If you look around, you may find many examples of ‘TIM WOODS' in your facility. TIM WOODS is an acronym for the ‘eight wastes' that can plague a processing facility. In lean manufacturing, waste is any cost, effort, or material that is used in a processing facility that does not directly lead to a completed unit.
Most tasks can be broken down into one of two classifications: value-added or non-value-added. Value-added is something for which customers are willing to pay. The non-valued-added tasks are wastes that do not contribute to making a safe product that meets specifications. Although non-value-added tasks often cannot be completely eliminated, they must still be greatly reduced to keep a facility competitive.