is a
Japanese word meaning "futility; uselessness; idleness; superfluity; waste; wastage; wastefulness", and is a key concept in the
Toyota Production System (TPS) as one of the three types of deviation from optimal allocation of resources (
muda,
mura,
muri).
Waste reduction is an effective way to increase profitability.
Toyota adopted these three words beginning with the
prefix mu-, which in Japan are widely recognized as a reference to a product improvement program or campaign.