Lean Thinking

Lean Thinking is a managerial philosophy originally born on the shop floor of the Japanese automotive firm Toyota and gradually propagated all over the world. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is a system which enables a company to face its competition by focusing on providing its market with a better answer, increasing efficiency and Total Quality. The TPS moves production from a push approach to a pull approach, where the market drives the production flow and not vice versa. Consequently, inventory has to be reduced and all waste has to be eliminated. The principles and the tools of this system helped Toyota to be successful in its sector and lead Western firms to study and imitate the approach. The model of Lean production rapidly evolved within Lean Thinking as a more comprehensive philosophy, going beyond the production area and being applicable to all organizational functions (Lean organization) and emphasizing the human factors. At the same time, Lean Thinking forced organizations to scrutinize their boundaries and to involve other actors, especially in supply chain management. More recently, the relationship between Lean Thinking and Sustainability appears to be a promising integration of Lean tools and Sustainability tools with the aim of developing new models.