The concept of lean manufacturing boils down to a core purpose, and that purpose is to strive towards eliminating waste from the manufacturing process relentlessly. To fully understand this straightforward and seemingly simplistic definition, you need to be aware of what is referred to as “waste” in this context. “Waste” is any activity during the manufacturing process that doesn’t add value for the customer and the manufacturer. Getting rid of this “waste” is the ultimate goal of lean manufacturing techniques. In a nutshell, lean manufacturing is a systematic method of minimizing waste without sacrificing productivity.

Lean manufacturing is considered one of the most important solutions for lean material handling. In the simplest of terms, material handling refers to the process involved in the movement of manufacturing materials within a production building or between a production building and a vehicle. Material handling makes use of a wide array of manual, automated and semi-automated vehicles and equipment. Needless to say, material handling plays a significant role in manufacturing and logistics.