Chapter 5 — full chapter
5.1 Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing manages production as one connected flow, aligning quantity and quality with real demand while removing work that does not add value. In textiles, overproduction, waiting, excess inventory, transport, defects and rework are linked: improving one isolated operation can simply move delay or stock elsewhere.
SMEs can start by mapping a product family from material arrival to fulfilment, measuring lead time, work in progress, defects and changeovers. Visual management, standard work, preventive maintenance and short improvement cycles help teams address root causes. The objective is not maximum machine utilisation, but a reliable system that produces the required item at the required time with less material, energy and corrective work (de Carvalho et al., 2025).
RESOURCE INSIGHT: Lean manufacturing has a wide range of tools and concepts. By understanding what works best for which situation, you can customize your own solution and make lean methodologies work for you. Source: https://www.leanproduction.com/top-25-lean-tools/