How could lean production help ABC?

• A. It could increase waste and energy use.
• B. It could reduce wasted materials, time, and energy, lowering costs and improving efficiency.
• C. It could replace all human labor with automation.
• D. It could require more inventory to be kept.

Answer: (B)

Lean production is about removing waste from the manufacturing process and making work flow smoothly so resources are used efficiently. When a business adopts lean, it aims to cut unnecessary materials, tasks, and delays, which often means cleaner, faster production with fewer defects and less energy wasted. By focusing on value-added activities and streamlining operations, costs fall and productivity improves.

In this scenario, reducing wasted materials, time, and energy directly reflects lean principles like just-in-time inventory, standardized work, quick changeovers, and continuous improvement. Less waste and smoother processes mean lower operating costs and better efficiency, which is exactly what a lean approach seeks to achieve.

The other statements don’t fit lean. Increasing waste and energy use goes against the whole idea of eliminating waste. Replacing all human labor with automation isn’t a goal of lean—it emphasizes efficient processes that often involve both people and technology, not a blanket move to automation. Keeping more inventory contradicts the pull-system and waste-reducing mindset of lean, which aims to minimize inventory to reduce storage costs and obsolescence.