Eliminate Waste . . . Eliminate Muda

Eliminate Waste . . .  Eliminate Muda








An other Japanese word muda made its way into western industry languages. Muda means waste, but the word carries a deeper connotation. Any non-value activity is muda.

Searching around to retrieve tools is muda. Muda exists in many forms and is to be eliminated:

• Overproduction and Inventory, items not immediately needed
• Defective products requesting repair or scraping
• Motion; unnecessary movement and energy used to perform tasks
• Process imposing inefficient and/or unnecessary tasks, fail to synchronize systems
• Idling; by excessive set-up or equipment breakdowns
• Transport, poor timing; too frequent or infrequent movement of goods and deliveries.


All categories of muda result in direct loss of money or at least fail to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction. Turning loss into profit by muda elimination is one of the easiest ways for a company to improve its operations. Elimination of waste, one of the manifold aspects of Kaizen, does not request many efforts.




Eliminating Muda or Wastes in Business
observe, recognize muda and take steps to eliminate it.