Lean manufacturing is a management methodology that focuses on reducing all types of waste, visualizing attainable information, and optimizing resources. It originated from the production system of Toyota Motor Company in Japan and has developed into a management philosophy that emphasizes value addition, stakeholder involvement, and continuous improvement. In the era of Industry 4.0, these core values remain the goals of all businesses, yet their endeavors can now be strengthened by the Internet, ICT, and effective capturing and processing of data.
However, most SMEs have limited knowledge of suitable digital technologies and therefore tend to overlook basic principles for productivity improvement and invest in attractive technologies rather than the most necessary ones. They may also have blind spots on where technologies should be deployed in the supply chains to maximize value creation. Therefore, examples of effective applications of lean management and digital technologies are needed to provide benchmarks for business upgrading strategies.
This self-learning e-course aims to demonstrate how lean management sets the foundations for digitalization and suitable technologies that can effectively support businesses, farms, and factories in pursuing digital upgrading and enhancing productivity.
The course will cover the following modules: