Manufacturing waste checklist
Waste on the shop floor is easy to see and easy to blame. The office often hides just as much. This checklist covers both.
This is a free checklist from WL Solutions to help you make a clearer decision before you spend time or money, no signup and nothing to buy.
On the shop floor
- Operators waiting on material, instructions, or a machine
- Walking to fetch tools, paperwork, or parts that could be at hand
- Rework caused by unclear or out-of-date job information
- Machines idle while someone hunts for the next job
- Finished work sitting because the next step isn't ready
In the office
- Job details retyped from one system into another by hand
- Quotes, travelers, and reports built one at a time from templates
- Production status that only exists in one scheduler's head
- Purchasing chasing information across email and spreadsheets
- Time spent reconciling numbers that two systems disagree on
Where the two meet
- The floor working from paperwork the office already changed
- The office guessing at floor status because there's no live signal
- The same order entered at the desk and again at the machine
- Delays at every handoff between the shop and the front office
- Waste everyone tolerates because it's split across both sides
Related capabilities
Lean manufacturing consulting
Lean is a way of seeing waste, not a binder of tools to install.
Learn moreManufacturing automation
Most of the time trapped in a manufacturing business isn't on the shop floor: it's in estimating, quoting, purchasing, and reporting.
Learn moreProcess improvement
The best improvement is often not a new tool at all: it's removing a step, fixing a handoff, or eliminating work that shouldn't exist.
Learn moreManufacturing waste checklist: common questions
Is this checklist free to use?
Yes. Every resource on this site is free. There is no signup, no download wall, and nothing to buy.
Who is WL Solutions?
WL Solutions builds custom software, automations, and integrations for small businesses across Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas. We fix the process first, then build only what earns its keep.
Can WL Solutions help apply this to my business?
Yes. Email admin@wlsolutionstx.com with the problem you are trying to solve. We scope it at no charge and tell you honestly whether it is worth doing, us or not.
Got something that bugs you?
Tell us the problem that's eating your time. Email us and we'll tell you straight if it's worth fixing, and point you to the best next step, us or not.