Until now, I have never seen anything better than OPF in terms of:
Efficiency, cooperation, economy, and the most important: Product Flow! This
is the antagonist of the traditional "batch" flow. Batch
production is one of the problems that many industries are still facing
today. Perhaps not all the products can be made in a One Piece Flow, but the
message is clear, batches must be reduced in size if you really want to
increase your efficiency, and who does not?
This is something really simple and very valuable, the changes in individual
mindsets and general companywide culture
need to be assimilated, but the results can be seen in just a few days. This
strategy uses a combination of Lean Manufacturing tools.
First of all we need
to take an objective view of each production area. Each unit (product)
should be easily transferred from one operation to the next as soon as
each operation has been finished. In the past, we would accumulate a
certain number of units before handing them to the next operation.
Next consideration is
not to supply the next operation any material they can't take and work
on immediately. It is also critical not to starve the next workstation.
This may require for us to start "balancing" the amount of
work-time devoted to operations in each work-station. If someone is
finishing faster and needs to wait for the previous operation, that
person probably needs to absorb a part of the work of that previous
operation. The purpose is to bring as close as possible the "cycle
time" of each work-station.
The speed at which
each product unit needs to travel from one operation to the next will be
determined by the "Takt Time" that is a result of the
available time in the work-day or in the shift (usually measured in
seconds), divided by the number of parts to be produced.
Example: If you need
to produce 1,200 parts in a period of 7.5 working hours, then you
divide: 27,000 seconds by 1,200. Your Takt time is 22.5 seconds. This
means that each workstation must be capable of processing a unit in no
more than 22.5 seconds. if the operation can't be divided and is very
labor intensive, requiring 64 seconds for example, you will need three
operators equally trained and equipped to satisfy your takt time.
Of course there
are also some changes in the processes that can help our associates do
the work easier and faster, without compromising safety or quality. Each
one of the operators should participate with their creativity and
experience to produce these improvements.
Speaking of quality,
one valuable characteristic of Lean Manufacturing is the concept change
between the old "quality control" into the current
"quality assurance". The difference is that in quality
assurance each individual is his-her own inspector, and also verifies
that the previous operation was done right. This is called
"Jidoka - ZQC - Zero Quality Control - Autonomous Quality" and is one of the Key Principles of the
TPS - Toyota Production System.
One more critical
part of this new process is the logistics that will be required to
provide each person with the materials they need at the time they need
them. Please see POUS - Point of Use Storage.
This website does not substitute the advise of a
consultant. I am personally one, and the purpose of this network is to help
individuals and Companies get started. Some small manufacturing or service operations will
immediately benefit from this process and perhaps grow to the point where they will need
and be able to afford direct Lean Manufacturing consulting.
to be continued...
all our materials are
under Kaizen - Continuous Improvement by our full-time and part-time
writers, visit us frequently!
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