Planning, organizing, directing, and regulating the production process in order to ensure that goods and services are produced effectively and efficiently is known as production management.
This production management can be approached in two different ways and they are non-other than lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing.
What is Lean Manufacturing?
Lean manufacturing is a phenomenon that concentrates on handling production while attempting to decline the rates of wastage and enhance the values. It frequently comes up while discussing the Toyota Production System, which was created in Japan following World War II. The constant desire for improvements, timely production as well as the yearning to satisfactorily meet customer needs are some of the key example characteristics of Lean manufacturing. Besides the unwavering emphasis, it positions on the termination of non-value-added jobs and boosting productivity, lean manufacturing stresses positive employee engagement and fuelling internal empowerment.
What is Traditional Manufacturing?
On the other side, traditional manufacturing is frequently connected to mass production and an emphasis on increasing output while lowering costs. Traditional manufacturing frequently uses a tight production method and a set production schedule. In order to accommodate longer production runs, it might also rely on higher inventory levels. Traditional manufacturing may have a more hierarchical management style and often lays less emphasis on employee involvement and empowerment.
If we take a deeper look at the distinctions between traditional methods of manufacturing and lean manufacturing, each system differs in terms of its ideologies as well as in its production strategies. Traditional manufacturing, which dominated production for the bulk of the 20th century, has fallen out of favour recently in favour of lean manufacturing, which is more effective and efficient.
Difference between Lean manufacturing and Traditional Manufacturing
Certain disparities between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing are clearly noticeable. Let us leisurely skim through each one of them.
Philosophy
Sufficiently catering to customer demands is well-prioritised by lean manufacturing. Therefore, it ensures the production of goods utilising nothing but the highest-quality materials that will guarantee to fuel consumer delight. Moreover, as an attempt to cut off wastage, it concurrently endeavours to put readily available resources to a more suitable use
Traditional manufacturing, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with increasing production effectiveness and lowering costs. In line with this attitude, meeting production goals, cutting production costs, and increasing profitability are given more priority. Even while it is still a crucial factor in traditional manufacturing, the consumer may not be the main priority.
The way these two methodologies are applied in practice is significantly impacted by the philosophical differences between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing. A core principle of lean manufacturing is to construct value for the customer. Hence, each and every item be manufactured in a fulfilling manner. This calls for a high level of adaptability, creativity, and ongoing growth, as well as the readiness to alter long-standing conventions as necessary.
Traditional manufacturing, on the other hand, has a more inflexible approach and relies on systems and production processes that may be difficult to modify to meet shifting consumer demands or market conditions. Traditional manufacturing could be able to manufacture things at a lower cost, but it might find it difficult to adapt swiftly to changes in customer demand or to produce goods that are high in quality and more durable.
To sum up; Overall, there is a fundamental contrast in the mindset of production management between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing. It’s not a concealed fact that each system contains its own strengths and limitations. However, if your business is client-centred and revolves around building value for your customers, there’s no doubt lean manufacturing is more suitable for you.
Production process
Another important distinction between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing approaches is the production process.
The production process is typically linear in traditional manufacturing, with each stage of production following a predetermined order. Each employee in this technique is typically in charge of a particular task or group of tasks, resulting in a high degree of specialization. In conventional or traditional manufacturing, boosting productivity and cutting costs through the optimization of specific processes are the main goals.
Lean manufacturing, on the other hand, is characterized by a continuous flow of production. By ensuring that each stage of production easily transitions into the next, this strategy aims to decrease waste and maximize efficiency. Moreover, the objective is to develop a production process that is extremely adaptable to shifts in consumer demand.
Lean manufacturing is capable of accomplishing this through employing value stream mapping. In order to reduce waste and increase efficiency, this technique entails planning out the entire production process. Therefore, organizations can find opportunities for improvement and try to reduce waste by dissecting the production process into its individual steps and examining each one.
Utilizing cross-functional teams is a crucial component of lean manufacturing’s production process. Workers in traditional manufacturing are frequently specialized in one area and may not be involved in other production phases. However, employees are urged to work together and share expertise across departments in lean production. This encourages a continual improvement culture and enables businesses to react swiftly to shifts in client demand.
To sum up; Overall, the difference between traditional and lean manufacturing’s production methods reflects fundamentally different methods of production management. The old-school, traditional manufacturing methods tends to solely focus on targeting and optimising certain key procedures to derive efficiency. Lean manufacturing, on the other hand, intends to inaugurate simplified yet easily adaptable approaches for customer value escalation and wastage minimisation.
Inventory management
The way of managing inventory is another essential area that traditional manufacturing and lean manufacturing handles quite contrastingly.
In traditional manufacturing, maintaining substantial inventories of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods is frequently prioritized. In doing so, it is made sure that manufacturing won’t stop and that products can reach customers as soon as possible. Nevertheless, keeping large inventories can be expensive and unproductive because it consumes resources that could be used more effectively elsewhere in the business.
On the other hand, lean manufacturing emphasizes reducing inventory levels to reduce waste and increase productivity. Particularly, lean manufacturing presents us with 8 kinds of waste.
Lean management has introduced several methods, such as kanban systems and just-in-time (JIT) production, which are used to accomplish this increased productivity while eliminating waste.
When using JIT production, raw materials and other inputs are sent to the production line just when they are required. As a result, there is less inventory that needs to be stored on-site, which lowers costs and frees up space for other uses. On the other side, Kanban systems are used to control inventory levels by establishing a visual system that shows when new inventory is required. This enables businesses to maintain low amounts of inventory while making sure that there is always enough stock on hand to meet client demand.
When it comes to lean management’s inventory controlling, it utilises the system known as “pull”. In a pull system, client demand rather than a predetermined production schedule drives output. This further reduces the quantity of surplus inventory produced by delaying production until there is a definite customer order.
To sum up; Overall, the distinction in inventory control between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing reflects fundamentally different methods for managing output. An intriguing dissimilarity between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing is that the former highlights the production of a restricted amount of inventory in order to limit excessive wastage, while the latter focus on preserving a loftier stock to ensure the output is continued and ongoing. Hence, By focusing on reducing inventory levels, lean manufacturing companies can free up valuable resources, reduce costs, and offer faster service.
Workforce involvement
One important and significant difference between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing is the involvement of the workforce.
Workers in traditional manufacturing are typically in charge of a particular task or collection of tasks throughout the production process. They might not be heavily involved in other production phases, and they might not have many chances to offer suggestions or criticism.
On the flip side, lean manufacturing techniques give significant importance towards involving the workforce in the production of goods. This is done through techniques like Kaizen, a Japanese idea that translates to “change for the better.” Employees from all levels of the company participate in the continuous improvement process of kaizen. It encourages employees to find areas where the manufacturing process can be improved and to put those changes into practice in order to increase efficiency and quality.
Utilizing cross-functional teams is a crucial component of employee involvement in lean manufacturing. These teams, which are made up of employees from several departments, are in charge of resolving particular issues or enhancing particular organizational procedures. Plus, cross-functional teams are able to share information and skills and create original solutions to complicated challenges by bringing together employees from many departments of the firm.
To sum up; Overall, the contrast between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing in terms of labour involvement reflects fundamentally different methods of production management. Lean manufacturing aims to involve workers at all organizational levels in the production process, in contrast to traditional manufacturing, which may rely on specialized personnel who are accountable for particular tasks. Lean manufacturing businesses are able to spot areas for improvement and put into action changes that boost productivity and quality by encouraging employees to offer input and feedback.
Quality control
Quality control is another significant area where lean manufacturing and traditional production are different.
Before products are sent to clients in traditional manufacturing, quality control is frequently concerned with finding flaws in the finished goods. At various phases of the production process, this is frequently accomplished through a series of inspections and testing. Instead of emphasizing defect prevention, the focus is on spotting and fixing problems after they have already happened.
Lean manufacturing, on the other hand, places a lot of emphasis on avoiding defects in the first place. Numerous methods, such as error-proofing, continuous improvement, and a focus on root-cause analysis, are used to achieve this. Poka-yoke, commonly referred to as mistake-proofing, is a lean manufacturing method for avoiding defects. This entails creating production methods and machinery that make errors either unlikely or impossible to occur. A production line, for instance, might be built to only take components that are the right size and shape, preventing the assembly of subpar goods.
The persistent desire to strive for steady improvements can be recognised as another pivotal element of lean manufacturing’s quality control scheme. In order to pinpoint places where the production process might be improved, this entails continuous monitoring. Businesses and companies may enhance product quality and lower the likelihood of faults by spotting and fixing minor issues before they grow into bigger ones.
Another method used in lean manufacturing to find the root causes of faults is root cause analysis. In there, organizations may create better solutions to problems that will stop them from happening again by determining their core causes.
To sum up; Overall, there is a fundamental difference in the methods used to manage production that is reflected in the quality control differences between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing. While lean manufacturing aims to avoid defects from developing in the first place through mistake-proofing, continuous improvement, and root-cause analysis, traditional production may rely on inspections and testing to detect problems after they have occurred. Lean manufacturing allows corporations to save their budgets and take their product quality to the next level. When the production costs are lowered, it would be feasible for you to allocate more capital to customer relationship management and distribution units. Therefore these teams can in fact work on enriching the satisfaction of consumers.
Flexibility
Flexibility is another significant variability between lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing.
Traditional manufacturing frequently uses a tight production method and a set production schedule. This means that it is difficult and expensive to change the production method or the production schedule after it has been established. Because of this, it may be difficult for traditional manufacturers to adapt to shifts in consumer demand or market circumstances.
In contrast, flexibility is highly valued in lean manufacturing. Multiple strategies, such as multitasking, rapid changeover, and just-in-time production, are used to achieve this.
Training employees to do many activities simultaneously during the production process is known as multi-skilling. Thus, organizations are better able to adapt to changes in customer demand or production requirements when their workforce can do a variety of tasks.
Another vital method for enhancing flexibility in lean manufacturing is quick changeover. This entails creating equipment and manufacturing procedures that make switching between various goods or manufacturing procedures simple and efficient. Because of that, businesses are able to manufacture smaller batches of products and react to changes in customer demand more rapidly by minimizing the time it takes to switch from one manufacturing method to another.
Last but not least, just-in-time production is a lean manufacturing approach used to reduce inventory and enhance responsiveness to changes in customer demand. This entails manufacturing only what is required when required and in sufficient quantities. By reducing inventory, businesses are better able to respond quickly to changes in customer demand and minimize the costs of maintaining inventory.
To sum up; Lean manufacturing is more flexible overall than traditional manufacturing, which is a reflection of the fundamentally different approaches to production management. While lean manufacturing aims to increase flexibility through multi-skilling, quick changeover, and just-in-time production, traditional manufacturing may rely on set production schedules and rigid production methods. It’s rather evident that organisations that implement lean manufacturing measures are quite flexible and snappy in nature pertaining to meeting general market demands. They’re also more instantaneous to emanate economical resolutions for compulsory concerns.
Note
While traditional manufacturing frequently focuses on increasing output and lowering costs, lean manufacturing tries to optimize the entire production process with a focus on maximizing value and decreasing waste. While traditional manufacturing may rely on a top-down management style and higher inventory levels to accommodate longer production runs, lean manufacturing places a strong focus on flexibility and employee participation.
Summary
All types of organizations and businesses have utilized both traditional manufacturing and lean manufacturing as various production management strategies to enhance their manufacturing operations.
These two various approaches to production management, which is lean manufacturing and traditional manufacturing, have different philosophies, production processes, inventory management, labour involvement, quality control, and adaptability or flexibility.
- Philosophy: The majority of lean manufacturing’s central concepts revolve around pushing consumer value upwards while bidding farewell to wastage. Traditional manufacturing, on the other hand, prioritizes improving production efficiency and cutting costs.
- Production process: Traditional manufacturing often follows a linear process with little to no possibility for adjustment, whereas lean manufacturing emphasizes continual improvement of the production process through the removal of waste.
- Inventory management: In order to cut waste and increase efficiency, lean manufacturing keeps inventory levels to a minimum, whereas traditional manufacturing frequently relies on maintaining a significant amount of inventory to ensure uninterrupted output.
- Workforce involvement: Dissimilar to traditional manufacturing structures where narrow-minded dinosaurs rule and hierarchical leadership styles are worshipped, lead manufacturing networks have faith in staff members, and therefore cherish each one of their participation in all work-related processes.
- Quality control: While traditional manufacturing often depends on inspection at the end of the production process, lean manufacturing emphasizes the significance of quality control throughout the production process.
- Flexibility: Traditional manufacturing may find it difficult to make changes rapidly due to the rigid production process, but lean manufacturing is designed to be very flexible and adaptive to changes in client demand.
