Lean Manufacturing systems shows the steps towards a lean Manufacturing Cell. In-depth material available in the notes section!
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12. Prepare 5S Training Packages
Appoint and Train area 5S Champions
Launch the 5S Visual Control charts
Audit Progress
Reward Performance and Achievement !!!!
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13. Prepare 5S Training Packages
Launch the 5S Visual Control charts
Audit Progress
Train All Employees!
Reward Performance and Achievement !!!!
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14. Prepare 5S Training Packages
Launch the 5S Visual Control charts
Audit Progress
Recognise and Publicise Achievements
Reward Performance and Achievement !!!!
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15. Prepare 5S Training Packages
Appoint and Train area 5S Champions
Launch the 5S Visual Control charts
Audit Progress
Train All Employees!
Recognise and Publicise Achievements
Reward Performance and Achievement !!!!
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16. Prepare 5S Training Packages
Appoint and Train area 5S Champions
Launch the 5S Visual Control charts
Train All Employees!
Recognise and Publicise Achievements
Audit Progress
Reward Performance and Achievement !!!!
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25. One Piece Flow ~ Pull not Push
ONE Piece Flow =>
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26. Step 5 - Implement Kanban
Work towards EDI-ban
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to help ensure that every detail is correct
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27. KanBan Pull System
Coordination of Material, Information and Actions
It’s a material-flow control method, based on the
replenishment of only those quantities that have
already been consumed
KanBan
Replenishment of what you need,
when you need it,
in the needed quantity
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29. KanBan
Customer (downstream) processes withdraw items in the
precise amounts specified by the Kanban.
Supplier (upstream) produces items in the precise
amounts and sequences specified by the Kanban.
No items are made or moved without a Kanban.
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30. KanBan
A Kanban should accompany each item, every time.
Defects and incorrect amounts are never sent to the next
downstream process.
The number of Kanbans is reduced carefully to lower
inventories and to reveal problems.
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39. Implement Quality Function Deployment
Perform Risk Analysis using FMEA
Implement Process Control Plans
Establish the use of the Seven Quality Tools
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40. Implement Quality Function Deployment
Implement Process Control Plans
Establish and Improve Process Capability using SPC
Establish the use of the Seven Quality Tools
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41. Implement Quality Function Deployment
Perform Risk Analysis using FMEA
Implement Process Control Plans
Establish and Improve Process Capability using SPC
Establish the use of the Seven Quality Tools
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42. QFD: Quality Function Deployment
Seeks out spoken and unspoken customer needs from
fuzzy Voice of the Customer word for word.
43. QFD: Quality Function Deployment
Seeks out spoken and unspoken customer needs from
fuzzy Voice of the Customer word for word
Uncovers "positive" quality that wows the customer
44. QFD: Quality Function Deployment
Seeks out spoken and unspoken customer needs from
fuzzy Voice of the Customer word for word.
Uncovers "positive" quality that wows the customer
Translates these into designs characteristics and
deliverable actions
45. QFD: Quality Function Deployment
Seeks out spoken and unspoken customer needs from
fuzzy Voice of the Customer word for word.
Uncovers "positive" quality that wows the customer
Translates these into designs characteristics and
deliverable actions
Builds and delivers a quality product or service by focusing the various business
functions toward achieving a common goal—customer satisfaction!
46. QFD: Quality Function Deployment
Seeks out spoken and unspoken customer needs from
fuzzy Voice of the Customer word for word.
Uncovers "positive" quality that wows the customer
Translates these into designs characteristics and
deliverable actions
Builds and delivers a quality product or service by focusing the various business
functions toward achieving a common goal—customer satisfaction!
49. Step 7 - Implement Visual Control
Make the Flow Visual
Use Visual Indicators to highlight Danger Areas,
Work Areas and Walkways
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50. Step 7 - Implement Visual Control
Make the Flow Visual
Use Visual Indicators to highlight Danger Areas,
Work Areas and Walkways
Implement Location Indicators
Implement Quantity and Height Indicators
Implement Andon Lights
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56. Step 8 - Implement Total Productive
The Steps to TPM:
Maintenance
Prepare a Training Package
Appoint and Train an overall Champion
Launch TPM
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57. Implement Total Productive
The Steps to TPM:
Maintenance
Prepare a Training Package
Appoint and Train an overall Champion
Launch TPM
Train All Employees
Audit Progress
Recognise and Publicise Achievements
Reward Performance and Achievement
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58. TPM Visual Control
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Manpower
Losses
Material
Losses
Cleaning and Checking
Waiting Materials
Waiting Instructions
Waiting Quality Confirmation
Material Yield
Energy Losses
Consumable Material Losses
59. The Steps to TPM
Establish “Front Line” Spares Policy
Implement Predictive Maintenance
(Condition Monitoring)
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60. The Steps to TPM
Establish “Front Line” Spares Policy
Implement Predictive Maintenance
(Condition Monitoring)
Implement Quality Maintenance
Implement Reliability Centred Maintenance
Implement Improvement Maintenance (6 Big Losses)
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62. The Steps to TPM
Implement TPM on All Critical Machines/Equipment
Appraise Condition of Equipment
(Ensure Availability of Manuals)
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63. The Steps to TPM
Implement TPM on All Critical Machines/Equipment
Appraise Condition of Equipment
(Ensure Availability of Manuals)
Restore Equipment to “As New” Condition
Determine Operator Tasks (Autonomous Maintenance)
Implement Preventative Maintenance
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64. Step 9 - Implement Jidoka
with a human element
The principle of stopping work immediately,
When a concern occurs.
(Central to Lean)
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JI DOU KA
JI DOU KA
65. Jidoka
Create a Culture of Stop and Fix
Build Poka Yoke into the Processes
Convert Human Work to Machine Work
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70. Step 11 - Implement Heijunka ~
Levelling
Focus on Large Variations between Process Cycle Times
Focus on High Transport Time and/or Distances
Focus on Equipment and Machine Breakdowns
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71. Step 12 - Establish a Multi-Skilled
Workforce
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72. Multi-Skilled Workforce
Determine the Processes
Rate each Persons Competency Against each Process
Establish Critical Mass Requirements
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73. Multi-Skilled Workforce
Determine the Processes
Rate each Persons Competency Against each Process
Establish Critical Mass Requirements
Create a Skills Matrix
Train to Meet Critical Mass Requirements
Create Training Modules
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75. Final Step - Implement Manpower
Reduction
Remove Excess Manpower from All Processes
Remove Excess Manpower resulting from Kaizen
activity or “Break-through” Management
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76. Manpower Reduction
Provides new opportunities to train for new skills
Allows people to move to different process areas
Enables promotion to management
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78. Things I would like to do again
Lead initiatives, spark creativity, explore insights,
cultivate brands, strengthen companies, build teams,
encourage others, challenge myself
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Lean Manufacturing
Lean Manufacturing, or Lean Production, refers to a business concept wherein the goal is to minimize the amount of time and resources used in the manufacturing processes and other activities of an enterprise, with emphasis on eliminating all forms of wastage. It is basically the fusion of various management philosophies designed to make operations as efficient as possible. Business philosophies invoked by lean manufacturing include Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing, Kaizen, Total Quality Management (TQM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Cellular Manufacturing, and the like. The roots of lean manufacturing can be traced to Japan, or more specifically, Toyota.
Lean manufacturing operates on three principles: 1) that 'muda', or waste, is bad; 2) that the manufacturing processes must be closely tied to the market's requirements; and 3) that a company should be seen as a continuous and uniform whole that includes its customers and suppliers, a concept known as 'value stream'. Lean manufacturing is not merely a tool - it is a way of life that all members of an organization must appreciate, and practice.
The basic elements of lean manufacturing are: 1) just-in-time, higher efficiency manufacturing through the principle of 'continuous product flow' (also known as 'single piece workflow' ); 2) continuous improvement of processes along the entire value chain, primarily in terms of quality and cost; and 3) setting up of multi-functional and multi-skilled teams at all levels to achieve its goals. Lean manufacturing is, in essence, the 21st century's upgraded version of the 20th century's 'mass-production' philosophy.
Among these elements, the most eye-catching is perhaps the 'continuous product flow', which entails the redesign of the production floor such that a product is manufactured progressively from one workstation to another with minimal waiting time and handling operations between stations. This may mean the dedication of an entire process line to a group of similar products, or a group of products that undergo similar processing. The equipment and worktables are arranged in a 'streamlined' lay-out that keeps production continuous and efficient. Such a manufacturing set-up is also known as 'cellular manufacturing'. Attention to machine maintenance, up-time, and utilization is also a 'must.'
According to lean manufacturing, the following are forms of 'waste' and should be eliminated: 1) waiting; 2) staging of inventories; 3) transport of inventories; 4) overproduction; 5) overprocessing; 6) unnecessary motion; and 7) defective units. By adopting a production floor that conforms to continuous product flow, these wastes can be reduced. Another technique is through the practice of 'customer pull', which means that only products that are immediately needed by the customer (or the next station) must be produced. Thus, a station needing inventories to process should be the one to 'pull in' these inventories from the previous station.
Kaizen, or the Japanese concept of 'continuous improvement', is a major influence on lean manufacturing. This is why lean manufacturing promotes teamwork among multi-skilled, multifunctional individuals at all levels to effect the continuous achievement of process improvements toward zero non-moving inventories, zero downtimes, zero paper, zero defects, and zero delays all throughout the organization.
Benefits realized by companies that implemented lean manufacturing include: 1) waste reduction, and therefore, production cost reduction; 2) shorter manufacturing cycle times; 3) lower manpower requirements; 4) minimal inventories; 5) higher equipment utilization and manufacturing capacity; 6) improved cash flow; 7) higher product quality and reliability; and 8) better customer service. The profits of the company are, as expected, also increased because of these benefits.
5S
5S – a Japanese system rooted in lean. It was developed to establish workplace discipline and order, where ownership of the process rests with each and every person in the organisation. It creates the essential foundation on which all other best practices can prosper.
It consists of the following five Japanese concepts:
Seiso – Shine: Clean Up the workspace
Seiri – Arrange: sort and discard unnecessary items
Seiketsu – Neatness, Standardise: set standards
Shitsuke – Discipline: Sustain maintain the workspace using self Discipline
Seiton –Order: set in order, a place for everything and everything in its place
Safety – Health and Safety
Often (incorrectly) referred to as ‘housekeeping’, the far-reaching net of 5S is all encompassing. It should rather be viewed as a systematic methodology which instils discipline, standardisation and orderliness in the workplace.
Any integrative improvement initiative such as TPM, TQM or Lean Production needs to start with 5S. It creates the foundation and environment for other best practices to be implemented successfully. It deals with the basic principles of order, cleanliness, discipline, ownership, responsibility and pride, which are essential for an organisation in its quest for competitive advantage. Simply put, the strength of the foundation will determine the strength and sustainability of all other best practices.
“If you can do 5S, you can do anything. The company that can do well with 5S can also do well with all the other practices. The company that cannot even implement basic 5S, will not be able to do any of the other things required of a competitive organisation.”
Seiso
Seiso, the First step in "5S", says that 'everyone is a cleaner.' Seiso consists of cleaning up the workplace and giving it a 'shine'. Cleaning must be done by everyone in the company, from operators to CEO. It would be a good idea to have every area of the workplace assigned to a person or group of persons for cleaning. No area should be left uncleaned. Everyone should see the 'workplace' through the eyes of a visitor - always thinking if it is clean enough to make a good impression
Seiri
The 2ND step of the "5S" process, seiri, refers to the act of throwing away all unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials in the workplace. People involved in Seiri must not feel sorry about having to throw away things. The idea is to ensure that everything left in the workplace is related to work. Even the number of necessary items in the workplace must be kept to its absolute minimum. Because of seiri, simplification of tasks, effective use of space, and careful purchase of items follow
Seiketsu
The 3RD step of "5S", or seiketsu, more or less translates to 'standardized clean-up'. It consists of defining the standards by which personnel must measure and maintain 'cleanliness'. Seiketsu encompasses both personal and environmental cleanliness. Personnel must therefore practice 'seiketsu' starting with their personal tidiness. Visual management is an important ingredient of seiketsu. Color-coding and standardized coloration of surroundings are used
for easier visual identification of anomalies in the surroundings. Personnel are trained to detect abnormalities using their five senses and to correct such abnormalities immediately.
Shitsuke
The 4TH step of "5S", Shitsuke, means 'Discipline.' It denotes commitment to maintain orderliness and to practice All 5S as a way of life. The emphasis of shitsuke is elimination of bad habits and constant practice of good ones. Once true shitsuke is achieved, personnel voluntarily observe cleanliness and orderliness at all times, without having to be reminded by management.
Seiton
Seiton, or orderliness, is all about efficiency. This step consists of putting everything in an assigned place so that it can be accessed or retrieved quickly, as well as returned in that same place quickly. If everyone has quick access to an item or materials, work flow becomes efficient, and the worker becomes productive. The correct place, position, or holder for every tool, item, or material must be chosen carefully in relation to how the work will be performed and who will use them. Every single item must be allocated its own place for safekeeping, and each location must be labeled for easy identification of what it's for.
What is Kaizen?
Kaizen was coined in Japan after WWII. Quite literally, the Japanese symbol which signifies ‘Kai’ translates to ‘change’ or ‘to correct’, and the symbol which signifies ‘Zen’ translates to ‘good’. In essence, Kaizen is change for the better, or as we more commonly know it continuous improvement.
The general idea is that in any process, activity or scenario, there is always room for improvement – a better, or faster, or more productive, or more thorough, or less wasteful way of doing things. Kaizen’s aim is therefore to improve productivity or processes thereby eliminating waste.
Application of Kaizen:
Applicable in the improvement of almost any process or activity, Kaizen can enable improvement in business (such as in manufacturing processes, supply chains, shop floor or office environments), in the home and can even be used by individuals to improve aspects of their lives.
How it works:
Implementation of Kaizen is a multi-staged one. To illustrate by way of example, let’s use a scenario inside a manufacturing firm, where the set-up of a machine in a bottling plant is under scrutiny in their move towards Lean. One of the machine operators has, as part of her contribution towards Kaizen, suggested that the machine set-up could be done in less time. During a weeklong ‘Kaizen Blitz’ the supervisor and team of machine operators follow this process:
STEP 1: The machine set-up sequence and actions are standardised. All machine operators ensure that they are working in the exact same way so that the process followed is the same no matter which shift is operating the machine.
STEP 2: Once the team is satisfied that their set-up actions are standardised, they measure these standardised tasks. They could look at, amongst many aspects, how long it takes to set up the machine, whether there are any cumbersome (wasted effort) actions or tasks that form part of the set-up, etc.
STEP 3: The team then check the current measurements against requirements or goals.
STEP 4: The team put their heads together to find ways to increase productivity and improve the process. In our example, perhaps during the set-up process one machine operator suggests that the machine nearby be moved closer so that the carrying distance of heavy dies between the two machines becomes shorter which will shave a few seconds off the set-up time. Another operator suggests that by increasing the height of the die storage shelves there will be less bending over to store heavy objects, resulting in less lost time from back injuries. These small adjustments will go a long way to improving the entire process.
“This is the beauty of Kaizen: In the business context, this continuous improvement tool works by including every single person inside an organisation from top management to shop floor and everything in between. The results stem from the sum of all the parts, the attitude being that if every person contributes even a small adjustment or improvement, the whole will improve as a result of the sum of its incremental parts.”
STEP 5: All improvements as suggested above are documented and become the new standard. Where necessary, other team members are trained on the new processes.
STEP 6: The cycle from step 1-5 continues.
Kaizen, a Japanese term that basically translates to 'continuous improvement' or 'change to become good', is a management concept originated by the Japanese in order to continuously effect incremental changes for the better, involving everybody within the organization from workers to managers. Kaizen is aimed at producing more and more value with less and less wastes (higher efficiency), attaining better working environment, and developing stable processes by standardization.
This never-ending process of achieving small improvements within the company everyday is in contrast to trying to achieve breakthrough results from a large improvement once in a while. Kaizen as a management technique is therefore more suitable for organizations with a collective culture that is trying to achieve long-term gains from a continuous supply of small and less radical contributions from its employees.
Kaizen implementation is said to operate on the following principles: 1) that human resources are the company's most important asset; 2) that success can not be achieved by some occasional radical changes alone, but more so by incremental yet consistently arriving improvements; and 3) that improvements must be based on a statistical or quantitative study of the performance of the process.
Thus, under Kaizen, everyone is a valued contributor to the company's success, and must therefore be given the necessary education and training in order to contribute in his or her own way on a continuous basis. Everyone in the organization must genuinely believe in the idea of Kaizen and strive to achieve one small goal at a time, each of which is considered a step towards the company's over-all success.
Every person must therefore be willing to: 1) learn; 2) communicate; 3) be disciplined; 4) get involved; and 5) change in order to maximize gains from Kaizen. Management must also be able to support this Kaizen structure by aligning resources, metrics, rewards, and incentives to Kaizen principles, encouraging all employees to contribute in their own ways.
Management programs that promote Kaizen include but are not limited to the following: 1) employee suggestion systems; 2) recognition systems for employees who exert effort for continuous improvement; 3) group-oriented suggestion or improvement systems like Quality Circles (small groups that perform quality improvement activities); 4) JIT; 5) 5-S; 6) Total Productive Maintenance; and 7) Total Quality Management.
Kaizen's Business Tenets:
1) Not a single day should pass without any kind of improvement anywhere in the company.
2) Improvement strategies must be driven by customer requirements and satisfaction.
3) Quality must always take a higher priority over profits.
4) Employees must be encouraged to recognize problems and suggest improvements to address these problems.
5) Problems must be solved by a collaborative and systematic approach through cross-functional teams.
6) Process-oriented thinking (as opposed to results-oriented thinking) must be practiced by everyone, so that every process gets continuously improved from time to time.
Cellular Manufacturing (CM)
Cellular Manufacturing (CM) refers to a manufacturing system wherein the equipment and workstations are arranged in an efficient sequence that allows a continuous and smooth movement of inventories and materials to produce products from start to finish in a single process flow, while incurring minimal transport or waiting time, or any delay for that matter. CM is an important ingredient of lean manufacturing.
In order to set up a single process flow (or single product flow) line, it is necessary to locate all the different equipment needed to manufacture the product together in the same production area. This is in contrast with the traditional 'batch and queue' set-up wherein only similar equipment are put in the same area. Under a 'batch and queue' set-up, products that need to undergo processing under a certain equipment need to be transported to the area where the equipment are located. There they are queued for processing in batches. Such a system sometimes results in transport and batching delays. In a single process flow set-up, the products simply transfer from one equipment to the next along the same production line in a free-flowing manner, avoiding transport and batching delays.
The single process flow set-up described above is an example of a 'work cell'. A work cell is defined as a collection of equipment and workstations arranged in a single area that allows a product or group of similar products to be processed completely from start to finish. It is, in essence, a self-contained mini-production line that caters to a group of products that undergo the same production process. Cellular manufacturing involves the use of work 'cells', which is how it got its name.
Since differently-processed products need different work cells, a large company with diversified products needs to build several, different work cells if single process flows are desired. Given enough volume of products to work with, work cells have been proven by experience to be faster and more efficient in manufacturing than 'batch and queue' systems.
Because of the free flow of materials in cellular manufacturing, it has the ability to produce products just in time. This means that every unit processed at one station will get processed in the next station. As such, no inventories that have already undergone processing at one station will be left unprocessed in another station. This prevents the build-up of non-moving inventories, which are products that have already incurred some production costs but can not generate revenues because they are stuck somewhere along the process. Aside from preventing non-moving inventories, process issues are immediately detected by just-in-time production, since defective products are seen earlier than if products are manufactured in large batches and queued.
One technique that cellular manufacturing can use to achieve 'just-in-time' production is the 'pull system', wherein required inventories and materials are requested or 'pulled in' by each station from the station preceding it. This 'pull' can originate from the end customer itself, thereby ensuring that the products manufactured are only those needed to satisfy a customer order. This prevents wastes from products not being sold.
It is not enough to simply arrange different equipment in sequence to make cellular manufacturing really work. Bottlenecks along the single process flow must be eliminated, usually by balancing the equipment capacities with each other. If bottlenecks exist, then the higher-capacity equipment within the line will be underutilized. Balancing equipment capacities may mean: 1) choosing 'right-sized' equipment that match each other; and/or 2) combining two or more smaller capacity equipment to match one larger-capacity equipment.
If properly implemented, the benefits of cellular manufacturing include: 1) higher production efficiency; 2) elimination of waste; 3) reduced inventory levels; 4) optimized use of floor space; 5) shorter production cycle times; 6) higher effective manufacturing capacity; and 7) improved customer response time. As a result, the over-all production cost becomes lower and profits become greater.
Six Rules for an Effective Kanban System
To ensure a proper setup of Kanban in the workplace, Toyota has provided us with six rules for an effective Kanban system: Customer (downstream) processes withdraw items in the precise amounts specified by the Kanban.Supplier (upstream) produces items in the precise amounts and sequences specified by the Kanban.No items are made or moved without a Kanban.A Kanban should accompany each item, every time.Defects and incorrect amounts are never sent to the next downstream process.The number of Kanbans is reduced carefully to lower inventories and to reveal problems.
KanBan
What is it?
Kanban is a system used to achieve Just-in-time (JIT) production in manufacturing entities. It shows the production system what needs to be produced, in what quantity, and when it should be produced. In essence, Kanban – and JIT – ensures that manufacturing entities make only what is needed, based on the rate of customer demand, instead of blindly producing stock/inventory and then having to house that stock until, if ever, it is sold.
Kanban is applicable in many environments:
In certain instances – such as a product where the sourcing and assembly is wrought with complexity (think of a complex machine made up of thousands of components which are sourced from numerous external suppliers), Kanban and JIT may seem like a Utopian ideal. Complex products such as these with lengthy production lead times cannot realistically always be created only once there is actual customer demand – if that were the case the organisation would lose customers who are fed up with waiting for products to be produced. But that doesn’t mean that Kanban is not applicable in these organisations. Only, the way in which Kanban is used is to be adapted for this particular organisation: In this instance, these organisations would hold minimal stock units (just enough to satisfy their specified critical ordering units) or small amounts of components on hand and ready for quick assembly. When these parts or stock items reach their critical ordering points, Kanban systems would signal for more to be ordered. In this way, what is produced (or replenished) is still based on customer demand, even though minimal stock units are still being kept. So it’s important to remember that the use of Kanban doesn’t necessarily mean that absolutely no stock items or components are kept at all, it simply means that in instances where this is not possible, Kanban is a great system to tighten and streamline the process, therein still eliminating waste.
Using Kanban as part of a greater integrative improvement system:
The success of Kanban is wholly dependent on accurate demand forecasting. This demand must be based on actual customer demand. JIT and Kanban can also only be as successful as the sum of all the links in the supply chain and production process. If, for example, a parts assembly machine breaks down, this will slow down or halt supply for a time, and then the Kanban efforts failed because even though demand signals were sent, no replenishment stocks could be supplied in time. For this reason, Kanban should be implemented as one of many integrative improvement tools, all implemented in a complementary and collaborative manner with a goal of achieving Lean through continuous improvement. In this example, the integration of other improvement methods such as 5-Why, 5S and Six Sigma would have picked up the problem with the machine, would have taken actions towards preventing or decreasing machine down time, which would in turn contribute to the successful production of stock just in time, and therein contributed towards successful implementation of Kanban methods.
As with many improvement tools, Kanban was coined by Toyota for use in their Toyota Production System (TPS) – a fine example of this tool being used in an integrated manner with other improvement techniques. As such, it is a Japanese word, ‘Kan’ meaning ‘visual’ and ‘ban’ meaning ‘card’. Kanban can take the form of a physical card (these days it is more likely to be a system generated card or email, etc.) that’s used as a signal to move components/parts/stock items where needed, such as parts from an outside supplier being moved into the production facility for assembly, or from the production facility to a retail outlet. In essence, a Kanban card signals the need for product or parts to be replenished.
SPC Six Sigma
Initially developed by US-based telecommunications company, Motorola, Six Sigma is a quality improvement tool. The goal of reaching Six Sigma is to reach a point where manufacturing processes produce 99.99966% products which are free of defects. In other words, the Six Sigma goal is to get to a point where only 3.4 in every 1 million products (or less) are defective.
In manufacturing, a sigma rating measures how effective a manufacturing process is by looking at the end product’s quality. Statistical and quality management methods are therefore used to improve production processes, therein improving customer satisfaction.
These methods see inefficient processes or parts of processes being removed under the guidance of Six Sigma professionals who are experts in these methods. These professionals are rated as either ‘Master’, ‘Black Belt’, ‘Green Belt’, or ‘Yellow Belts’.
DMAIC
What is DMAIC?
DMAIC is an acronym for the five step cycle used for process improvements. The five steps are: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.
How does DMAIC work?
DMAIC is often used to drive Six Sigma projects, though the tool is not limited to Six Sigma. The five steps must be carried out in order, i.e. define, then measure, then analyze, then improve, then control. As part of the final ‘control’ step, the we may find that the process can be further improved, and in that way, the process can start again where the new improvement can be defined, hence DMAIC is a cyclical tool. Each step is typified by various actions.
DEFINE: Document all that we know: define the target customer; map the process flow, the parameters of this particular improvement project, the project goals and targets etc.
MEASURE: During this step, decisions are taken as to what metrics are going to be used, and the measurement tools and criteria are also defined. In essence, the current performance of the business process in question is measured. Data is collected according to the measurement criteria.
ANALYSE: During this step, all the data gathered in the previous step is analyzed to ascertain the difference between the current process performance and the targeted performance. Any variations in the process will also be scrutinized and documented during this step. During this step, various potential improvement opportunities will present themselves, so these can also be scrutinized and prioritized.
IMPROVE: Improvement opportunities are further brainstormed. An Improvement Plan is documented and implemented.
CONTROL: This step ensures that new processes are adhered to in order to sustain the improved process. Monitoring procedures should be documented and become common-place. From time to time the process should be reviewed to ensure the new methods are working well. If further improvements are necessary, the DMAIC process can be repeated over and over.
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The Process Capability Indices
Being able to monitor a process for out-of-control situations is one thing; knowing how a process actually performs is another. Eyeballing the centering and shape of a data distribution can give us quick, useful information on how the corresponding process behaves, but it is not very helpful in quantifying the process' actual and potential performance. It is for this reason that statisticians have come up with methods for expressing the behavior or capability of process distributions in terms of single numbers known as process capability indices.
Process capability refers to the ability of a process to meet customer requirements or specification limits, i.e., how consistent its output is in being within its lower and upper spec limits. A process capability index should therefore be able to indicate how well the process can meet its specs.
The most basic process capability index is known as the simple process capability index, denoted by 'Cp'. Cp quantifies the stability of a process, i.e., the consistency of its output. As mentioned earlier, the process capability indices discussed here presume the normality of the process. As such, the inconsistency of the process may be measured in terms of the standard deviation or sigma of the output data of the process. This is what Cp does - it uses the sigma to quantify the variation of a process, and compares it against the distance between the upper spec limit (USL) and lower spec limit (LSL) of the process. In mathematical form: Cp = (USL - LSL) / (6 x Sigma).
The quantity (USL - LSL) is basically the range of output that the process must meet, while 6 sigma corresponds to +/- 3 sigma from the mean, or 99.73% of all the process output data. The smaller the value of 6 sigma, the narrower the process output distribution is, denoting higher stability. Thus, Cp increases as process stability increases. Thus, a process needs a Cp > 1 to ensure that it is narrow enough to meet the spec range 99.73% of the time.
Although Cp indicates the stability of a process, it has one major drawback that makes it almost useless in the semiconductor industry. It does not consider the centering of the process distribution within the spec limits. A process with a Cp of 100 may be very stable, with all its output data very close to each other, but it may also be out-of-spec at all times, i.e., if it is centered outside the spec limits!
This weakness of Cp is addressed by another process capability index, Cpk. Cpk measures how centered the output of the process is between its lower and upper limits, as well as how variable the output is. Cpk is expressed as the ratio of how far the mean of the output data is from the closer spec limit (the centering of the process) to three times their standard deviation (the process variability).
CPL = (mean - LSL) / (3 sigma) : process capability index for single-sided (lower) spec limit
CPU = (USL - mean) / (3 sigma) : process capability index for single-sided (upper) spec limit
Cpk = min{CPL,CPL} : process capability index for two-sided spec limits
What these formulae mean is this: Cpk is equal to whichever is lower between CPL and CPU. If the mean of the process data is closer to the lower spec limit LSL, then Cpk = CPL. If the mean of the process data is closer to the upper spec limit USL, then Cpk = CPU.
An ideal process is one whose output is always dead center between the spec limits, such that the mean of its output data equals this dead center and the standard deviation is zero. The Cpk of this ideal process is infinite (so is the Cpk of other processes whose sigma = 0, as long as the LSL<mean<USL).
The Cpk decreases if one or both of the following occurs: 1) the data become less centered; and 2) the data become more variable (sigma increases). Thus, improving the process capability of a process entails one or both of: 1) centering the output between limits and 2) decreasing the variation of the output data.
The essence of SPC, therefore, is being able to recognize whether a low Cpk is due to the mean of the process or its sigma, and taking the necessary actions to correct the problem, be it centering of the data or making them less variable. In any process, the actions needed to center the output data may be different from what needs to be done to make the data less variable. Knowledge of this basic SPC principle is therefore a necessary weapon in every process engineer's arsenal.
As of this writing, most semiconductor companies target a Cpk of 1.67 for their processes, although they would be satisfied to have an actual Cpk of at least 1.33. Everything, of course, depends on what spec limits the customer imposes on the manufacturer. Still, at the end of the day it should always be the manufacturer's goal to center their output between these spec limits as consistently as possible.
6-Sigma
6-Sigma refers to a quality improvement and business strategy concept started by Motorola in the United States in 1987. In statistical terms, 6-Sigma is the abbreviated form of 6 standard deviations from the mean, which mathematically translates to about 2 defects per billion. Thus, strictly speaking, your process is said to have achieved 6-sigma if it is producing no more than 2 defects per billion parts produced.
No company is probably nearly perfect enough to achieve this quality level. Consequently, the term 6-Sigma in the industry has somehow taken on the equivalent defect rate of 3.4 ppm, which in reality corresponds to roughly 4.5 sigmas. Thus, in the industry today, a person speaking of 6-sigma is most likely referring to a quality level equivalent to 3.4 defects per million.
Regardless of how one wishes to use the term 6-sigma, though, it is apparent that its purpose when its concept was first incepted is to make processes as consistent as possible in order to reduce the defect rates of their outputs. Consistency of meeting customer specifications as well as the probability of meeting them consistently in the future is the essence of 6-sigma. To see how the number of sigmas relates to the process Cpk and the process ppm level, please refer to the Cpk/ppm Table.
6-Sigma has evolved into a continuous, disciplined, and structured process of improving operations to make products that are consistently meeting customer requirements. In effect, 6-Sigma no longer simply means excellent finished products, but more importantly, excellent processes, services, and administration. When Motorola started 6-Sigma in the 80's, it was applied to repetitive manufacturing processes. Presently, however, the use of 6-Sigma is well-established in almost all aspects of doing business in a wide range of industries.
6-Sigma encourages leanness, simplicity, and doing things right the first time, so that wastes and corresponding costs are avoided. Statistics-based problem solving, results-orientation, and quantifiable top and bottom-line returns are also ingredients of 6-Sigma. Lastly, 6-Sigma is driven by the voice of the customer.
6-Sigma has spawned several Project Management methods, the most widely-used of which are discussed below.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC)
'DMAIC' stands for the following:
1) Define opportunities, i.e., project goals in relation to customer requirements;
2) Measure the current performance of the process;
3) Analyze the weakness of the process (such as sources of defects); this process weakness is also the opportunity for its improvement;
4) Improve the performance of the process by addressing its weaknesses; and
5) Control the performance of the improved process to sustain its gains.
The DMAIC method is employed in situations wherein a product or process already exists but it is not meeting customer specifications.
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
'DFSS' is the acronym for Design for Six Sigma. Unlike, the DMAIC, there is no single or standard definition of what steps or phases the DFSS process consists of. It is generally up to the company to define the steps needed to design its processes to be capable of 6-sigma quality level, i.e., 3.4 ppm. DFSS may therefore be customized to the nature of business and culture of the practicing company. DFSS is generally used when designing a new product or completely redesigning an existing one from scratch.
Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify (DMADV)
'DMADV' stands for the following:
1) Define opportunities, i.e., project goals in relation to customer requirements;
2) Measure and determine customer requirements and how competitors are serving these requirements;
3) Analyze your process options to meet these customer needs;
4) Design your process to meet these customer needs; and
5) Verify the performance of the process, particularly in terms of its ability to meet customer requirements.
The DMADV method is employed in situations wherein there is no existing process or product yet catering to a certain customer requirement, and the company wants to develop one for that purpose.
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was developed to bring this personal interface to modern manufacturing and business. In today's industrial society, where the growing distance between producers and users is a concern, QFD links the needs of the customer (end user) with design, development, engineering, manufacturing, and service functions.
QFD is:
Understanding Customer Requirements
Quality Systems Thinking + Psychology + Knowledge/Epistemology
Maximizing Positive Quality That Adds Value
Comprehensive Quality System for Customer Satisfaction
Strategy to Stay Ahead of The Game
As a quality system that implements elements of Systems Thinking with elements of Psychology and Epistemology (knowledge), QFD provides a system of comprehensive development process for:
Understanding 'true' customer needs from the customer's perspective
What 'value' means to the customer, from the customer's perspective
Understanding how customers or end users become interested, choose, and are satisfied
Analyzing how do we know the needs of the customer
Deciding what features to include
Determining what level of performance to deliver
Intelligently linking the needs of the customer with design, development, engineering, manufacturing, and service functions
Intelligently linking Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) with the front end Voice of Customer analysis and the entire design system
QFD is a comprehensive quality system that systematically links the needs of the customer with various business functions and organizational processes, such as marketing, design, quality, production, manufacturing, sales, etc., aligning the entire company toward achieving a common goal.
It does so by seeking both spoken and unspoken needs, identifying positive quality and business opportunities, and translating these into actions and designs by using transparent analytic and prioritization methods, empowering organizations to exceed normal expectations and provide a level of unanticipated excitement that generates value.
The QFD methodology can be used for both tangible products and non-tangible services, including manufactured goods, service industry, software products, IT projects, business process development, government, healthcare, environmental initiatives, and many other applications.
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) refers to a management system for optimizing the productivity of manufacturing equipment through systematic equipment maintenance involving employees at all levels. Under TPM, everyone is involved in keeping the equipment in good working order to minimize production losses from equipment repairs, assists, set-ups, and the like.
In the 1950’s, equipment maintenance is not practiced to be preventive, and predominantly involves just the act of repairing a piece of equipment after it breaks down (breakdown maintenance). Factory managers eventually realized the importance of preventing equipment breakdowns in order to boost productivity. Thus, systems for subjecting equipment to scheduled maintenance activities in order to prevent unforeseen breakdowns (preventive maintenance) became popular. Under this scheme, equipment maintenance is the sole responsibility of technical personnel.
In the 1970’s, the concept of ‘productive maintenance’ emerged, rolling into one system the following: preventive maintenance, equipment reliability engineering, equipment maintainability engineering, and equipment engineering economics. Under this system, the technical or engineering group still has the main responsibility for equipment maintenance.
The concept of ‘true’ TPM wherein everyone from the operator to top management owns equipment maintenance came about shortly after. TPM embraces various disciplines to create a manufacturing environment wherein everyone feels that it is his or her responsibility to keep the equipment running and productive.
Under TPM, operators no longer limit themselves to simply using the machine and calling the technician when a breakdown occurs. Operators can inspect, clean, lubricate, adjust, and even perform simple calibrations on their respective equipment. This frees the technical workforce for higher-level preventive maintenance activities that require more of their technical expertise. Management should also show interest in data concerning equipment uptime, utilization, and efficiency. In short, everyone understands that zero breakdowns, maximum productivity, and zero defects are goals to be shared by everyone under TPM
Aside from eliminating equipment downtimes, improving equipment productivity, and zeroing out defects, TPM has the following goals: improvement of personnel effectiveness and sense of ownership, reduction of operational costs, reduction of throughput times, and customer satisfaction down the road.
TPM can not be implemented overnight. Normally it takes an organization at least two years to set an effective TPM system in place. TPM activities are carried out in small teams with specific tasks. Every level in the over-all organization must be represented by a team or more.
TPM has 8 key strategies: 1) Focused Improvements (Kaizen); 2) Autonomous Maintenance; 3) Planned Maintenance; 4) Technical Training; 5) Early Equipment Management; 6) Quality Maintenance; 7) Administrative and Support Functions Management; 8) Safety and Environmental Management.
TPM eliminates 6 big losses: 1) Breakdowns, which can result in long, expensive repairs; 2) Set-ups, conversions, and changeovers; 3) Idling and minor stoppages; 4) Reduced equipment speed; 5) Defects and Rework; 6) Start-up Losses.
TPM requires the mastery of 4 equipment maintenance techniques: 1) Preventive Maintenance to prevent breakdowns; 2) Corrective Maintenance to modify or improve an equipment for increased reliability and easier maintenance; 3) Maintenance Prevention to design and install equipment that are maintenance-free; and 4) Breakdown Maintenance to repair equipment quickly after they break down.
Taken from real life work experience:
Cause and Effect in full operation with the Production Manager acting as Facilitator.
A word on 5 Whys
What is it?
5 Whys is a root cause analysis tool used during the ‘Analyse’ phase of Six Sigma, though it does not necessarily need to occur as part of a Six Sigma initiative. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda as a component of the Toyota Production System (TPS), this simple, yet effective tool is based on the premise that in order to get to the root cause of a problem, we need to ask the question ‘Why?’ at least five times. There are instances where a sixth or seventh ‘Why?’ can be asked, but in many cases 5 whys will suffice.
How does it look?
Here’s an example of 5 why in action:
Problem: The packaging machine down time is at an all time high
(1) Why?
The machine is down 60% more in the last year, than it has been over the last four years
(2) Why?
The machine experiences unplanned stoppages approximately every four hours
(3) Why?
The packaging tape dispenser keeps on jamming, causing the machine to stop
(4) Why?
The packaging tape dispenser’s cog is dry
(5) Why?
It has not been oiled in over a year
Root Cause of the problem: The packaging tape dispenser’s cog isn’t being oiled regularly
Solution: Write into the standard work process that the packaging tape dispenser’s cog must be checked on a weekly basis, the cog should be cleaned and oiled every 1.5 weeks.
Have a look at the final answer above: The machine’s cog has not been oiled in over a year. This problem points to a process which is either insufficient or is non-existent. In this case, the process is non-existent: there’s no process in place which specifically has machine operators checking the machine’s cog regularly, and oiling it themselves. It’s likely that these operators feel that this is not their job – that it is the job of the maintenance crew to fix this problem. However, by adding a small work process (checking and oiling the cog on the machine), the solution’s benefits are two-fold. Firstly the machine’s downtime will decrease meaning an increase in productivity, and secondly, the maintenance team can spend the time they used to spend ‘fixing’ this machine on other maintenance projects.
Taken from real life work experience. Here is a Process Control Cell (Repair Centre) The area is used in conjunction with FMEA and SPC.
A defect from a manufacturing cell enters the cell via Kanban system visible on rear wall.
It is then placed onto the cause and effect table in the ‘
Effect’ box Key individuals are invited around the table (operator, process Engineer, product Engineer).
Identify the ‘Cause’ using the 5M’s 1E
REPAIR item in the cell (Table left hand side)
Return Item immediately to Manufacturing Process
Create a Lessons Learned
Charts on wall show different Products with their Concern Countermeasure and most importantly the Control.
Area is marked out using Tape around tables each one representing its own sub cell
A successful Process Control Cell appears totally inactive with Zero Material or People Operating it
Poka Yoke (Mistake Proofing)
Poka Yoke is a quality management concept developed by a Matsushita manufacturing engineer named Shigeo Shingo to prevent human errors from occurring in the production line. Poka yoke (pronounced “poh-kah yoh-kay”) comes from two Japanese words – “yokeru” which means “to avoid”, and “poka” which means “inadvertent errors.” Thus, poka yoke more or less translates to “avoiding inadvertent errors”.
Poka yoke is sometimes referred to in English by some people as “fool-proofing”. However, this doesn’t sound politically correct if applied to employees, so the English equivalent used by Shingo was "error avoidance." Other variants like “mistake proofing” or “fail-safe operation” have likewise become popular.
The main objective of poke yoke is to achieve zero defects. In fact, it is just one of the many components of Shingo’s Zero Quality Control (ZQC) system, the goal of which is to eliminate defective products.
Poka yoke is more of a concept than a procedure. Thus, its implementation is governed by what people think they can do to prevent errors in their workplace, and not by a set of step-by-step instructions on how they should do their job.
Poka yoke is implemented by using simple objects like fixtures, jigs, gadgets, warning devices, paper systems, and the like to prevent people from committing mistakes, even if they try to! These objects, known as poka yoke devices, are usually used to stop the machine and alert the operator if something is about to go wrong.
Anybody can and should practice poka yoke in the workplace. Poke yoke does not entail any rocket science - sometimes it just needs common sense and the appropriate poka yoke device. Poka yoke devices should have the following characteristics: 1) useable by all workers; 2) simple to install; 3) does not require continuous attention from the operator (ideally, it should work even if the operator is not aware of it); 4) low-cost; 5) provides instantaneous feedback, prevention, or correction. A lot of Shingo's poka yoke devices cost less than $50!
Of course, error-proofing can be achieved by extensive automation and computerization. However, this approach is expensive and complicated, and may not be practical for small operations. Besides, it defeats the original purpose of poka yoke, which is to reduce defects from mistakes through the simplest and lowest-cost manner possible.
Poka yoke is at its best when it prevents mistakes, not when it merely catches them. Since human errors usually stem from people who get distracted, tired, confused, or demotivated, a good poka yoke solution is one that requires no attention from the operator. Such a poka yoke device will prevent the occurrence of mistake even if the operator loses focus in what she is doing.
Examples of 'attention-free' Poke Yoke solutions:
1) a jig that prevents a part from being misoriented during loading
2) non-symmetrical screw hole locations that would prevent a plate from being screwed down incorrectly
3) electrical plugs that can only be inserted into the correct outlets
4) notches on boards that only allow correct insertion into edge connectors
5) a flip-type cover over a button that will prevent the button from being accidentally pressed
Three levels of Poka-Yoke:
1) elimination of spills, leaks, losses at the source or prevention of a mistake from being committed
2) detection of a loss or mistake as it occurs, allowing correction before it becomes a problem
3) detection of a loss or mistake after it has occurred, just in time before it blows up into a major issue (least effective)
Heijunka is a Japanese term also known as production smoothing or production levelling that enables pull signals and continuous flow. It is the opposite of mass production in that it seeks to efficiently create smaller, more constant batches of inventory in mixed type and quantity. Heijunka, however, is not only applied in production situations. This video demonstrates how Walmart uses heijunka to even out their in-store queues.
Heijunka is a way of combating mura (one of the TPS Wastes).
to see our post about the Three Toyota Production System Wastes. This YouTube covers levelling, teaches a basic heijunka calculation, and discusses the basics of Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED).