Toyota list seven types of waste - transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, over-processing, over-production, defects. Others have added an eighth type to account for human waste - under utilizing the talents of employees. Engineers relish in making processes repeatable and removing variation. Some will relentlessly remove waste and improve a process until the process is reliable, efficient, and predictable. And deathly dull for the other people involved.
I took my car in yesterday with the service engine soon light on. It had been arhythmic, not sounding right and hesitant at times, so I was not surprised when the mechanic reported the oxygen sensor had failed. I was assured the car could be fixed by the afternoon and I would be back on the road again. Except of course the dealer didn't have the part in stock. It would take a day to get the part. Waiting. Not the person on the factory floor. The person who wants your product or service. The one who casts the vote to keep you in business. The one who relies on your goods or services.
What if I want to continue to use it for longer? What if I don't want to be part of a throw away culture? What if longevity trumps feature set in my paradigm? What if I don't want every new safety technology to prevent and ever increasingly small return on investment to prevent loss of life and accident? What if I want sustainable products that minimize the use of non-renewable resources? What if I want something that is easily recyclable?
In short, how do you prevent the muda of not meeting customers expectations?
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