is a Japanese word meaning "futility; uselessness; idleness; superfluity; waste; wastage; wastefulness", and is a key concept in the Toyota Production System (TPS) as one of the three types of waste (muda, mura, muri). Waste reduction is an effective way to increase profitability. Toyota merely picked up these three words beginning with the prefix mu-, which in Japan are widely recognized as a reference to a product improvement program or campaign.
A process adds value by producing goods or providing a service that a customer will pay for. A process consumes resources and waste occurs wh...