Most people look at a factory, and just see a building where people make things. They just see chaos. They see people mixed with inanimate objects, sprinkled with the occasional robot. But there is more to it than that. A factory is a living, breathing, active thing. It has a pulse. It grows. It gets sick. So how do you make a factory thrive? You find a factory whisperer. You want someone who can come Read more…
Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem titled “If” in 1895. Among many pearls of wisdom in the poem, he makes a reference to the ‘unforgiving minute.’ It struck a chord with me because of how competitive the business world has become. There is no free time, and every minute a company is not moving forward is a minute it is falling behind. Because of that, I’m a big advocate of setting up the systems to take Read more…
I love what I do, but there is one part that brings me particular joy. I get to play with Legos™ as part of my job. Who wouldn’t love that? So, taking that a step further, I’ve created a short video introducing Lean Larry, the production manager of my VelactionKart facility located in western Washington. Larry had to figure out how to ramp up production and train a growing staff quickly as sales of the Read more…
This week’s featured Lean thinker is Mark Rosenthal, who, for the last three years, has written his blog, appropriately named for this article, The Lean Thinker. Mark is also a former coworker of mine. So, here’s how Mark answered my Lean questions… What does Lean mean to you? “Lean” is an unfortunate term that has “stuck” to mean many things to many people. When I talk about “lean” however, I am referring to the system Read more…
When companies operate in silos, different groups do what is best within the confines of their own world. Design engineers may create products that are appealing to the customer, look amazing, and may even be built like a tank with bulletproof quality. But this otherwise outstanding design may be extremely difficult to build, requiring complicated production methods. One of the major reasons for this lack of a design with manufacturing in mind is the aforementioned Read more…
A current state map is a snapshot of how a process is done today. It may be a current state process flowchart, or a current state value stream map (VSM), but the principle is the same. It shows the current methodology of how you produce products or perform services for your customers Current state maps are one of the bedrocks of continuous improvement. You have to fully understand where you are in order to make Read more…
Let’s face it. To the person unfamiliar with Lean, it sounds like just another way to squeeze a little more out of workers. When people hear there’s something coming that can get waste out of the workplace, they worry about layoffs. And the concept that removing inventory can reduce lead time is downright counterintuitive. So rather than try to convince people of the value of Lean, instead create the demand for it. Try these three Read more…
A two-bin system is a kanban method used to simplify replenishment on a production line. The process is simple. An operator pulls from one bin until it is empty, and then, depending on how the kanban card is attached, either turns in the kanban card (if fastened by hook and pile), or turns in the whole bin (if the card is permanently fixed). The operator then pulls from the second bin while the order is Read more…
“Point of use” is simply the practice of storing any inventory you have at the point where it will be used. This is in contrast to inventory that is stored in a warehouse, or at some other secondary location. In those cases, it can be difficult to see if there is a mismatch in the usage and the amount stored on hand. Despite the best efforts of the material management team, there can be lapses. Read more…
One-piece flow is the method of production in which operators or machines work on single units and pass them along to the next process when requested. The most common example of one-piece flow is the assembly line. An operator at each station works on a unit. All of this work-in process (one unit per operator or automatic machine) moves in synchronization to the next station. One-piece flow can be very difficult to achieve. It requires Read more…
Nagara is a Japanese term meaning “while doing something”. It simply means to do more than one thing at a time. For example, a person may be able to assemble two parts while walking. In practice, though, the application of the nagara principle is limited. In most cases, a process takes a person’s full attention. Operating a piece of machinery while doing something else can even be dangerous. It takes some careful process design to Read more…
Muri is a Japanese term for a specific form of waste. It means unreasonableness or overexertion. It is often referred to with two other Japanese terms. Muda is the traditional view of waste in which resources are used without adding to output. Mura is inconsistency or unevenness, usually as a result of variation in methods or customer demand. When people and machines are pushed beyond a reasonable limit, they tend to have diminished performance, which Read more…