Information & Training. | Lean Manufacturing. Just In Time Processing.
Introduction to Lean Manufacturing.
The term “lean” is synonymous with organizations which are very focussed on achieving their objectives and do so in a very efficient, productive manner, where all activity is closely scrutinized to ensure optimum design and operation.Lean thinking originally developed as an assembly-line manufacturing methodology developed for Toyota and the manufacture of automobiles. It is also known as the Toyota Production System. The key objective of lean processing is “to get the right things to the right place at the right time, the first time, while minimizing waste and being open to change”.
Taiichi Ohno, an engineer with the Toyota Motor Corporation, credited with developing the principles of lean production, discovered that in addition to eliminating waste, his methodology led to improved product flow and better quality. Instead of devoting resources to planning what would be required for future manufacturing, Toyota focused on reducing system response time so that the production system was capable of immediately changing and adapting to market demands. In effect, their automobiles became made-to-order. The principles of lean production enabled the company to deliver on demand, minimize inventory, maximize the use of multi-skilled employees, flatten the management structure and focus resources where they were needed.
The primary objective of lean, is to identify all activity that does not add value to the customer, to reduce and where possible eliminate all such activity.
The tools and techniques of Lean & JIT:
– Basic working practices
– Total Productive Maintenance
– Design for manufacture
– Set-up reduction
– Operations focus
– Total staff involvement
– Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
– Visual management
– Flow layout
– Just-In-Time Supply
– Pull scheduling & Push systems of control
– Kanban control
– 5S method of control
– Levelled scheduling
– Etc. Etc..
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Introduction to Lean Manufacturing:
In the manufacturing environment, raw material is received into the manufacturing plant, proceeds through a range of processes, tests and inspections and is shipped to the end customer. In such an environment, many activities often do not add value to the customer, can add cost, may provide outputs which are unacceptable to customers and consequently reduce the profitability of the manufacturing operation. Costs include not only manufacturing cost but also administrative costs and capital-costs.The successful application of lean thinking improves the customer experience, increases efficiency, reduces costs and results in improved profitability.
Lean in the “Service” environment.
Lean techniques are applicable not only in manufacturing, but also in service-oriented industry and service environments. The identification and elimination of waste activities are as relevant within service environments as in manufacturing. In fact, much of the focus of a “lean” effort within a manufacturing environment, is on the service supports, on the flow of services to and from the manufacturing lines.All service organizations operate on established process flows. Such flows can be complex and may encompass multiple functional areas and or require inputs from customers, suppliers and other third party organizations. There can be clear benefits from the application of “lean” to understanding the process flows, identification of value adding activities and the minimization and elimination of the non-value adding activities.
In the era of globalization, all organizations try to improve quality and productivity using the optimum available tools and techniques. Lean is a dominant tool which is proven globally as one of the best tools available to improve overall operating efficiency.
Introduction to Lean Manufacturing. The “objectives” of a Lean Process …
– A focus on creating a value add process flow.
– Value add activity moves along as promptly as possible.
– High quality, high reliability processes.
– Control and response happen in “real time”.
– The customer determines and drives activity focus and activity levels.
– There is a continuous focus on striving for perfection.
The focus is on “Value” creation.
Value can be considered a capability provided to a customer at the right time and at an appropriate price, as defined by the customer.Lean is about ensuring that all activities within an organization focus on “value” creation.
There are two complementary aspects to the lean philosophy.
i) Improving current operations and meeting customer expectations.When implementing lean within an organization, there will be specific objectives set towards eliminating waste i.e. minimizing all non value added activity. There will be a focus on creating value through value added steps, on increasing capacity with minimum investment, reducing inventory, reducing process cycle time, improving customer satisfaction levels, etc., etc..
ii) Anticipating and planning for the future.
Developing a clear picture of future direction for the organization, based on accurately anticipating future customer expectations. This future picture, an ideal picture is often referred to as “Blue Sky Vision”.
This blue sky vision will look at the current processes, the process outputs, the customer expectations and try to anticipate the future under “ideal” conditions. Ideally, how would our processes operate, what would be the product features, what value would we provide to our customers, what would be the expectations of our customers into the future.
With a picture of the future drafted, how can we progress from the current toward the future? What do we need to do to achieve this future?
In summary.
Lean is applicable to all manufacturing and service environments. It is about the identification and elimination of all forms of waste, the optimization of processes, ensuring all activities focus on adding value in the eyes of the customer and understanding, delivering and anticipating customer expectations.
“Lean” & “Just-In-Time”.
The tools and techniques of Lean & JIT:
– Basic working practices
– Total Productive Maintenance
– Design for manufacture
– Set-up reduction
– Operations focus
– Total staff involvement
– Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
– Visual management
– Flow layout
– Just-In-Time Supply
– Pull scheduling & Push systems of control
– Kanban control
– 5S method of control
– Levelled scheduling
– Etc. Etc..
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