Conceptual Understanding: Lean production considers product and process design as an ongoing activity and not a one-off task, and should be viewed as a long-term strategy
Characteristics and Principles of Lean Production
5 Characteristics of lean production include:
JIT supplies: Getting the right amount of material to the production line Just In Time.
Highly trained multi-skilled workforce: Having experts in place to ensure that no time is wasted.
Quality control and continuous improvement: Checks are made at every stage of production to quickly identify and fix any problems that arise. Improvements to the system are actively sought.
Zero defects: Ensure that time, material and energy are not wasting producing a sub-standard product.
Zero inventory: Products are manufactured Just In Time to be sold.
The Principles of Lean Production
Minimise inventory to reduce inventory management costs
Eliminate waste: Wasted time, wasted material, reduction of errors and defects, etc.
Design for rapid production changeover to allow for efficient retooling and changes in production goals
Pull production from customer demand: a JIT system is used to drive production rather than a JIC system
Partner up with suppliers in order to operate a successful and efficient JIT system
Do it right the first time emphasises quality and reduces waste
Maximise production flow in order to take advantage of economies of scale
Empower workers as they are the most valuable resource in the company
Kaizen: The philosophy of continuous improvement by all involved (managers, designers, workers, etc.)
Meet your customer's requirements and taking seriously every single customer complaint and opinion of the product or service; the flexibility of the lean production system determines the degree to which a company can meet each individual customer’s needs.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Lean_thinking
Principles of lean production: A long-term production strategy that considers product and process design as an ongoing activity. It focuses on continual feedback and incremental improvement.
Principles of lean production include:
eliminating waste
minimising inventory
maximising flow
pulling production from customer demand
meeting customer requirements
doing it right first time
empowering workers
designing for rapid changeover
partnering with suppliers
creating a culture of continuous improvement (Kaizen)
Advantages of Lean Production:
Increase consumer satisfaction due to cost reduction
Productivity has increased because of focus improvements and reduction in waste
Quality of product improvement and continuous improvement
Waste reduction
Reduced impact on the environment
Adapt to market pull
Increase in profits
Improved work conditions for employees
Competitive advantage
Disadvantages of Lean Production:
Change in worker and management attitude can be difficult to manage or to gain complete buy in
Delivery times – since no inventory is held in storage and breakdown in the system will cause delays
Supply problems
High initial capital costs
Value stream mapping: A lean production management tool used to analyse current and future processes for the production of a product through to delivery to the customer.
Value stream mapping looks at the big picture of the production process. The goal is to:
Identify areas for improvement.
Optimise the overall process.
Value stream mapping is a lean production management tool used to analyse current and future processes for the production of a product through to delivery to the consumer.
Workflow analysis: The review of processes in a workflow in order to identify potential improvements.
Workflow analysis looks at the smaller details of the production line.
It considers the:
Sequence.
Tools.
Worker movements to ensure the highest possible efficiency in the system.
Employees have the authority to halt the entire production line and are expected to suggest ways to improve the manufacturing system.
The source and reason for the sub-standard item is traced back and production will only resume once the problem has been fixed.
Since no system is perfect, the users of the system are best placed (and most experienced) to suggest improvements.
Product family: In terms of lean production, a product family is a group of products using similar processing methods or using many common parts and assemblies.
The concept of standardised specifications or components or assemblies within a product family or associated brands allows companies to create a competitive advantage. Often based around ‘product platform’ or ‘standardised architecture’ a product family gives the manufacturer the opportunity to produce customised or alternative designs through the addition, subtraction or substitution or parts.
Advantages of a product family include
Increased modularity
Reduced design effort
Reduced time to market for products
Less manufacturing processes
Reduction of the number of suppliers needed
Less diversity of stock material
Waste from one product can be used to manufacture a different product
Easily adapt production to meet demand for a particular family member
Role of the workforce: The role of the workforce includes training, devolution in power relating to process improvement and kaizen. When considering the role of the workforce in lean production companies focus on three particular areas:
Training
The development of a highly skilled workforce can build deep understanding of how the production process works and allow workers at all levels to identify areas of the workflow to be improved.
This leads to the devolution of power
Devolution in power relating to process improvement
Understanding that the best people to identify improvements of a product or system are those who use it, companies striving for a lean production system ensure that all members of the workforce are able to contribute to the design of the system.
This benefits the company, which is able to streamline processes and reduce costs and also empowers the workforce and gives them a sense of ownership and loyalty to the company.
Kaizen
A culture of continuous improvement originating in Japan and considered an important aspect of an organization's long-term strategy.
Lead time: The time between the initiation and the execution of a process. Lead time refers to the time quoted to customers (usually in days or weeks) between the date of purchase and the date of delivery.
The 5 Ss: Sorting, Stabilising, Shining, Standardising, Sustaining the practice.
The 5 S’s represent a method for organising the workspace with the goal improving the efficiency of production
Sort: Keep only the necessary items in the workplace.
reduce time looking for stuff
reduce distraction
increase safety
clearer inspection
Set in order: Organise the workplace or workstation to optimise and streamline efficiency
increase workflow efficiency; completed items are removed asap
Fixed and labelled locations for tools and materials
Shine: Keep the workplace clean and organise in order to eliminate waste and maintain efficiency
keeping workspace clear, clean, and organised to improve safety and eliminate waste or spoilage
Standardise: Set standards for a consistently organised workspace
ensure workers know their responsibilities
Sustain: Maintain and review standards
perform regular audits and provide time for review and improvement
The 7 wastes: Overproduction, Waiting, Transporting, Inappropriate processing, Unnecessary Inventory, Unnecessary / excess Motion, Defects.
The 7 wastes in lean manufacturing identify the areas where waste can happen and negatively affect a lean production system. These 7 areas also provide foci and opportunity to improve the manufacturing systems involved.
In lean production, everything that is not of value is wasted.