Finding ways to improve your manufacturing facility can be difficult, but it is well worth the effort. There are many different strategies out there to consider. Cutting back on lead time is one of the best things that any company can do to cut out waste, get products to customers faster, and improve overall service. Understanding how lean manufacturing and lead time work together is extremely important for developing a good system that can benefit …
It is certainly not uncommon for a company to develop processes and procedures related to the way that they produce their products. It is, however, very uncommon for one of these systems to become the foundation for how millions of businesses around the world engage in manufacturing. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is one of the most significant revolutions to the manufacturing industry since the assembly line. Learning about the history of TPS and how …
In the manufacturing world, quality rules the day. Producing high-quality products that both meet company standards and customer expectations consistently is what manufacturing engineers dream about, what occupies their thoughts whether they’re in the office, at their kids’ ballet recital, or on the train heading home. Making high-quality products is tough enough, but to do it again and again with efficiency and uniformity, with minimal reworking needed? The challenge feels insurmountable. Lean manufacturing, an umbrella …
Gemba, a term first used by Toyota, means going to the real place where the action is. In the 1980s, ‘In Search of Excellence’ author Tom Peters popularized the concept when he talked about management by wandering around (MBWA). Like MBWA, Gemba walks take management to the front lines to see daily happenings. Gemba, however, is more focused. Find Where Value Is Created Gemba refers to “the real place,” the location where value is created …
If your company is like most organizations, you’re searching for a competitive edge. Something that will reduce costs, increase sales, and make you more agile in a changing business environment. You’ve found it. Simply put, 5S is a systematic approach to workplace organization. But it’s also much more than that. 5S is about efficiency, competitiveness, and survival. It is a deceptively simple system that creates an organized and productive workplace. It’s not just about cleaning …
The best thing about kaizen – and the biggest reason that every company should adopt it – is that it does not rely on expensive, innovative solutions. Just the opposite is true. The core principle of kaizen is to make small, immediate improvements in the processes and standards of the workplace. But not just one improvement. Looking for ways to make small improvements should be part of everyone’s job, every day of the week. And …
Lean, the manufacturing methodology, impacts nearly every aspect of the business in order to reduce and eliminate wastes while maintaining or improving quality. Lean can be worked into virtually any part of a business and in any area in a facility. The scope of Lean is broad and can sometimes be seen as abstract. To achieve the goals of Lean and accomplish its objectives, there are many tools at your disposal in the Lean toolbox. …
Lean manufacturing is a systematic methodology used to reduce wastes in the process while improving productivity and sustaining or improving the value of the product for the consumer. Many concepts, principles, and strategies fall under the umbrella of Lean The concepts and principles of Lean manufacturing are often referred to as a house: a strong foundation of leadership and employees, the walls of the house that optimize processes, and finally the roof that signifies customer …
The principles and strategies of Lean manufacturing are mostly derived from the Toyota Production System. Because this system is was developed in Japan, there are many Lean terms that are also Japanese terms like Heijunka or Jishuken. There are also a few English words in the Lean vernacular including Value Stream Mapping and Bottleneck Analysis. It can be difficult to fully grasp the concepts of Lean manufacturing without understanding the terms, so this post focuses …
Taiichi Ohno, the pioneer of the Toyota Production System, formally identified common wastes found in manufacturing and coined it as the 7 Wastes of Lean. The 8 Wastes of Lean is simply an extension and update of Ohno’s original philosophy. Lean manufacturing breaks down different categories of waste: Muda, Mura, and Muri. Literally translated from Japanese, Muda means useless, and the original 7 Wastes of Lean fall under this category of the 3M’s. What are …