Top 10 Best Lean Manufacturing Books

We have something for everyone, whether you’re new to lean manufacturing or a seasoned pro. You can choose from the world’s classic lean books to current practical guides for top lean management strategies and ideas.

Here are 10 great books about Lean Manufacturing to put on your reading list. Have fun reading our favourite lean picks!

Azumuta favourite lean picks

1. The Machine that Changed the World

📝 by James P. Womack
⭐️ 4.6/5

The Machine that Changed the World was the first book that mentioned the term “Lean,” and it offers a comprehensive description of the Toyota Production Method’s victories against the existing mass-production system of the time. This is a classic lean book that describes the ideas of Lean, detailing its benefits and the reasons for Toyota’s success in great detail. This book is a must-read for executives who want to lead their firms through a successful lean transformation.

2. The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer

📝 by Jeffrey Liker
⭐️ 4.6/5

The Toyota Way was the first general book for a broad audience to look at the lean concepts, management methods, and philosophy behind Toyota’s success. These 14 Management Principles have survived the test of time since their publication, and they are as important now as they were then. Companies who use these TPS techniques will certainly generate more results.

3. Lean thinking – Banish Waste and Create Wealth in your Corporation

📝 by Daniel Jones & James P. Womack
⭐️ 4.7/5

Lean Thinking is a follow-up from the authors of The Machine That Changed The World, and it covers the “how-to” of lean manufacturing. From identifying your business’s value and clarifying the value stream to aiming for perfection by removing waste and scrap, Jones and Womack explain the fundamental principles that should guide every lean implementation.

4. Essential Guide to Lean Six Sigma & Business Improvement

📝 by John Wellwood
⭐️ 4.5/5

Implementing the Lean Six Sigma methods, especially if a company is unfamiliar with them, may be time-consuming and labor-intensive. John Wellwood is well aware of the difficulties, which is why he has prepared this book based on his thirty years of experience.

This book may help readers discover friction spots, design a strategy for success, and learn how to get every department on board with their Lean Six Sigma projects. It is aimed towards corporate executives who want to teach their organization about Lean Six Sigma and business improvement tactics.

5. Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions

📝 by David Mann
⭐️ 4.8/5

The book “Creating a Lean Culture” helps lean leaders in attaining personal batch-to-lean transformation. The Lean Manufacturing Book also provides valuable guidance on how to establish essential parts of a Lean management system, such as daily accountability processes, leader standard work, handling significant HR concerns, keeping a process focus, visual controls, and more.

6. Kaizen Express: Fundamentals for Your Lean Journey

📝 by Toshiko Narusawa and John Shook
⭐️ 4.7/5

Kaizen Express explains the process by explaining the fundamental aspects of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and how to implement them in a logical, fast-paced, nonstop sequence. This concise yet comprehensive back-to-basics Lean Manufacturing Books provides a thorough primer on lean ideas and application for both lean newbies and veterans. The book began as a tool for teaching basic concepts of TPS, but it has now evolved into a must-have for everyone. It also includes fantastic pictures and charts to help reinforce crucial ideas.

7. Lean Foundations

📝 by Kane Marshall
⭐️ 4.8/5

This fascinating and essential new book answers a number of issues about Lean Management. The book is a step-by-step guide to putting Lean into practice and managing it. The book covers the 8-Steps, a well-known transformation method that addresses the three major issues that plague many manufacturers.

The following are some of the most typical issues:

• Lack of organizational health and effective cooperation.
• Lack of involvement of frontline workers.
• Lack of a well-functioning management structure

The book is the complete lean package with detailed management concepts, lean issues, and guidance throughout the process on how to become a lean company.

8. Gemba Kaizen

📝 by Masaaki Imai
⭐️ 4.6/5

In this important lean manufacturing work, Masaaki Imai, founder of the Kaizen Institute, clarifies the concepts of the gemba, or “the real place.” Through extensive discussion of gemba kaizen ideas, such as workplace organization, removing muda (waste), visual management, and the responsibilities of management in the lean workplace, Gemba Kaizen demonstrates how to make cost-effective, incremental changes in important business operations. Real-life case studies from a variety of businesses are included in the book.

9. Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA

📝 by Mike Rother
⭐️ 4.5/5

In Learning to See, Mike Rother lays out Toyota’s mapping process for the first time. This easy-to-use tool allows you to see past the complexity of a diverse plant. Discover all there is to know about building accurate current-state and future-state maps for products.

Get a better understanding of the tool (value stream mapping) and its discovery, as well as instructions for selecting important items and breaking down the implementation into simple steps.

10. How to implement Lean Manufacturing

📝 by Lonnie Wilson
⭐️ 4.7/5

This lean book addresses the newest trends as well as worldwide case studies, providing cutting-edge Lean manufacturing solutions. It also explains how to put a powerful formula in place for reducing waste, improving quality and inventory management, and improving overall performance.

This practical handbook describes the Toyota Manufacturing System (TPS) and lays out the separate sequence for Lean methods use, as well as engineering and production components.

By following the proven strategies and methods, you can successfully implement a lean transformation in your company.

Go Lean with Azumuta

Lean manufacturing has been shown to provide superior organizational production operations and strategies. Are you thinking about embracing lean manufacturing? With so much information on lean principles currently available, it’s easy to get confused.

With our lean manufacturing toolkit we can implement techniques and methods to book successful lean transformation in your company. Achieve outstanding results and gain a competitive advantage with our improvement boards, 5s audits and shop floor feedback. Ready to error-proof production and streamline your operations? Get started today!