“Lean manufacturing is a set of tools that comprise a system
that derive from a philosophy” as described by John Shook of the Lean Enterprise
Institute. The key is the adoption of the Lean philosophy of respect and impairment of
all people within the company.
The Lean philosophy evolved from the 14 Points for Management that Dr.
W. Edwards Deming developed in the late 40's. Many of the lean manufacturing tools
and techniques were developed in the Toyota Motor Corp. by Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo
Shingo in the 1950's and 1960's. Now, many businesses have embraced these concepts
including some of the major corporations such as, Mercedes/Benz, Pratt & Whitney,
Porsche and General Electric to name a few. Lean tools are not only for manufacturing
and can also be applied to services such as hospitals, insurance industry, the hospitality
sector, registration services and alike.
To start a journey toward Lean manufacturing, you begin with the
commitment to continuous improvement. Without the discipline to remain on track
with continuous reviews (Kaizens) of the different functions of the company, Lean
manufacturing will not be fully implemented. This is NOT a quick fix or
overnight solution to processing problems. It is a combination of new production
techniques, facility layout and corporate culture. Dramatic results in efficiencies
and inventory reductions can be realized within 3 to 6 months but the total changeover
to Lean can take from 3 to 5 years. It is not uncommon to see 50% - 70% reduction in costs.
After committing to go Lean you begin by selecting a Value Stream Manger or
Champion, learn the tools and techniques, then identify the value added activities
along with the non-value added activities within your product or service. To determine
what is a value added activity you must look at the process from your customers
point of view. You should be asking yourself, "would my customer pay me to do this"?
The process of identifying the true value within your product or service will, by contrast,
identifies the waste. The next step is to make a current value stream map (VSM) with all
of the flaws included. In the following step you should be "thinking outside the box"
to produce a future value stream map which would normally involve a new production
sequence using the most appropriate Lean tools and techniques available. The list
of improvements may be long and involved so be sure to pace yourself and begin
implementing the projects one at a time. A common mistake is to try and implement
all of the projects as fast as possible. This always results in frustration and
often failure to properly install the tool or technique. When what usually happens
is Lean is determined to "not work" for your company and the program is discontinued.
The next step is to ensure the flow is optimized, the inventories are minimized, the
production is a pull system and you are aiming at perfection in quality and cost.
To achieve these goals usually involves an initial major change
to the plant layout due to the new production sequence and techniques. Initial
changes in production techniques, such as, use of the Principles
of 5S's, Value Stream Mapping,Manufacturing
Cells, MRP systems, Poka-Yoke,
Kanban and JIT systems all contribute
to the Lean manufacturing goal. Not all techniques are implemented at first but
will come from Kaizen events that are scheduled in the
future. All of these topics are covered in the Lean
Manufacturing Workshop.
The largest obstacle appears to be the commitment to get started. Efforts to
better the process, solve production and cost problems will take time.
Instead of spending time fighting fires, spend
it preventing them. An important part of the Kaizen process is to perform
root cause analysis on the problems being tackled. This is often referred to as
"the 5 Why's". Ask "why" five times and you will either find the root cause or come
very close to it.
The next obstacle is the cost. What about new automated machinery? The truth is,
if you are spending a lot of money on equipment, you are not necessarily getting Lean.
Lean solutions often are inexpensive. The cost is in training and the initial changeover
expenses with the new production line configuration. For most businesses, the
consultants training is a one-time cost. Your value stream team will likely be able
to continue changing the remaining products or production lines on their own. The idea
is for you to learn the tools and implement them yourself in a continuous improvement
environment. New equipment is not always the answer. More often, the answer lies
in new processing techniques, work aids and the Lean philosophy (corporate culture change).
Lean manufacturing is what you need but you haven't made it a priority.
Companies will often wait for a "burning platform" to occur before initiating Lean
training. It is certainly much less difficult to implement changes smoothly when
things are not falling apart. Starting the process is as easy as
contacting me.
