5S
A simple but dramatic Lean technique to highlight and eliminate waste with a better organised workplace. Find out more.

Activity sampling
A technique in which observations are made over a period of time of one or a group of machines, processes or workers. Find out more.

BasicMOST^®
The core of all MOST^® work measurement systems – can be used with or without software applications. Find out more.

Cellular manufacturing
Linking manual and machine operations into the most effective and efficient combination of resources.

Industrial engineering
The provision of advisory and information services to assist management in improving productivity. It’s concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, equipment and other resources. Find out more.

Kaizen
A strategy for creating a culture of continuous improvement. Find out more.

Kanban
A Japanese term meaning “signal” that creates an orderly and efficient flow of materials throughout an entire manufacturing process.

Lean thinking
Focussing on adding value to a process, a product family, a department or a division – and eliminating anything wasteful. Find out more.

MaxiMOST®
An ideal system to measure non-repetitive, long cycle activities such as part handling, tool use, machine and equipment handling. Find out more.

Maynard
H B Maynard & Co Inc, USA – the developer of the MOST^® technique and Maynard software.

Method study
The systematic recording and critical examination of ways of doing things in order to make improvements.

MiniMOST®
The system to use when you need to measure and improve the methods of highly repetitive, short cycle operations. Find out more.

MOST^® (Maynard Operation Sequence Technique)
A powerful PMTS technique used effectively for the occasional assessment of work content or as the basis for a corporate measurement system – in every business environment. Find out more.

MTM (Methods-Time Measurement)
A procedure to specify and improve methods and establish synthetic time standards

OEE Overall Equipment Effectiveness
A composite measure of the performance of a machine or process to carry out value adding activity, usually expressed as a percentage

PADS (Pre-determined Administrative Data System
A measurement technique based on MTM data used in some administrative environments. Find out more.

Performance rating
Assessing the worker’s rate of working, usually based on Standard Performance. Find out more.

PMTS
Pre-determined motion time systems (synthetic time data).

P-MTX
A measurement technique formerly called MTM-X.

Process mapping
Ensuring that the activities in a process are identified and documented in an orderly way.

Productivity
The efficient and effective use of resources, including people, time, talent, knowledge, information, systems, finance, energy, land, buildings, materials, space, plant and equipment. Improving productivity is the objective. Find out more.

Six Sigma
The continuous pursuit of waste elimination, reduced variation and defect prevention. Only do essential work at the point of changeover/setup. Find out more.

SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies)
Highly effective quick changeover methodology to reduce downtime from changeovers in any business. Find out more.

SPC (Statistical Process Control)
The most used method of management control of a process through the use of statistics or statistical methods.

Standard performance
The pace of work that a qualified worker, conversant with the task, will be able to maintain under proper conditions, throughout the normal working day, without undue fatigue, providing they take the appropriate amount of rest. Find out more.

Time study
Observing, recording and rating of human work to establish the times required by a qualified worker to perform specified work under stated conditions at a defined rate of working. Find out more.

UAS
A Pre-determined Motion Time System (PMTS) based on MTM (Methods-Time Measurement) which was developed by the German, Austrian and Swiss MTM Association in the 1970s for processes involved in batch production.

Value stream mapping (VSM)
Recording the entire collection of activities necessary to produce and deliver a product or service – the power of VSM is in driving solutions for early improvement. Find out more.

Work study
The systematic examination of activities in order to improve the effective and efficient use of human and other resources.