1/31/2021 Muda, Mura, Muri in the Lean Lexicon ©

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MUDA, MURA, MURI From the Lean

Lexicon 5th
Synonym(s): 3M; Three Ms
Edition
Three terms often used together in the Toyota Production
System (and called the Three Ms) that collectively describe
wasteful practices to be eliminated.

Muda
Any activity that consumes resources without creating value for
the customer. Within this general category it is useful to
distinguish between type one muda, consisting of activities that
cannot be eliminated immediately, and type two muda,
consisting of activities that can be eliminated quickly through
kaizen.

An example of type one muda is a rework operation after a

paintbooth, which is required to obtain a finish acceptable to
the customer from a paint process that is not highly capable.
Because a completely capable paint process for fine finishes
has eluded manufacturers for decades, it is not likely that this
type of muda can be eliminated quickly.

An example of type two muda is multiple movements of

products and inventories between steps in a fabrication and
assembly process. These steps can be quickly eliminated in a
kaizen workshop by moving production equipment and
operators into a smoothly flowing cell.

Mura
Unevenness in an operation; for example, a gyrating schedule
not caused by end-consumer demand but rather by the
production system, or an uneven work pace in an operation
causing operators to hurry and then wait. Unevenness often can
be eliminated by managers through level scheduling and careful
attention to the pace of work.

Muri
Overburdening equipment or operators by requiring them to run
at a higher or harder pace with more force and effort for a
longer period of time than equipment designs and appropriate
workforce management allow.

Muda, Mura, and Muri in Conjunction

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A simple illustration shows how muda, mura, and muri often are
related so that eliminating one also eliminates the others.

Suppose that a firm needs to transport six tons of material to its

customer and is considering its options. One is to pile all six
tons on one truck and make a single trip. But this would be muri
because it would overburden the truck (rated for only three tons)
leading to breakdowns, which also would lead to muda and
mura.

A second option is to make two trips, one with four tons and the
other with two. But this would be mura because the unevenness
of materials arriving at the customer would create jam-ups on
the receiving dock followed by too little work. This option also
would create muri, because on one trip the truck still is
overburdened, and muda as well, because the uneven pace of
work would cause the waste of waiting by the customer’s
receiving employees.

A third option is to load two tons on the truck and make three
trips. But this would be muda, even if not mura and muri,
because the truck would be only partially loaded on each trip.

The only way to eliminate muda, mura, and muri is to load the
truck with three tons (its rated capacity) and make two trips.

See: Heijunka

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