Waste minimisation

Question 1

waste minimisation

Answer 1

The process of reducing the amount of discarded resources created by the businesses operations system. Reducing the wastage will improve the efficiency of the business as less resources are used to produce outputs.
• Waste prevention techniques include the 4R’s:
o Reduce: the use of resources
o Reuse: if waste is produced, reuse it when practical
o Recycle: Recycle waste material into useable products
o Recovery: Sometimes it is possible to recover materials or energy from waste which cannot be reduced, reused or recycled.

Question 2

Efficiency and effectiveness of waste minimisation

Answer 2

Efficiency
By only using the required amount of materials, time etc, a business can produce items faster, increasing their rate of productivity

effectiveness
Reducing waster lowers operational costs which can allow for a business to offer lower prices to customers. This can assist in meeting the objective of increasing customer satisfaction and sales.

Question 3

Lean management

Answer 3

Is the process of systematically reducing waste in all areas of production while improving customer value. Greater customer value while using fewer resources. 
•	Lean management results in:
o	Improved efficiency 
o	Improved effectiveness 
•	Lean management aims to:
o	Increase efficiency, effectiveness and quality of processes 
o	Improve customer satisfaction 
o	Improve employee satisfaction 
o	Improve customer satisfaction

Question 4

Areas of waste and principles (lean management)

Answer 4

•	Areas of waste include
o	Transportation (reducing unnecessary transport
o	Inventory (avoiding excess storage of inventory)
o	Motivation (Reduce movement of workers, parts and products 
o	Waiting (Reducing time between processes)
o	Overproduction (Avoiding making more than demand)
o	Over processing (Removing processes that add little value)
o	Defects (reducing defects and errors)

• 5 s’s (principles)
o Sort: Clearing, classifying
o Set: Set in order, straighten, simplify
o Shine: Sweep scrub, clean and check
o Standardise: stabilize, conformity
o Sustain: Self-discipline, custom and practice

Question 5

Efficiency and effectiveness of lean management

Answer 5

Efficiency
Removes wastage by using less resources. Reduces the number of errors in production by only producing one unit at a time

Effectiveness
Produces products that customers value and becomes more competitive

Question 6

Advantages and disadvantages of lean management

Answer 6

Advantages
• may improve employee satisfaction as they are more actively involved in reducing waste
• products can be produced at a faster rate
• business reputation is improved
• reduces the overall use of materials which leads to less production cost

Disadvantages
• maybe overwhelming for employees as there is a continuous goal for the improvement of processes and waste minimisation
• maybe try consuming to train in experienced employees
• can be costly to implement