Lean manufacturing is a way of running a factory that systematically removes anything the customer would not pay for - waiting, excess stock, over-production, rework and unnecessary movement.

Lead time is the total elapsed time from order to delivery, including queuing, setup, processing, moving and waiting. Most of it is usually waiting, not work.

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a single measure chosen to show whether a specific objective is being met - on-time delivery, OEE, scrap rate - tracked over time rather than looked at once.

Kanban is a pull system that uses a visual signal - a card, bin or board column - to trigger the next piece of work or the next delivery of material, so nothing is made or moved until it is actually needed.

Job costing works out what an individual job actually cost - material, labour, machine time and overhead - so you can compare it with what you quoted and see which work is genuinely profitable.

ISO certification is independent verification that your business meets a recognised international standard - most commonly ISO 9001 for quality management - assessed by an accredited external auditor.

Inventory management is the control of raw material, work in progress and finished goods - knowing what you hold, where it is and when to order more, without tying up cash in stock you do not need.

The Internet of Things (IoT) means physical equipment fitted with sensors and network connections, so machines report their own status, output and condition without anyone reading a gauge.

Industry 4.0 is the shift to connected factories, where machines, systems and people share data in real time so decisions are made on what is happening now rather than what a report said last week.

A human-machine interface (HMI) is the screen and controls an operator uses to run and monitor a machine - the panel that turns machine data into something a person can act on.