4. Waste and Value-Added

Added value can be defined as products, services, processes, and activities, which generate a certain value to the organization and enterprise. Value-added must be regarded from the customer viewpoint and is everything for which the customer is willing to pay for. It is important that value-added is recognized and perceived as value by the client. Many studies have shown that we only add value to a product for less than 5–15 percent of the time; the rest of the time is wasted (Helmold and Terry 2016a, b). The opposite is non-adding value or waste as shown in Fig. 4.1. Waste (Japanese: muda, 無駄) is anything which adds cost or time without adding any value, or any activity which does not satisfy any of the above conditions of value-added is a waste or a non-value-adding activity in a process. The focus in operations management must therefore be in eliminating such activities like waiting time or rework (Ohno 1990; Liker 2004). Enterprise must target value-added process and eliminate or reduce waste, whereby waste can be visible (obvious) or invisible (hidden) as shown in Fig. 4.2.