The 3M Lean Tool: Toyota’s Short Lean Mantra

3M Lean Tool in a Nutshell

The 3M method of TPS (Toyota Production System) is called so because of the three Japanese words used by Toyota to describe 3 unwanted types of elements from their production floor. These are…

  • Muda: Means “Waste” and, as we already saw this is the different types of wastes, several lean tools exist which we will study further, that seek to eliminate “muda”.
  • Muri: Means “overburden” and this can easily be a consequence of muda as well in addition to being present otherwise. A continuous exposure to this state will inevitably result in breakdowns or simply absenteeism in equipment and people respectively. Muri can also result in decreased quality as well as decrease in safety of both machine and man, hence the right balance needs to be maintained in order to eliminate muri conditions at a workplace.
  • Mura: Means “unevenness” it can refer to unevenness in workloads of individuals or production stage performances, difference in cycle times of different stages resulting in non-synchronous work-flows etc. Mura can also result from uneven/fluctuating customer demands or issues with supply-chains etc. Hence, this aspect called mura needs to be kept in mind while designing or optimizing process-flows as well, else even this leads to muda 🙂

3M Lean : Toyota's Shortest Lean Mantra

3M of Lean

While i have covered the theory for 3M in this blog, however, at the ProSigma workshops you will find that you will learn this and more by actually doing. We believe most of the Learning needs to be by experience and interactivity and our Lean Focus is simply unparalleled in India, and we make it available via a range of Lean Six Sigma programs designed to cater to every level of professional.

However, before we conclude this blog, for those who are new to Lean Six Sigma and are interested in more such topics do visit the rest of ProSigma’s blog section, or try our 100% Free Online Lean Six Sigma White Belt Certification. Or join one of our premium (paid) range of programs,

and, Advanced students will like the following:
 

1 thought on “The 3M Lean Tool: Toyota’s Short Lean Mantra”

  1. Hey there, Nice Work, looking forward to reading more of your blogs …, regards, Monika

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