Muda

“Muda” is a Japanese term meaning “waste” or “uselessness” in the context of lean manufacturing. It refers to any activity or process that does not add value to the product or service for the customer. Essentially, it’s anything that can be eliminated without impacting the end result.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Value-adding activities:
Activities that directly contribute to the product or service the customer is paying for are considered value-adding.
Non-value-adding activities:
These are activities that consume resources (time, materials, effort) but don’t contribute to the final product or service’s value. Examples include unnecessary paperwork, waiting, or defects.
Lean Manufacturing and Muda:
Lean manufacturing principles focus on identifying and eliminating muda to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase profitability.
Examples of Muda:
Overproduction: Producing more than what is needed.
Waiting: Time spent waiting for materials, information, or processes.
Transportation: Moving materials or products unnecessarily.
Inventory: Holding excessive amounts of raw materials, work-in-progress, or finished goods.
Motion: Unnecessary movements by workers or machines.
Overprocessing: Performing more work on a product than is required.
Defects: Creating products that need to be reworked or discarded.