The purpose of Lean Tooling is simple: to ensure that the right tool, in good condition, is in the hands of the right person, at the right time, in the right place. To do that, the authors have created a unique five-phase process.

This text targets tools and tooling. But so much waste has grown around tools and tooling that you must deal with equipment, processes, and people as well. The job of Lean Tooling is to eliminate all waste in the process while it performs its purpose. After all, anybody can do it with lots of money. Lean Tooling goes far beyond quick changeovers, setup reductions, and the 5S programme. It provides autonomous maintenance for tooling, a kanban for tooling programme, complete standardization, and visual control systems.