CentralNotice Muda (Japanese term) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject . Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style . (January 2008) Muda ( 無駄 ? ) is a Japanese word meaning "futility; uselessness; idleness; superfluity; waste; wastage; wastefulness", [ 1 ] and is a key concept in the Toyota Production System (TPS) as one of the three types of variation ( muda , mura , muri ). [ 2 ] Waste reduction is an effective way to increase profitability. Toyota merely picked up these three words beginning with the prefix mu- , [ 3 ] which in Japan are widely recognized as a reference to a product improvement program or campaign. A process adds value by producing goods or providing a service that a ...