“The most dangerous kind of waste is the waste we do not recognise” – Shigeo Shingo
Introduction
In the metro, on a train, or during a flight, everyone seems to be busy watching something on social media. On average, we spend 2 to 4 hours every day in front of a screen. While 20–30% of this time may be spent on productive work, what about the rest? We already know the answer.
The additional time spent on social media is largely unproductive and slowly eats into our valuable hours—sleep time, hobby time, family time, and personal “me” time.
Content: Muda: One Bad Weld. Eight Losses. Zero Excuses
- What is Muda?
- What are the 8 types of wastages
- Example of Muda
- Key Benefits
- Present Industry challenges
- Conclusion
Read More: https://bit.ly/MudaMuriMura (3M- Muda, Mura, Muri)
Read More: https://youtu.be/xbuD1FePP5s (Problem Solving Techniques)
Objective
Understand where your process is bleeding: silently.
Every defect triggers a chain reaction: extra production, waiting, unnecessary movement, wasted talent, excess inventory, and rework. None of it adds value. All of it costs money. The customer pays nothing for it. Recognising these 8 wastes is the first step to stopping them.
After reading the article, you will understand the meaning of Muda, what the 8 wastages are, how it impacts the organisation, related examples, key benefits and present industry challenges.
Read Morehttps://youtu.be/-1jZVaAu-X8 (Causal Factors)
Read More: https://youtu.be/qoAvb6HnF-A (SWOT Analysis)
Definition:
Heijunka: It is the practice of smoothing and levelling production volume and product mix over a period of time to create a steady, predictable workflow.
SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies): It is a Lean method used to reduce machine changeover time so that switching from one product to another takes less than 10 minutes.
Standardised Work: it is the documented best method to perform a job safely, efficiently, and consistently using the least waste.
Takt time: It is the rate at which a product must be produced to meet customer demand.
Read More: https://youtu.be/F2zVsEbbILA (DOJO Room)
Read More: https://youtu.be/2e4ubL8eHns (Kaizen)
Detailed Information
The concepts of Muda, Mura, and Muri (3M) come from Toyota and are part of the Toyota Production System (TPS), developed in post-World War II Japan.
Japan had scarce resources, limited capital, and low demand. The focus shifted from mass production to maximum efficiency with minimal resources.
Read more: https://youtu.be/bUGzXAQSsJU (5S)
Read More: https://youtu.be/MzzQFm9paJw (Quality Circle)
What is 3M?
The 3M concept was born out of scarcity, but it became a universal philosophy of efficiency.
Muda (Waste)
- Meaning: Any activity that does not add value to the customer
- Examples:
- Waiting time
- Excess inventory
- Rework/defects
- Unnecessary movement
In simple words: “Doing work that customers don’t care about.”
Mura (Unevenness / Imbalance)
- Meaning: Irregular or inconsistent flow of work
- Examples:
- Sudden rush orders followed by idle time
- Uneven workload across teams
In simple words: “Sometimes too much work, sometimes too little.”
Muri (Overburden)
- Meaning: Overloading people or machines beyond capacity
- Examples:
- Employees working excessive overtime
- Machines running continuously without rest
In simple words: “Pushing beyond limits.”
Read More: https://youtu.be/3aeV9N8io4A (DWM- Daily Work Management)
Read More: https://youtu.be/4ZgUCVvgsWg (Fault Tree Analysis)
8 Types of Muda?
Muda means any activity that wastes time, money, or effort without giving value to the customer.
There are 8 types of Muda, remembered as DOWNTIME
- Defects: errors requiring rework or scrapping
- Overproduction: making more than needed
- Waiting: idle time between steps
- Non-utilised talent: underusing people’s skills
- Transportation: unnecessary movement of materials
- Inventory: excess stockpiling up
- Motion: unnecessary physical movement by workers
- Extra processing: doing more than the customer requires
Example — MIG Welding Process
Setup: 5 MIG Welding lines running in sequence
Problem: 5 to 20% of welded parts are rejected
Why Are Parts Being Rejected?
- Gas flow, voltage, and current settings are inconsistent
- Operator is semi-skilled, not fully trained
- The welding robot was not set up correctly
8 Wastes (DOWNTIME)
D — Defects
What happens: 5 to 20 parts out of every 100 welded parts are rejected.
Why: Wrong machine settings + untrained operator + incorrect robot setup = bad welds every time.
Simple truth:
Making it wrong the first time costs far more than making it right.
O — Overproduction
What happens: To ensure enough good parts reach the next stage, the team makes 20% more parts than are actually needed.
Why: Because they expect rejections, they overproduce to compensate.
Simple truth:
Making extra parts hides the real problem instead of fixing it.
W — Waiting
What happens: Because the welding line rejects 5–20% of parts, the next line in sequence has to wait for good parts to arrive.
Why: It is a sequential process; Line 2 cannot start until Line 1 produces a good part.
Simple truth:
One bad part upstream stops everyone downstream.
N — Non-Utilised Talent
What happens: Instead of welding, the operator spends time doing rework, repair, and sorting good parts from bad parts.
Why: The process failed, so the skilled operator is now doing low-value tasks.
Simple truth:
A skilled welder doing rework is like hiring a chef to wash dishes.
T — Transportation
What happens: Rejected parts are physically moved to a separate rework table, then to re-inspection, then back to the line.
Why: Defective parts cannot stay on the production line; they need to travel to multiple locations before being accepted or scrapped.
Simple truth:
Every extra move costs time, money, and risks more damage.
I — Inventory
What happens: Extra raw materials are ordered, more MIG wire, more Gas, more base components, to support the inflated production plan.
Why: Overproduction and rework consume more materials than planned.
Simple truth:
Extra stock costs money to buy, store, and manage, and the customer pays for none of it.
M — Motion
What happens: Operators walk back and forth, to the rejection area, to fetch rework tools, to get supervisor approval, to find the work instruction.
Why: Poor workstation layout and process failures force unnecessary movement.
Simple truth:
Every step a worker takes that does not build the product is wasted energy.
E — Extra Processing
What happens: Every rejected part goes through grinding, re-welding, re-inspection, and paperwork, none of which was planned or needed.
Why: The defect created extra work at every stage downstream.
Simple truth:
The customer paid for one good weld, not five attempts to get it right.
Read More: https://youtu.be/BeLWXihzdh0 (Difference Between PDCA and SDCA)
Read More: https://youtu.be/zqIQbPWlBf8 (Hoshin Kanri)
Beyond the 8 Wastes: The Real Business Impact
When 5–20% of welded parts are rejected, the hidden costs multiply fast:
| What Increases | What Decreases |
| Inventory cost | Profitability |
| Manpower cost | Customer satisfaction |
| Storage space needed | On-time delivery |
| Premium freight cost | Team morale |
| Cost of production | Quality reputation |
And the most painful truth:
The customer does not pay for any of this. The organisation absorbs every rupee of this loss.
Root Cause: Why Did This Happen?
Only 3 simple reasons caused all 8 wastes:
- WRONG PERSON
Semi-skilled operator assigned to a skilled job
No proper training was provided
- WRONG SETUP
The welding robot was not programmed correctly
The job setup was not verified before production started
- WRONG STANDARDS
Process parameters not defined or followed
No proper gauges, jigs, or fixtures were provided
Read More: https://youtu.be/jPXHLizqzM8 (Obeya Room)
Read More: https://bit.ly/3Gemba (3G: Genma, Genbutsu, Genjitsu)
Key Benefit
3M converts hidden inefficiencies into visible business gains: cost, speed, quality, and people performance
- Quality improves
- Costs reduce
- Productivity increases
- Employee stress decreases
- In short: Better results with less effort and fewer problems
Read More: https://bit.ly/OEECalculation (What is OEE?)
Read More: https://bit.ly/PESTLEANALYSIS (What is PESTLE?)
Conclusion:
No standard + No training + No correct setup
↓
Bad Welding
↓
All 8 Wastes Activated (MUDA)
↓
Costs go up. Quality goes down.
Customers are unhappy. The company loses money.
↓
And it was 100% preventable.
The Fix Is Simple:
Hire the right person. Define the right process. Provide the right tools. Get it right the first time, every time.
Read More: https://bit.ly/7ProblemSolvingTechnique (What is Problem Solving Technique?)
Read More: https://bit.ly/4MChanges (What is 4M change?)
Present Challenges:
- Most companies do not include these losses in their Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). They only count the obvious costs like scrap and rework material. They miss the hidden costs, operator time, engineer time, extra freight, storage space, management attention, and customer dissatisfaction.
The real cost of poor quality is always 3 to 5 times higher than what is recorded.
References:
IATF 16949
Toyota Production System
Industry Experts
This is the 247th article in my Quality Management series. Each weekend, I share practical insights designed to make your Management System journey more effective, efficient, and meaningful. If you find this useful, please share it with your colleagues as well.
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