Here are 21 Tips that Ive learned are important for Lean Manufacturing, I hope you enjoy the article and if you do please share or like and help other improve their processes.
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1. Appropriate Work Station Planning - Eliminates waste that results from a poorly organised work area. (e.g. wasting time looking for a tool.)
2. ABC Inventory - The A Items are extremely important, and typically high volume or high value items. B Items are moderately important. C items are a low priority and typically low volume items. The system is used to define inventory stock levels, reorder points and cycle counting frequencies for items. 3. Appropriate Technology - Real-time communication tool for the plant floor that brings immediate attention to problems as they occur – so they can be instantly addressed. 4. Bottleneck analysis - Bottleneck analysis studies a process to identify the step in the process where the capacity available is less than the capacity required. That process is known as the constraint. The next step is to identify ways of removing the constraint. Improves throughput by strengthening the weakest link in the manufacturing process. 5. Cellular manufacturing - Cellular manufacturing is an approach in which all equipment and workstations are arranged based on a group of different processes located in close proximity to manufacture a group of similar products. The primary purpose of cellular manufacturing is to reduce cycle time and inventories to meet market response times. |
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6. Continuous flow - Eliminates many forms of waste (E.g. inventory, waiting time, and transport).
7. Policy & Systems Development - Ensures that progress towards strategic goals is consistent and thorough – elimination the waste that comes from poor communication and inconsistent direction.
8. Ishikawa (cause and effect) Diagram and 5 whys - In the analyse phase, the absence of concrete statistical data sometimes can make the identification of a root cause difficult. In those scenarios, the 5 whys asking “why?” five times along with a cause-and-effect diagram, can make the task more manageable. The 5 why’s tool also can help uncover the process dynamics and the areas that can be addressed easily.
9. KPI (key performance indicator) - The best manufacturing KPIs are aligned with top level strategic goals (thus helping to achieve those goals).
10. Level loading - Level loading is a production scheduling technique where production is smoothed out over short time horizons to distribute work evenly, thereby creating a consistent and achievable production plan.
11. Mind maps - Mind maps are a visual tool used to organise and present interrelated ideas. This tool is similar to cause and effect diagrams and other mapping tools. Mind maps offer great flexibility and can present complex systems in a very easy to understand format.
12. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) - Provides a benchmark/baseline and a means to track progress in eliminating waste from a manufacturing process. 100% OEE means perfect production (manufacturing only good parts, as fast as possible with no down time).
13. PDCA (plan, do, check, act) - Applies a scientific approach to making improvements:
a) Plan (develop a hypothesis)
b) Do (run experiment)
c) Check (evaluate results)
d) Act (refine your experiment; try again)
14. Error proofing - It is difficult (and expensive) to find all defects through inspection, and correcting defects typically gets significantly more expensive at each stage of production.
15. Root cause analysis - Helps to ensure that a problem is truly eliminated by applying corrective action to the ‘root cause’ of the problem.
16. Six big losses - Provides a framework for attacking the most common causes of waste in manufacturing.
17. SMART goals - Goals that are : Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time specific. Helps to ensure that goals are effective.
18. Standardised work - Eliminates waste by consistently applying best practices. Forms a baseline for future improvement activities.
19. Total productive maintenance (TPM) - Creates a shared responsibility for equipment that encourages greater involvement by plant floor workers. In the right environment this can be very effective in improving productivity (increasing up time, reducing cycle times, and eliminating defects).
20. Value stream mapping - Exposes waste in the current processes and provides a roadmap for improvement through future state.
21. Zero quality control - Zero quality control is a methodology designed to shift quality control to the process and eliminate the need for external quality inspections. A zero quality system typically includes error-proofing, “source inspection” and employee empowerment as well as other quality initiatives.
I hope you have enjoyed the article if you need any more advice or information please email me [email protected]
7. Policy & Systems Development - Ensures that progress towards strategic goals is consistent and thorough – elimination the waste that comes from poor communication and inconsistent direction.
8. Ishikawa (cause and effect) Diagram and 5 whys - In the analyse phase, the absence of concrete statistical data sometimes can make the identification of a root cause difficult. In those scenarios, the 5 whys asking “why?” five times along with a cause-and-effect diagram, can make the task more manageable. The 5 why’s tool also can help uncover the process dynamics and the areas that can be addressed easily.
9. KPI (key performance indicator) - The best manufacturing KPIs are aligned with top level strategic goals (thus helping to achieve those goals).
10. Level loading - Level loading is a production scheduling technique where production is smoothed out over short time horizons to distribute work evenly, thereby creating a consistent and achievable production plan.
11. Mind maps - Mind maps are a visual tool used to organise and present interrelated ideas. This tool is similar to cause and effect diagrams and other mapping tools. Mind maps offer great flexibility and can present complex systems in a very easy to understand format.
12. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) - Provides a benchmark/baseline and a means to track progress in eliminating waste from a manufacturing process. 100% OEE means perfect production (manufacturing only good parts, as fast as possible with no down time).
13. PDCA (plan, do, check, act) - Applies a scientific approach to making improvements:
a) Plan (develop a hypothesis)
b) Do (run experiment)
c) Check (evaluate results)
d) Act (refine your experiment; try again)
14. Error proofing - It is difficult (and expensive) to find all defects through inspection, and correcting defects typically gets significantly more expensive at each stage of production.
15. Root cause analysis - Helps to ensure that a problem is truly eliminated by applying corrective action to the ‘root cause’ of the problem.
16. Six big losses - Provides a framework for attacking the most common causes of waste in manufacturing.
17. SMART goals - Goals that are : Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time specific. Helps to ensure that goals are effective.
18. Standardised work - Eliminates waste by consistently applying best practices. Forms a baseline for future improvement activities.
19. Total productive maintenance (TPM) - Creates a shared responsibility for equipment that encourages greater involvement by plant floor workers. In the right environment this can be very effective in improving productivity (increasing up time, reducing cycle times, and eliminating defects).
20. Value stream mapping - Exposes waste in the current processes and provides a roadmap for improvement through future state.
21. Zero quality control - Zero quality control is a methodology designed to shift quality control to the process and eliminate the need for external quality inspections. A zero quality system typically includes error-proofing, “source inspection” and employee empowerment as well as other quality initiatives.
I hope you have enjoyed the article if you need any more advice or information please email me [email protected]
