Creating a Lean Culture, 3rd Edition

340 ◾ Glossary

Lot size: Lean practitioners often refer to lot sizes, rather than using the

word batch. In any case, lot size refers to a specific quantity or batch

in which parts are produced or procured. Batches, or lots of defined

size, are used in Lean processes where one-piece flow is not yet pos-

sible because of bottlenecks or where resources are shared among

value streams. The lot size (and container size) at the point where

parts are used, typically in assembly, the lot size in which parts are

held in supermarkets, and the lot sizes in which producing work cen-

ters make parts need to be in close alignment to avoid adding several

potential forms of waste into the system as a whole. Seealso flow.

Machine balance chart: Shows the load on ...