Motion Waste

Motion waste is the unnecessary movement of people that does not add value to the product - it is a major source of lost labor time, ergonomic risk, and process inconsistency.

What Is Motion waste?

• Definition: Extra walking, reaching, searching, bending, or repositioning during task execution.
• Typical Causes: Poor workstation layout, disorganized tooling, and unclear point-of-use placement.
• Measurement: Time-motion studies, travel distance, and operator cycle observations.
• Ergonomic Impact: High motion burden increases fatigue and injury risk, reducing sustained performance.

Why Motion waste Matters

• Labor Efficiency: Reducing wasted movement shortens cycle time and increases productive touch time.
• Quality Stability: Less operator strain improves consistency and lowers handling mistakes.
• Safety Improvement: Ergonomic optimization reduces musculoskeletal risk and absenteeism.
• Training Simplicity: Standardized low-motion workflows are easier to teach and audit.
• Scalable Productivity: Small motion improvements multiplied across shifts create large annual gains.

How It Is Used in Practice

• Workstation Redesign: Place tools and materials in ergonomic zones aligned to task sequence.
• 5S Discipline: Sort, set, and sustain workplace organization to eliminate searching and reaching.
• Standard Work Updates: Embed best-motion patterns into documented procedures and training.

Motion waste is lost human effort with no customer return - ergonomic, organized work design converts movement into productive value.