In manufacturing, every minute and every decision play a vital role in the overall performance and productivity. But in reality, numerous hidden inefficiencies creep into the complex manufacturing process.

Some common examples include unnecessary extra steps in manufacturing workflows, supply delays that affect worker productivity, or batches of unsold goods piling in storage space, to name a few.

This is where lean manufacturing steps in — a framework designed to identify and eliminate waste, meaning any activity that doesn’t add value or, what’s worse, hinders operations.

Its main goal? Cut costs, move faster, and boost productivity by getting rid of all wastes in manufacturing, without compromising customer value.

But how can this be achieved in practice, and what are the 8 wastes of lean manufacturing that most companies face? This is exactly what we’ll explore in this article.

In simple terms, the 8 wastes of lean are key categories of inefficiencies in manufacturing that drain time, burn money, and slow down operations, often hiding in plain sight.

They were originally designed to help businesses spot exactly where time, money, or energy is being drained, and how to get it back to achieve maximum operational and financial efficiency.

Here’s a brief rundown of the 8 wastes of lean manufacturing (TIMWOODS), along with common real-life examples:

• Transportation — any time materials, parts, or tools are moved more than they need to be, you’re wasting effort. Maybe it’s a poorly planned layout, inefficient delivery routes, or items bouncing back and forth across the floor for no real reason. One common example is a factory that has its warehouse positioned on the far end of the plant, so forklifts spend all day hauling parts across — time and motion that add no value.
• Inventory — keeping more materials or products than you actually need leads to all kinds of hidden costs. It clogs up space, locks away working capital, and can even mask deeper production issues. Say a supplier offers a discount for ordering in bulk — sounds like a win. But now you’ve got 900 unused units collecting dust, tying up cash and warehouse space with no return in sight.
• Motion — extra, unnecessary movement by the workers, such as walking back and forth or constantly looking or reaching for things, often caused by poor workstation, factory, or office layouts. An example is workers having to constantly walk the full length of the plant just to grab the necessary components for their tasks — small inefficiencies that add up fast over a shift.

• Waiting — when work stalls because something’s missing, be it parts, approvals, or people, resulting in wasted time when nothing gets done. A common case is finished parts sitting idle because the packaging station is still backed up — the line’s moving, but the value isn’t.
  
• Overproduction — producing more than you need or too early, often resulting in those “extras” ending up in storage (or the trash). Think of a printing company running extra brochures “just in case,” only for the extras to pile up in a back room or get tossed months later.
  
• Overprocessing — putting in extra effort that adds no real value from the customer’s point of view. That could mean polishing parts beyond what’s needed or including steps that serve no functional purpose. Let’s consider a part that was designed with a sleek, mirror finish even though the client only asked for something functional — no one benefits, but you still pay for it.
  
• Defects — every mistake, rework, and error costs time, materials, and usually someone’s patience. For instance, a single simple mistake in the early stages of manufacturing electronics boards could mean a full day of troubleshooting and rework — not to mention all the scrap in between.
• Skills (unused talent) — it’s wasteful to ignore the people who know the work best. Frontline workers often spot problems early, but their ideas go unheard — not because they’re wrong, but because no one asks. At one site, operators repeatedly flagged a machine issue, however, management hired a consultant to find the same problem — wasting both time and money they could’ve saved by simply asking.

If you’re worried that remembering all of these wastes might be challenging, luckily they make up 2 acronym variations to make things easier (which we’ll discuss shortly).

Manufacturing leaders leverage Tervene to reduce waste

Without Tervene today, I wouldn't be able to perform my job as effectively.

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Director of Operations, Groupe Bouhyer

Originally, the “lean” framework focused on 7 wastes when it was first created in the mid-20th century by Toyota’s Chief Engineer, Taiichi Ohno. In their drive for unmatched efficiency, this approach ultimately proved fundamental to the company’s success — and reshaped global manufacturing.

As Lean thinking inevitably spread beyond the Toyota production system and automotive industry into other business sectors across the globe, a critical gap became obvious: people.

When lean principles were more widely applied in healthcare, software, and office environments, especially in the Western world, companies recognized that failing to utilize their employees’ ideas and insights was another serious missed opportunity.

Overlooking the brainpower, experience, and problem-solving ability of the workers led to what became the 8th waste in Lean — unused human potential.

Why the 7 Forms of Waste in Lean Manufacturing Weren’t Enough

The original seven wastes were centered around material, motion, and time — things you could measure on a line or see on a balance sheet. But they didn’t account for the value lost when the people closest to the work aren’t empowered to improve it.

Recognizing this form of waste was a significant shift — it transformed the Lean methodology from just cutting inventory, transportation, and operational waste to also creating a culture where everyone’s ideas matter. And coincidentally, by fully utilizing their employees’ capabilities, companies began eliminating the other seven wastes more effectively.

What is the Acronym for the 8 Wastes of Lean?

We’ve already mentioned that remembering the 8 wastes of lean manufacturing is quite simple thanks to its two acronyms, both referring to the exact same waste elements, so take your pick.

These acronyms are TIMWOODS, based on the original TIMWOOD lean framework along with the “S” for “skills”, and DOWNTIME, which was probably created to be more relevant and easier to memorize.

Let’s break down each of these acronyms to avoid confusion regarding what they stand for.

TIMWOODS vs DOWNTIME — Same 8 Wastes, Different Acronyms

TIMWOODS is the preferred acronym in most manufacturing environments and lean training materials, so you’ll probably come across it more often than the alternative.

We’ve already explored each element of the TIMWOODS acronym above, but just to recap: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects, and Skills.

The second acronym — DOWNTIME is a very convenient way to remember the eight wastes, since it already implies lost time and productivity, which is exactly what the Lean journey aims to tackle.

The letters in DOWNTIME correspond to the exact same elements of lean manufacturing as TIMWOODS, only slightly rearranged and paraphrased in some instances:

• D — Defects
• O — Overproduction
• W — Waiting
• N — Non-Utilized Talent
• T — Transportation
• I — Inventory
• M — Motion
• E — Extra Processing

Both TIMWOODS and DOWNTIME serve as handy checklists — whether you’re working on manufacturing operations or in-office workflows, you and your team can always fall back on these acronyms to ensure efficiency is at its peak at all times.

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We’ve already covered why it’s crucial for managers and supervisors to conduct objective “audits” of their team’s operations based on these 8 criteria, but that’s only half the battle.

The real goal of Lean is to completely eliminate those 8 wastes from your processes. Each form of waste has its own distinct strategies and automations that can help reduce or remove it altogether. 

According to McKinsey, manufacturers that combine Lean practices with digital technologies often achieve 15–30% improvements in labor productivity, with added benefits like shorter changeover times, fewer delays, and more accurate demand forecasting.

Below, we’ll go through each of the eight wastes one by one, with practical tips on how to tackle them in a modern work environment:

• Transportation: Every time a material is moved, there’s cost — fuel, labor, wear, and time. Oftentimes, that movement adds zero value. To reduce transportation waste, set up the most efficient logistical routes possible. Aim to handle materials as few times as possible — every time you move something with a forklift or truck, think of it as a tax on your process. If you can deliver raw materials directly to the line side and ship finished goods directly from final assembly, you’ll avoid shuffling items in and out of multiple storage locations.
• Inventory: Excess inventory ties up cash and masks long-term problems, like long supplier lead times, unbalanced flow, or unreliable demand forecasting, so it’s best to reduce excess stock through optimized supply flows. Start by analyzing your inventory levels and identifying why they’re high — is it due to large batch production, long supplier lead times, or process imbalances? Go lean with just-in-time delivery and receive materials only as needed for production, rather than stockpiling. 

• Motion: The key here is to ensure your work environment, be it a factory floor or office, is well-organized and accessible, eliminating any unnecessary motion, including even the small things like constantly reaching for things and carrying them back and forth. Though more relevant in manufacturing, one common lean methodology to tackle this is the 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) that arranges all tools and materials for optimal operations. Not only does this save time, but it also reduces fatigue and injury.
  
• Waiting: Keep all processes constantly flowing in synergy to prevent idle time. Lean teams use tools like line balancing, heijunka (level scheduling), and standardized work to maintain a steady production rhythm, all of which help ensure work is evenly distributed, without any imbalances in the production line. In addition, depending on the nature of the operations, you could cross-train workers to step in and assist if one area of production slows. 

• Overproduction: Produce only what is needed, when it’s needed — build to actual customer demand. Businesses adopting the lean framework leverage various techniques like takt time planning or Kanban boards to align production pace with real customer pull. To reduce overproduction, focus on minimizing batch sizes and improving changeover times. Large batches may feel efficient short term, but increase the risk of excess inventory, obsolescence, or even quality variation by the time it reaches the customer.
  
• Overprocessing: While it may seem counterintuitive at first — simplify your existing processes where needed. Think overly detailed documentation, excessive polishing, or unnecessary inspection loops that take up unnecessary time. Use value stream mapping to critically examine each step in your workflow and ask, “Does this add any additional value for the customer?” If the answer is no, streamline it or cut it. 
  
• Defects: Build top-notch quality into the process flow to prevent defects at the source — in most cases, it’s much cheaper to prevent a defect than to fix it later. Lean companies establish standardized work and training to ensure everyone follows the operational best practices and there’s as little variation in output as possible. Additionally, some companies set up quality control specialists at the early stages of production, rather than simply having them inspect the final products. 
  
• Skills (unused talent): Eliminating this waste is a bit different from the rest — it’s about changing your company culture and management practices. Start by involving employees in problem-solving and continuous improvement. Create mechanisms for them to have the freedom to share ideas, for instance, with short interval control (SIC) huddles. This not only eliminates the waste of underutilized human potential but also boosts morale and engagement, further driving your overall business productivity.

Lean Waste Elimination with Automation

One of the most powerful ways to eliminate the 8 wastes is by leveraging technological automation. While traditional Lean methodology still requires human manpower to spot and fix waste, modern tools can heavily assist them in these efforts.

Technology has come a long way from merely enhancing machines on the factory floor.

Nowadays, leading manufacturers also leverage Lean Management Software like Tervene to swiftly identify waste in real time and coordinate actions to eliminate it. Teams can perform audits, track issues, and standardize best practices more efficiently than ever before, enabling them to attack the 8 wastes with consistency and precision.

Here’s what Rendy Samson, Continuous Improvement Coordinator at Manac Inc., says about integrating Tervene into their manufacturing operations:

It’s an all-in-one system that includes all the activities that support our daily management system: meetings, shift handover, improvement opportunities, audits, information center. For continuous improvement, we do problem-solving at its source. We are working with Lean principles, A3s, and the PDCA cycle.

Rendy Samson

Continuous Improvement Coordinator

Lean’s not stuck in some factory floor time capsule. It’s evolving — and fast, supercharged with real-time data, IoT, and AI that enhance manufacturing across the entire process. You still need skilled people who are motivated to identify those inefficiencies, only now they’ve got tools that help them spot them sooner, and fix them faster.

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