Waste (MUDA) Elimination by Work and Time Study Technique in Manufacturing Company – Case Study

The time and work study provides techniques to analyze in detail an operation or task, measuring which activities add value and how to minimize and eliminate the ones that don’t add value or are considered a waste (muda). This article presents a case study on the utilization of the time and work technique applied to a production in the enterprise of the printing industry located in Poland. The aim of this study is to present the impact of time and work study on the production process in the enterprise and to show the negative effects of poorly established standards. Specifically, the main time and work techniques were utilized in order to optimize operations, identifying value-added and non-value-added activities, and wastes. The case study describes the company’s current scenario, proposed situation, data treatment, and results. On the basis of the analyzes and observations carried out in the enterprise, waste (muda) in the workplace caused by poorly appointed standards was identified, and then a concept of a new method of setting standards was proposed.