originally born as a production management practice and named Lean manufacturing, Lean Thinking is now successfully applied all over the world and in all sectors and is no longer limited to manufacturing processes alone but is applied, in general, also to commercial and administrative processes: the Lean Office or Lean Administration.
Reason why, in general, the term has been affirmed Lean Management, as a lean management practice in all sectors and in all forms of organization and LOS, Lean Operations System.