Lean Production
... - from months to hours thus making small-lot production economically viable; achieved by organizing procedures, using carts, and training workers to do their own setups, Small-Lot Production - allowing higher flexibility and pull production. Employee Involvement and Empowerment - organizing workers by forming teams and giving them training and responsibility to do many specialized tasks, for housekeeping, quality inspection, minor equipment repair and rework; allowing also them time to meet to discuss problems and find ways to improve the process Total quality management (TQM) and control; assigning workers, not inspectors, the responsibility to discover a defect and to immediately fix it; if the defect cannot be readily fixed, any worker can halt the entire line by pulling a cord (called jidoka) Just-In-Time (JIT) - the method wherein the quantity of work performed at each stage of the process is dictated solely by the demand for materials from the immediate next stage; thus reducing waste and leads times, and eliminating inventory-holding costs Continuous Equipment Maintenance - as pull production reduces inventories, equipment breakdowns must also be reduced; thus empowered operators are assigned primary responsibility for basic maintenance since they are in the best position do detect signs of malfunction Multi- Skilled Workforce - as employees are empowered to do many jobs, they must be provided with adequate training Supplier Involvement - the manufacturer treats its supplier as a long-term partners; they often must be trained in ways to reduce setup times, inventories, defects, machine breakdowns, etc. in order to enable them to take responsibility for delivering the best possible parts/services to the manufacturer in a timely manner. (Vadim Kotelnikov). Goal and practice The goal of lean production is described as "to get the right things to the right place at the right time, the first time, while minimizing waste and being open to change"(www.searchEBusiness.com). Engineer Ohno, who is 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. Lean techniques are applicable not only in manufacturing, but also in service-oriented industry and service environment. Every system contains waste, i.e. something that does not provide value to your customer. Whether you are producing a product, processing a material, or providing a service, there are elements, which are considered 'waste'. The techniques for analyzing systems, identifying and reducing waste, and focusing on the customer are applicable in any system, and in any industry. From management's point of view, the beauty of lean production is "eliminating waste"-getting rid of "excess" activities, materials and workers. (Charlie Post and Jane Slaughter). The only problem is, their definition of "waste" includes most things that make work life bearable, like breaks, or a reasonable pace, or a set work schedule, or a decent paycheck, or job security. To get the greatest bang for the buck, lean production through: Customer Focus - Customer input and feedback assures quality. Customer satisfaction supports sales Leadership-Direction and support for development improves cost, quality, and speed. Lean Organization-Team-based operations reduce overhead by eliminating bureaucracy and ensuring information flow and cooperation. Partnering-Flexible relationships with suppliers, distributors, and society improve quality, cost, and speed. ...