Womack and Jones, pioneers of the "Lean" movement, define "Lean" as a comprehensive approach that maximises value by eliminating waste in all processes. Lean is introduced in their influential book "The Machine That Changed the World" (1990). The five principles, namely value, value stream, flow, pull, and perfection, guide businesses to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve quality. By identifying and removing non-value-added activities, "Lean" fosters a culture of continuous improvement, leading to increased efficiency, faster delivery, greater customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, a more competitive and profitable organisation. 

To introduce "Lean", Womack and Jones referred to "Muda" (waste in Japanese) and "Lean" as a solution to it. Both Muri (overburden)/Mura (waste)/Muda (fluctuation) and "Lean" aim for efficiency but differ in scope and origin. Muri/Muda/Mura, rooted in the Toyota Production System, focuses on eliminating waste (Muda), fluctuation (Mura), and overburden (Muri) as specific problems within processes. "Lean" offers a broader management philosophy encompassing principles like value, value stream, flow, and pull, for holistic system improvement. Essentially, Muri/Muda/Mura is a tool within the framework of "Lean", providing a focused lens to identify and address waste, while "Lean" offers a wider approach to optimise operations and maximise value.

However, "Lean management" cannot be implemented as a one-size-fits-all approach, but must be tailored to the specific context of an organisation. This is because learning is gained through the process of implementation itself. Therefore, the management styles that Lean fosters will also vary.

For example, Toyota, the originator of "Lean", focuses on waste reduction, standardized processes, and continuous improvement through employee involvement. Tesla, while adopting "Lean" principles, prioritizes rapid innovation, advanced technology, and vertical integration for greater control and agility. Essentially, Toyota represents a traditional, disciplined approach to "Lean", while Tesla showcases a more innovative and technology-driven adaptation.

For o2OG, our Smart Factory Solution is a means to realize "Lean" production with real-time data management technologies as "Manufacturing Intelligence", while our approach is committed to eliminating Muri/Muda/Mura, which underpins our "Pursuit of 0 accidents".