TUM School of Management

Production and Supply Chain Management

Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

The 3Ms

Jon Woolfrey
Faculty of Engineering &
Information Technology (FEIT),
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Jon Woolfrey 1
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

Learning Objectives
• Define the 3Ms.
• Give examples of the 3Ms in work processes.

Jon Woolfrey 2
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

The 3 Ms of Lean Mura

(Inconsistency)
uneven, irregular, erratic,
inconsistent

Muri
(Overburden)
unreasonable, impossible,
excessive

Muda
(Waste)
futile, useless, pointless

Jon Woolfrey 3
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

Mura (Inconsistency) Mura

(Inconsistency)
uneven, irregular, erratic,
• Uneven customer demand inconsistent
• Uneven distribution of work load
• Inconsistent quality of supplies and tools
• Irregular scheduling of work

• Effort to overcome Mura = Muri (overburden)

• Periods of low activity = Muda (waste)

Jon Woolfrey 4
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

Muri (Overburden) Muri

(Overburden)
unreasonable, impossible,
• People working too fast or hard to excessive
keep up with demand
• People working long hours to make
up for lost time
• Running machines too fast to meet
production targets
• Overloading machines to get more
from them
• Skipping maintenance to reduce
downtime

Work smarter, not harder!

Jon Woolfrey 5
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

Muda (Waste) Muda

(Waste)
futile, useless, pointless
• Any activity that doesn’t produce
value for the customer
• The 7 Wastes:
Transport
Inventory
Motion
Waiting
Over-processing
Overproduction
Defects

Muri
(Overburden)

Safety
Jon Woolfrey 6
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

The 3 Ms of Lean Mura

(Inconsistency)
uneven, irregular, erratic,
inconsistent

Muri
(Overburden)
unreasonable, impossible,
excessive

Muda
(Waste)
futile, useless, pointless

Jon Woolfrey 7
 TUM School of Management
Production and Supply Chain Management
Prof Martin Grunow Technische Universität München

The 3Ms

Jon Woolfrey
Faculty of Engineering &
Information Technology (FEIT),
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Jon Woolfrey 8