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What is "Flow"?
What is "Flow"?
In the context of Lean, Flow refers to the smooth and uninterrupted movement of materials, products, and information through the production process.
The goal of creating flow is to eliminate waste, reduce lead times, and increase efficiency by ensuring that materials and products move quickly and smoothly through each step of the production process without interruption or delay.
To achieve flow, lean manufacturing principles emphasize the importance of creating value streams and optimizing the production process to reduce waste and eliminate bottlenecks.
This involves analyzing the entire production process to identify areas of inefficiency and waste, such as excess inventory, waiting times, and overproduction, and implementing changes to improve flow and increase productivity.
By creating a continuous flow of materials, products, and information, lean manufacturing aims to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction by delivering products faster and with fewer defects.
Batch Production
Batch Production
Batch Production is a manufacturing process that involves producing a fixed quantity of a product in a specified batch size before moving on to the next batch.
In batch production, products are typically manufactured in groups or batches, rather than being produced continuously in a single flow.
Batch production is often used when the production volume is too low to justify the investment in continuous production equipment or when different products or variations require different equipment setups.
This allows manufacturers to minimize the setup time required to switch between different products and to optimize the use of their equipment.
However, batch production can also lead to inefficiencies and waste, as each batch may require a separate setup, which can lead to excess inventory, longer lead times, and increased costs.
To address these issues, lean manufacturing principles advocate for the optimization of batch sizes and the reduction of setup times, so that manufacturers can produce smaller batches more frequently, with reduced waste and lead times. This approach is known as "single-piece flow"...
Single-Piece Flow / One-Piece Flow
Single-Piece Flow / One-Piece Flow
Single-Piece Flow / One-Piece Flow is a manufacturing process that involves producing one unit of a product at a time, rather than in batches. In single piece flow, each product is moved through the production process one at a time, with minimal interruption or delay between each step.
Single piece flow is a key component of lean manufacturing principles, as it allows manufacturers to minimize waste and optimize the production process.
By producing products one at a time, manufacturers can reduce inventory levels, eliminate the need for large batches, and improve quality by catching defects early in the production process.
Single piece flow also helps to improve efficiency by reducing setup times and changeover times between different products.
By optimizing the production process for single piece flow, manufacturers can achieve a more streamlined and efficient manufacturing process, with reduced lead times, lower costs, and improved quality.
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a lean manufacturing tool that is used to analyze and improve the flow of materials, products, and information through a production process.
Value stream mapping is a visual tool that helps manufacturers to identify waste and inefficiencies in the production process, and to develop solutions to eliminate these issues.
The value stream map is a visual representation of the entire production process, from raw materials to finished products, that identifies each step in the process and the flow of materials, products, and information between each step.
The value stream map also includes information on the time required to complete each step, the inventory levels at each step, and the number of defects or rework that occur at each step.
The goal of value stream mapping is to identify areas of waste and inefficiency in the production process and to develop solutions to eliminate these issues.
This may involve reducing setup times, improving the flow of materials and products, or reducing inventory levels, among other strategies.
Value stream mapping is an important tool for continuous improvement in lean manufacturing, as it helps manufacturers to identify opportunities for improvement and to develop targeted solutions to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the production process.
By optimizing the value stream, manufacturers can reduce costs, improve quality, and increase customer satisfaction, while eliminating waste and improving the overall efficiency of the production process.
Creating Value Stream Maps
Creating Value Stream Maps
The simplest way to create a value stream map of a process is to follow these steps:
Map the Current Process Steps: First, create a simple flowchart or diagram that shows all the steps in the process, from start to finish. Identify the inputs and outputs for each step, and note any key performance metrics, such as cycle time or processing time.
Identify VA & NVA Steps: Review the process map and identify which steps add value to the final product or service, and which steps do not add value but are necessary for the process to function. Non-value-added steps are considered waste, and should be targeted for elimination or reduction.
Calculate KPI's: Calculate key metrics for each step in the process, such as processing time, cycle time, and lead time. This will help to identify areas of inefficiency and waste, and to develop targeted solutions to improve the process.
Identify Improvement Opportunities: Review the value stream map and identify opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce lead times, and improve the overall efficiency of the process. This may involve reducing setup times, improving the flow of materials and products, or reducing inventory levels, among other strategies.
By following these steps, you can create a simple value stream map of a process that can be used to identify opportunities for improvement and to develop targeted solutions to eliminate waste and improve efficiency.
Once a Current-State VSM has been made & analyzed, Future-State and Ideal-State VSM's can be created to serve as targets for improvement.
2.1✔ CHECKPOINT
2.1✔ CHECKPOINT
Airplane Boarding - Current State
Airplane Boarding - Current State
Analyze & identify the current state of airplane boarding used by commercial airlines in the United States by starting to create a simple Value Stream Map (VSM) of the process
For this checkpoint, it is only necessary for you to do the first two (2) steps of making a VSM
Use the visual given below as a simplified representation of a small commercial aircraft:
24 total passengers, each with 1 carryon bag (each passenger must stow their carry on bag in overhead storage before taking their seat)
6 total rows of seating, with 4 seats per row, each row split by the center aisle, which is single-file
3 seating sections, with passengers boarding in the following order: 1st = High-priority (orange), 2nd = Medium-priority (yellow), 3rd = Low-priority (green)
Feel free to utilize any external resources to support or come up with your ideas (research papers, YouTube videos, ChatGPT, etc.)
Once done, create a "Lean Airplane Boarding" Project page on your portfolio website, and upload documentation your progress, including:
Pictures(s)/Gif(s) and/or Summaries/Descriptions of:
Visual(s) of the current airplane boarding process
Descriptions/summaries of what you did/learned
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