"Well what is lean?" you might ask. Lean is what people have always done. If you owned a factory you would practice Lean. In your household, don't you try to run a lean operation? Aren't you always telling the kids to turn the lights off, and to not use so much water?

Shingo's definition of lean is an all-out war against waste from both manufacturing efficiencies and under-utilization of people. That is a pretty good starting point. Let's get more specific.

Lean Maintenance: Is defined as delivery of maintenance services to customers with as little waste as possible, or producing a desirable maintenance outcome with the fewest inputs possible. In this discussion we will investigate ways of providing excellent services while minimizing the 10 inputs:

1. Labor (any kind including labor from the operator, mechanic, clerk, staff, and contractor)

2. Management effort (reduce headaches, or non-standard conditions requiring special management inputs)

3. Maintenance parts, materials, supplies

4. Contractors

5. Equipment rental

6. Service contracts of all types

7. Raw materials

8. Energy

9. Capital

10. Overhead

And/or ways of maximizing the outputs:

1. Improved reliability (uptime)

2. Improved output quantity

3. Improved repeatability of process (less variation)

4. Improved safety for the employees, the public, and the environment

The challenge is to produce these lean outcomes while maintaining a long-term, safe, environment, and conforming to governmental statutes and company policies.

IFS is a consultancy in the related area of Lean Manufacturing. They make some promises in their White Paper on Lean Manufacturing (to be found at their web site www.Ifsworld.com). The...