Manufacturing has undergone many transformations at different times in our history, with each system incorporating one or more principles of another. The concept of lean is not entirely new, but is a crafted effort by Toyota Manufacturing Company to restructure and reinvent all aspects of manufacturing processes and management. The lean concept stresses zero inventory at all stages of production, eliminating waste as much as 75%, and improving quality and inspection by 92%. Japanese companies' successes in manufacturing are partly attributed to implementing the lean concept.
In order to gain a competitive advantage in this global economy, it is important for manufacturers to reinvent the entire structure of their manufacturing systems. This process is always difficult because it involves not only machines, materials, processes, supply, and delivery, but most importantly, people. Reinventing the system means changing the culture of the company. In a conventional manufacturing system, management often restructures the workforce and cuts benefits when the company is not competing effectively. Applying the lean concept will mean restructuring all aspects of the company because manufacturing today follows the systems model in which no part is independent, but all are integral parts of the system