Toyota 7 Wastes

Question 1

Transport

Answer 1

• Any movement of material is waste.
• It is something that can never be fully eliminated but can be continuously reduced over time.
• Number of transport and handling operations is directly proportional to likelihood of damage.

Question 2

Inventory

Answer 2

• The enemy of quality & productivity as it tends to increase lead-time
• Prevents rapid identification of problems
• And increases space therefore discouraging communication

Question 3

Motion

Answer 3

• This relates to the importance of ergonomics for quality and & productivity and the enormous proportion of time that is wasted at every workstation by non-optimal layout.

Question 4

Waiting

Answer 4

• Any time that the materials or components are seen not to be moving is an indication of waste.
• Waiting is directly relevant to smooth flow

Question 5

Over-processing

Answer 5

• Refers to the waste of “using a hammer to crack a nut.”
• For example; having one big machine instead of several small ones discourages operator “ownership” which leads to pressure to run machine as often as possible rather than only when needed.

Question 6

Over-production

Answer 6

• Overproduction is making too much, too early or “just in case and leads directly to excessive lead times and storage.

Question 7

Defects

Answer 7

• Cost money both immediately and in the longer term & may surface internally and/or externally.
• Longer they remain undiscovered, the more expensive they become.