Before we dive into the eight types
of wastes, it is important to understand what waste is.
Waste is any action or step in a
process that does not add value to the customer.
Originally seven wastes (Muda) were identified,
and a methodology was developed by Toyota, as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
The seven wastes were; Transportation,
Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing and Defects. They
are often referred to by the acronym ‘TIMWOOD’.
The 8th waste of non-utilized talent
or ‘Skills’ of workers was later introduced in the 1990s when the Toyota
Production System was adopted in the Western world. As a result, the 8 wastes
are commonly referred to as ‘TIMWOODS’.
We can now deep dive into each of
these eight wastes and understand how we can reduce or eliminate them as part
of a leaner and more efficient operations.
