ISO 9001 Standard / ISO 9001 Standards – ISO 9000 Standard / ISO 9000 Standards Certification & Implementation

The lean manufacturing systems is a general term applied to the latest methods of manufacturing that maximizes value and minimizes the waste. Lean manufacturing systems are varied systems designed to improve the manufacturing line of any company.

Definitions Of Terms In Lean Manufacturing Systems

1. Value in terms of the lean manufacturing systems is basically what the customer is ready to pay for. A company will have to find out or survey what the customer really needs and then focus all its energies and resources towards that valueed goods.

2. Waste in terms of the lean manufacturing systems is the opposite of the value. Everything that is outside the value that was assigned to a particular goods is deemed a waste. Anything that the customer is not willing to pay for is also deemed a waste.

The elimination of this waste can easily manifest itself in at most eight different categories:

a. Overproduction

Overproduction in lean manufacturing systems is the production of a particular good in higher levels and number than what is needed. When a customer orders a particular good, a company will have to manufacture it and deliver it on time.

The problem transpires when the company overproduces the goods and upon delivery, the customer will only buy what he needs. What is left of the products is then deemed as wastes since its quality has diminished and teh customer is not willing to pay for it.

If a company has lean manufacturing systems, then it will be able to monitor how much it should produce adn avoid overproduction.

b. Inventory

Problems in inventory arises when the stock is less than the demand by the customers. If a customer will not be able to get what he wants then it will be a bad image for the company.

Lean manufacturing systems can be administered to be able to avoid the untimely depletion of stocks by proper inventory. Once the stock is near depletion it must be replenished.

c. Defects

Correcting defects have always been a part of lean manufacturing systems. Lean manufacturing systems desire to decrease defects in the manufacturing line by improving processes and applying automation in specific points along the manufacturing line.

Defects are sometimes seen as caused by human errors but these defects can also be caused by improper machineries.

d. Extra processing

Extra processing based from lean manufacturing systems are processes that are seem to be redundant in the system. Extra processing can be solved by lean manufacturing systems simply by monitoring and identifying what specific processes are not needed anymore by the manufacturing line.

What the lean manufacturing systems are doing is to cut down unnecessary processes and improve the manufacturing line.

e. Waiting time

Waiting time per lean manufacturing systems is the unnecessary time that is spent and wasted along the manufacturing line. Again whatever process or loops that can be avoided by the lean manufacturing systems is implemented.

f. Underutilized people    

Underutilized people are also part of the concern of lean manufacturing systems. Lean manufacturing systems finds proper solutions to be able to solve the problem of underutilized people.

Automation processes implemented along the manufacturing lines have induced the decreased need for people.

g. Motion

The motion of the manufacturing line is also a concern for the lean manufacturing systems. The processes of the manufacturing line must be streamlined and improved and lean manufacturing systems have drafted solutions to cut down unnecessary processes.

h. Transportation

The lean manufacturing systems also have a concern over the transportation wastes that a manufacturing company will incur. The lean manufacturing systems have eliminated a few of the problems by centralizing manufacturing operations per plant so that each plant can act and manufacture on their own.

3. Benefits of the lean manufacturing systems are many that includes a better lead-time, more flexibility and more increased sales.

The internal influence of the lean manufacturing systems is the reduced space of operation and a progress in the work. Aside from improvements of quality and an almost minimal expenditures.

Aside from this, lean manufacturing systems can benefit the company with a scrap reduction of about 90%, reduced set-up and lead times by about 90% and 50%. Using lean manufacturing systems, companies can achieve about 20 inventiry turns per year.

Lean manufacturing is said to be a form of continuous improvement and when a company adopts it, a full-time continuous improvement person must be identified within the company as well as a continuous improvement team must be formed.

The company will then bring in a recognized expert or a consultant to be able to map out the company’s operation and help it identify specific areas for improvement.

Some Definition Of Terms

There are some terms that needs to be properly defined if a company wishes to learn what is a lean manufacturing process. The following are some of the terms that are used in lean manufacturing systems:

1. Value is anything that a prospective customer will be willing to buy or pay for. Therefore, what is a lean manufacturing process to a company if it does not provide teh customer what he specifically needs.

2. Cellular manufacturing is the linking of machine and manual operations into the most effective combinations possible to be able to maximize certain value-added activities while at the same time minimizing wastes. This is clearly what is lean manufacturing systems intends to do for the company.

A cell lay-out is typically U-shaped and uses only a one-piece flow.

3. The Kanban System is a pull system that utilizes color-coded cards that are attached to parts or some part containers to be able to regulate the upstream production and also the delivery flow of the process. This is also what is lean manufacturing adopting for the company manufacturing processes.
4. The lean manufacturing is the process of analysis of the flow of information and materials in a manufacturing environment as well as continuously improving the system process to be able to achieve an enhanced value to the customer. What is lean manufacturing is trying to accomplish is the streamlining of existing manufacturing process in companies so as to improve its revenue gain.

5. When a lean manufacturing process identifies a non-value added, it will easily translate to a waste. A non-value added is any activity or process that do not add market form or runction or is simply not necessary. These activities are targetted by lean manufacturing processes to be able to be eliminated, terminated or simply reduced.

This is exactly what is lean manufacturing is trying to do, reduce if not eliminate unwanted processes or activities that translate to waste.

6. Pull system is the method of controlling and managing the flow of resources by replacing only the goods that has been depleted. They are therefore replenished. What is lean manufacturng process is trying to do is to make a systemized process of replenishment and depletion in inventories.

7. Push system is the method by which resources of the company is made available to the customer by using surveys and forecasting or much better by schedules. What is lean manufacturing pushing for, however, is that the push system be disregarded.

8. Takt time is the demand rate of a customer. Takt time aims to set the pace or rhythm of production of goods to be able to match the demand rate of customers. The takt time is the heartbeat of any lean manufacturing system. What is lean manufacturing observing is the calculation of this takt time.

The calculation of takt time is made by dividing the work time that is available by the total number of units that are sold.

9. The value added is any activity that hopes to increase the form of the market or the function of the product and service. This value added is basically the value that was discussed in number one. What lean manufacturing is trying to do is to guide manufacturing companies into putting all their focus and energies towards a good of particular value to the customer.

In the end, what lean manufacturing is aiming to complete is the over all improvement of the company manufacturing process. The company manufacturing process has always been part of an important industry that deserves to be continuously improved upon. Therefore, the last theme of a lean manufacturing system is continuous improvement. The lean manufacturing system has been an inspiration to other parts of company processes as well.

All companies seek ways to improve their businesses. One of the most common goals of trumping the competition is cutting expenses, which can be best achieved through lean manufacturing strategies.

But before anything, let us first define what lean manufacturing is. Lean manufacturing is a management concept that supports the ‘no waste’ policy. These ‘wastes’ refer to the seven most common reasons for underproductivity and delay identified by companies all over the world.

They are inventory, over production, waiting time, transportation, processing, scrap and defects and motion. According to studies, most firms waste between 70% and 90% of the resources available to them. These happen when there are huge stockpiles of overruns, or when it takes ten activity levels to achieve something that can be done equally as good as when completed in three steps. The list can go on, but you get the picture.

The tricky part about implementing lean manufacturing principles is that most of the wastes identified are invisible, making their reduction and eventual eradication challenging. But with careful planning, lean manufacturing should be a walk in the park for your company

There are five core disciplines in lean manufacturing. Not all firms require their implementation, but at least one of which is necessary for the betterment, or ‘leaning’, of an organization.

1) team development
2) cellular manufacturing
3) six sigma and total quality management
4) rapid setup
5) pull scheduling

To complement the above, the following five lean manufacturing principles are what serve as guidelines for firms that want to maximize value out of their organization.

Out With Waste

Lean manufacturing principles focus on eliminating waste from the company. This means taking out unnecessary departments or redundant positions, or eradicating processes that just cause delay.

If it means terminating jobs, then do so. Lean manufacturing espouses that all resources, land, persons and capital, are used in the best and most efficient way they can be used.

Do It Right The First Time

Trial and error methods are simply a waste of resources and time. If enough effort is placed in carefully planning a certain manufacturing process, then there wouldn’t be the need to start all over again, or settle with mediocre situations.

Always Seek The Best

Every company should always reach for the highest value that can be achieved. All the effort will be futile and major waste if this isn’t done so.

Be Flexible

Lean manufacturing principles do not support stiff and linear thinking. If something needs to be improved and changed along the way, then do so at once, instead of contending with the original plan that has been eventually found to be resource and time-wasteful along the way.

Don’t Push, Pull

Consumers should be given the freedom to decide what they want. As a manufacturer, you should impose trends or products to your clients. Rather, you should always be on the lookout for what will make your consumers happy.

Of course, adopting lean manufacturing principles does not always mean that your company is saved. It still takes careful planning, method-mapping and a lot of discipline to succeed. If your company is not wary of the consequences of strategies that are haphazardly implemented, then these lean manufacturing principles will be in vain — and total waste.

Lean Manufacturing Towards Success

To put it simply, lean manufacturing espouses the ‘no waste’ philosophy in managing the workplace and production processes. It does not know any company size. Whether it’s a major corporation or a small group of five housewives with a cookie business, successful lean manufacturing techniques lies in its implementation and the discipline of those participating in it.

Experts say that lean manufacturing first gained popularity in Japan — a country best known for its highly unique and innovative approaches to a variety of things and methods, even with problem-solving strategies.

Lean manufacturing principles border on the practical and the simple. But, again, while they can be easily understood and implemented, maintaining the right attitude all throughout is a different story.

Because of the success lean manufacturing has brought to the companies that adopt it, for instance, Toyota, firms are now seeking to apply the strategy to their own corporations.

It is a fact that all firms need to reduce costs, what with rising energy prices and intensifying competition. Reading business journals, you can see that firms are filing for bankruptcy left and right, citing mismanagement as the most common cause of the Chapter 11 filings. Even the most stable companies have fallen prey to these. This is why lean manufacturing is starting to become the overhaul method of choice for firms wanting to get back on track.

The success of lean manufacturing is determined by how implementing companies deal with and initiate ways to achieve maximum benefits from the resources available to them without having to spend too much. Success is also driven by the reduction and eventual elimination of the so-called wastes of corporate environments.

These wastes have been identified as: transportation (the movement of goods more than what is minimally needed), motion (employees working more than what is minimally required), defects (the efforts linked with inspecting and fixing problems), processing (conducting more work than what is actually needed), overproduction (leading to wasteful stockpiles) and inventory.

When a company overproduces a certain product, chances are that this product will end up being sold at a price that is a lot lower than intended. The manufacturer will be pressured to sell everything and, thus, be forced to offload at rock bottom rates to make this happen.

A successful lean manufacturing program will make sure this does not happen to your company. Instead, it will push for a production level that is just adequate and delivered at the right time it is needed, without time and product excesses.

For the part of the consumer, this is good. They exactly what they are paying for. For the part of the manufacturer, this is also positive, because nothing is wasted. Not resources, not energy, not time.

However, as said earlier, to achieve lean manufacturing success still relies on how it is adopted. In short, it is all up to you. Lean manufacturing requires careful planning at the onset. If you get into it haphazardly and not mind the possible consequences, then you might as well have not undergone it all.

Identifying The Wastes Named By Lean Manufacturing

Before we move on, let us first answer the issue raised by this article by identifying what the top seven wastes companies identified as the reasons for the production delays, gargantuan costs and, eventually, bankruptcy filings and hostile takeovers are.

1) overproduction
2) transportation
3) motion (processes that don’t need to be conducted)
4) inventory
5) processing
6) waiting time
7) scrap and defects

Understanding what lean manufacturing is does not take rocket science to bear down to the basic concepts. Simply put, lean manufacturing is the achievement of the greatest efficiency and profitability for a company by eliminating the wasteful methods and activities that are commonly present in corporate regimes.

At first glance, some firms are intimated with the thought of adopting lean manufacturing because of its fancy sounding name. But, if truth be told, it’s actually easier than seems. What you just need to have is the dedication and the discipline to see things through and make change happen.

These are the primary reasons why most firms often fail. For instance, with defects, instead of focusing on achieving the best quality output at the shortest period of time, some firms waste effort and energy into looking at and fixing equipment and method defects and problems. If the kinks had been addressed in the first place and the problem nipped at the bud, such an unnecessary activity would be eliminated.

To further sate your palate for a better understanding of lean manufacturing terms:

If a company wants to fully understand what lean manufacturing is, it should first familiarize itself with some of the prominent technical terms linked to it. Don’t let these words scare you off.

Kanban System

This is a pull method that makes use of color-coded cards attached to parts to be able to ensure the smooth flow of the production process. A ‘pull method’ simply means the customer’s interest is foremost, instead of you as the manufacturer dictating what the consumer should have.

Cellular manufacturing

This involves the linking manual and machine operation to achieve the most efficient and cost-effective combination that would extract maximum value from a certain activity and method, while reducing wastes at the same time. Cellular manufacturing is usually U-shaped and flows in a single pattern.

Value

This is what the customers is willing to pay for. It is the responsibility of the lean manufacturing strategy to deliver what the customer wants exactly.

Takt time

This is identified by the customers’ rate of demand. The takt time is what sets the production pace and matches it with how badly consumers need the product delivered to them. It is often referred to as the heartbeat of lean manufacturing systems.

Pull system

This involves the replacement only of goods that have been used up or depleted.

Lean manufacturing espouses the ‘no waste’ philosophy in managing the workplace and production processes. It does not know any company size. Whether it’s a major corporation or a small group of five housewives with a cookie business, successful lean manufacturing techniques lies in its implementation and the discipline of those participating in it.

Experts say that lean manufacturing tools first gained popularity in Japan — a country best known for its highly unique and innovative approaches to a variety of things and methods, even with problem-solving strategies.

The success of lean manufacturing is determined by how implementing companies deal with and initiate ways to achieve maximum benefits from the resources available to them without having to spend too much. Success is also driven by the reduction and eventual elimination of the so-called wastes of corporate environments.

These wastes have been identified as: transportation (the movement of goods more than what is minimally needed), motion (employees working more than what is minimally required), defects (the efforts linked with inspecting and fixing problems), processing (conducting more work than what is actually needed), overproduction (leading to wasteful stockpiles) and inventory.

It is a fact that all firms need to reduce costs, what with rising energy prices and intensifying competition. Reading business journals, you can see that firms are filing for bankruptcy left and right, citing mismanagement as the most common cause of the Chapter 11 filings. Even the most stable companies have fallen prey to these. This is why lean manufacturing is starting to become the overhaul method of choice for firms wanting to get back on track.

The tricky part about implementing lean manufacturing tools is that most of the wastes identified are invisible, making their reduction and eventual eradication challenging. But with careful planning, lean manufacturing tools should be a walk in the park for your company

The following five lean manufacturing tools are what serve as guidelines for firms that want to maximize value out of their organization.

The Right Way, The First Time

Trial and error methods are simply a waste of resources and time. If enough effort is placed in carefully planning a certain manufacturing process, then there wouldn’t be the need to start all over again, or settle with mediocre situations.

Go Away, Waste

Lean manufacturing principles focus on eliminating waste from the company. This means taking out unnecessary departments or redundant positions, or eradicating processes that just cause delay.

If it means terminating jobs, then do so. Lean manufacturing espouses that all resources, land, persons and capital, are used in the best and most efficient way they can be used.

In Constant Search for the Best Quality

Every company should always reach for the highest value that can be achieved. All the effort will be futile and major waste if this isn’t done so.

No Pushing

Consumers should be given the freedom to decide what they want. As a manufacturer, you should impose trends or products to your clients. Rather, you should always be on the lookout for what will make your consumers happy.

Exercise Flexibility

Lean manufacturing tools do not support stiff and linear thinking. If something needs to be improved and changed along the way, then do so at once, instead of contending with the original plan that has been eventually found to be resource and time-wasteful along the way.

In a business setting that operates under lean manufacturing principles, it is important that the staff and employees of the company must have lean manufacturing training. Lean manufacturing is a management principle that almost every business wants to emulate. Lean manufacturing is all about reducing waste to make the business more effective and efficient.

Lean manufacturing training begins with the classroom setting with managers, consultant, implementers and employees are gathered to learn the concepts, formulate programs and create worthwhile solutions to the company’s inefficiencies. The lean manufacturing training consultants may ask the staff to divide into teams.

Forming teams within the corporate system is very important in lean manufacturing training. Lean manufacturing philosophy depends on the correlation of the units is a large organization and the cause and effect of each person in the unit. When lean manufacturing training begins, the value of having team pride is expressed.

Teams undergoing lean manufacturing training cover a lot of areas from statistical Process Control, Team Building, Job Skills and Root Cause Analysis. Often during their training, many are shy and are reserved with their ideas. They lack the confidence in their work and don’t really feel a part of something greater.

When they finish with their lean manufacturing training, all their inhibitions are set aside. Their lean manufacturing training makes them more competent in their jobs as a team and individuals. Giving these people a vision or attainable goal helps give them pride in them and their work.

During the lean manufacturing training, destructive and emotional conflict during work is turned into constructive brainstorming and problem solving. The lean manufacturing training sharpens the managers’ decision-making abilities through case studies. Employees and managers see eye to eye on internal issues and their lean manufacturing training encourages them to think outside the box as a whole team when problems arise.

One of the major benefits of undergoing lean manufacturing training is the satisfaction of getting the job done. It gives pride to the team who solves it and helps make the company more efficient. By involving the entry-level staff to the managers in attaining realistic goals set within a timeframe, they are encouraged to give their best.

Another benefit is that the company stands to gain more from the lean manufacturing training. With the company’s production processes becoming efficient without sacrificing the quality and quantity of the goods and services, more profits are expected to come in.

The lean manufacturing training also teaches the managers how to spot wastes within the system. Since zero waste is the a must in the implementation of lean manufacturing, learning to identify what works and what doesn’t in a department is a valuable trait for anyone wishing to climb the corporate ladder.

It’s all about being smart and effective as an individual. Eventually, the door of opportunity will open once you’ve taken the lean manufacturing training to heart.

Lean manufacturing training for the different groups in a company

There are six groups that may be involved in the implementation of the lean manufacturing philosophy in a company. Because of the different level in the role of each group, lean manufacturing training for each of them also differs.

1. Executive Management – this group is responsible for establishing the culture of zero waste in all the departments. They are the ones everyone expects to set the bar for exemplary lean manufacturing training. Because of this, their training covers a lot of the philosophy of lean manufacturing and how to integrate its principles in the company’s way of business.

2. Lean masters – this is a selected group of highly qualified company experts on lean management that are trained to become leaders in advancing the lean management plans. They are usually selected within the company and their lean manufacturing training is all about getting results.

3.  Middle Management – this group is tasked with the responsibility of identifying opportunities within the company. They also must be able to prioritize which projects need more attention and how to achieve the results expected from the projects. Their lean manufacturing training is more focused on the production process of the company.

4. Lean Implementation Teams – this group is directly responsible for implementing the lean manufacturing tools throughout the organization. Their lean manufacturing training is requires them to have a good understanding of the lean tools to fulfill their directives.

5. Office Support – this group only undergoes lean manufacturing training when their actions can directly help in the success of the lean project. Often, they do not have to take the lean manufacturing training.

With lean manufacturing training, everyone in the company can become a valuable resource. And by helping create a leaner more efficient workplace, the company can be expected to last for a very long time, which means more jobs and opportunities for promotion to its employees.

The Advantages of Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is the processes, techniques, strategies and initiatives being implemented by companies around the world that aim to reduce unnecessary and unproductive tasks, activities and behaviors in the work environment.

Because the times have really gone hard, demanding and intense due to political and turbulent concerns affecting all nations, firms are currently facing challenges to be able to keep their profitability and efficiency.

Lean manufacturing not only reduces operational costs but also targets to boost, restore and significantly raise the competitiveness of a company.

There are seven identified ‘forms of waste’ within the work environment and systems that lean manufacturing principally aims to alleviate, if not totally eliminate. These are over production, over processing, transportation, motion, inventory, waiting and scrap and defects.

Several advantages of adopting lean manufacturing principles

The first advantage identified by experts from implementing lean manufacturing techniques and strategies is the reduction of manufacturing time.

When the manufacturing lead time is significantly lowered, it follows that the operational costs incurred from the use of energy, utilities and wages from laborers’ time will also be significantly reduced.

Thus, lean manufacturing helps companies retain, maintain and significantly increase their earnings, widen their margins and help them generate savings from lower costs.

Space is another area where lean manufacturing advantages are clearly and effectively exhibited. Working space, it is understood, is one of the primary and basic factors that keep operations of businesses going.

Labor and human resource experts estimate that adoption of good and effective lean manufacturing techniques and strategies will likely help companies reduce their physical floor space requirements by as much as 5% to 30%.

The figures involved could be small and miniscule for your eyes, but, actually, that will significantly contribute to much more efficiency and savings. That would be an advantage almost all businesses will surely look after.

The advantage in productivity

It is found that in general, companies implementing and adhering to lean manufacturing practices significantly boost and increase their manufacturing productivity by as much as 75% to 125%.

It is because time and efforts are principally targeted by lean manufacturing processes. Thus, elimination of wastes, practices, behaviors and unnecessary and disturbing objects in the work place will surely and practically help workers get on to their tasks with much smooth pacing and comfort.

You know how it is when workers work without any distractions and interruptions. Productivity is very much maximized. Thus, lean manufacturing becomes a necessity for companies to be able to achieve that goal.

The advantages in terms of waste to profit relationships

It follows that elimination and reduction of wastes will gradually and efficiently help boost and raise up earnings and profits in companies.

Thus, elimination of wastes and unproductive activities, objects, tasks and behaviors in the work place will surely help the company and its personnel focus on the requirements and demands of the customer.

The advantage of that, above all is that, when customer satisfaction is achieved, sales will surely rise. The best way to establish a good relationship with customers is to improve the products and services offered to them.

Lean manufacturing would be of great help to achieve a good customer or client relations.

Another advantage brought about by lean manufacturing techniques among various companies and firms adopting it worldwide is streamlined, rationalized or lean structuring of the organization.

You should know that elimination of excess and unnecessary job positions and tasks in a company is a sure way to help that firm reduce labor costs and eventually lead to generate savings.

Lean manufacturing without a doubt brings that advantage of leanness upon organizations and companies practicing and adopting it.

Advantage on culture improvement

Various companies around the world are practicing and implementing different cultures. It is usually a cause of problems, conflicts and issues around and within the organization.

In lean manufacturing, the cultures are standardized, thus, unfavorable practices and behaviors of both the employees and the management are reduced, if not eliminated.

The greatest advantage of lean manufacturing in terms of cultures adopted by companies is that lean manufacturing makes the differences between management and personnel reach to a verging point.

Lean manufacturing principles should really be implemented by companies. It is high time to reap its advantages.

The Andon Lean Manufacturing Tool

Andon is a “visual control” device that shows machine, line or process status. It is a very useful tool in lean manufacturing systems where the main goal is to reduce production waste in all levels.

Using andon boards can help the industry guide, monitor and ensure productivity. Andon boards also double as early warning devices because audible alarms or warning messages usually accompany them to communicate a problem.

With andon boards installed in lean manufacturing warehouses, workers can instantly see order status, priorities and many relevant productivity measurements even from more than 100 feet away. Critical areas in lean manufacturing where andon boards can be used are manufacturing, inventory management, storage, receiving, picking and shipping.

By using andon boards in a lean manufacturing system, there is evidently better coordination of orders, parts, priorities and flow thus an improvement of customer service.

In shipping for example, andon boards can display queuing information, priorities, pick-up and departure and wait times, truck directions and other specifics which ensure fast and correct deliveries. Inventory accuracy is assured by seeing to it that proper items are picked.

Because of andon boards, lean manufacturing systems do not rely on white boards, clip boards and word of mouth and even emails and intranet as a communication tool. There is little room for error, therefore, and a reduction of “work in progress” or lag time between cycles.

Most andon boards have the ablity to project a number of 4” characters. Requests normally refer to x  number of lines and y number of characters. You can run for example 5 lines of 30 characters each which implies 4” characters.

Andon boards can also be used to display smaller characters as needed. 2.1” high characters are usually used for smaller areas with 100 ft. or less of viewing distance. Some adaptive andon boards can display different character sizes at once. are available in single-sided and double-sided veer

Windows applications can be installed inside andon board displays and all these will operate on the boards just like they run on PCs. Excel can be used to display charts and graphs live. Explorer can display internet or intranet sites as well.

Other HMI applications like GE Cimplicity, Wonderware, Visual Plant, Iconics or other SCADA applications can also be run on andon boards just like they are run on a desktop computer.

Andon boards have enhanced lean manufacturing tremendously. However, andon displays have, for a long time, been a basic but very expensive addition to lean manufacturing systems.

New technologies had to be developed to further enhance these communication tools and reduce more waste. Before, the data that andon boards display are usually fixed and restricted to single word headings such as “target” or “actual”, and data is lost once the display changes.

Now, Gemba Solutions have developed a new model, the OEE Impact Andon Board which provides flexible and displays which the user can configure via a PC. This can also be viewed on LCD or plasma screen.

The OEE Impact Andon Board creates another dimension for lean manufacturing as its software lets you know how you fare against targets in real-time by calculating TAKT times. A production plan for machines and lines can also automatically account planned breaks.

A profile of progress can also be views within a specific period of time or within work shifts. The OEE Impact Andon Board also can provide a historical summary report showing shift, daily, weekly performance vis-à-vis TAKT times, targets, rejects and down-times. 

These new kinds of andon boards are very helpful in lean manufacturing as they let you know how well your production is going. In the event that results are less than what you want them to be, the OEE Impact Andon Board can also utilize a powerful software to find out where problem areas and bottlenecks are.

This helps lean manufacturers decide what to change in the process and later check on summary reports whether, in changing the process results have indeed improved. This shows that with the OEE Impact Andon Board, no data is ever lost.

Success in the Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Principles in Companies

Lean manufacturing is a holistic and innovative approach to making companies’ profits and earnings somehow upbeat and at par with contemporaries around the world.

Lean manufacturing, according to experts, was developed and initially implemented and launched in Japan, which is a country foremost known for interactive and inventive approaches to solving and dealing with problems.

Experts also note that lean manufacturing principles are very simple and practical. However, the success of lean manufacturing adoption and implementation depends and principally relies on the effective and religious implementation of the simple and easy to do strategic principles.

Lean manufacturing and companies

Companies around the world, in all aspects and in all industries, are now addressing lean manufacturing issues and concerns, one way or another. The fact that all companies need to reduce operation costs and expenses make up to the companies ever- enduring efforts and initiatives to adopt lean manufacturing principles.

There are numerous companies that fall and file for bankruptcy every now and then. The corporate world is alarmed because even the staunchest and most stable companies in the past decades are beginning to show signs and indications of deterioration and weakness nowadays.

It can be because the world economy is so challenged by the greatest problem that has bugged the economy of the world—rising and higher oil prices. Lea manufacturing is becoming very popular among all companies because of that.

Lean manufacturing principally aims to help companies by targeting or initiating ways, measures and practices that alleviate and reduce wasteful practices and behaviors in the work environment.

Lean manufacturing is also helping companies around the world to cope up with the real and emerging challenges in the real world when prices and costs are so volatile and influential to modern living and economies.

There are seven waste, wasteful practices and unproductive processes that lean manufacturing aims principally to erase or alleviate.

First, lean manufacturing aims to scrap over production among companies. Over production leads to lowering and declining prices of products and merchandise that would eventually lead to a company loss.

Second, lean manufacturing aims to reduce and cut over processing inside all companies. Over processing makes expenses higher by putting up additional costs and expenses for processing materials and labor costs. Time is also wasted by that.

Third, lean manufacturing maximizes transportation. You know that transportation is facilitated by automotive and cars. These in turn, burn up oil and petroleum that are currently priced at unreasonable levels.

Fourth, lean manufacturing makes motion productive. By eliminating wastes and setting aside big and space-consuming equipment in the work place, laborers are able to move freely, enabling them to eventually speed up production and do more outputs.

Fifth, lean manufacturing prevents piling up of inventories. In some industries, piled up inventories are positive, but in almost all, or the majority of manufacturing firms, inventories should be kept controlled because prices of the goods are affected by piled up inventories.

Lean manufacturing makes up operations streamlined and more efficient. Thus, for the sixth spot, lean manufacturing principles help make companies alleviate and prevent waiting time.

Lastly, because the environment is cleared from all obstacles and disturbance, lean manufacturing helps companies avoid the production of goods with scraps and defects.

Companies producing merchandise and outputs with scraps and defects not only suffer from losses from the production of such substandard products, they also lose customers because their credibility are destroyed and tainted.

Companies that successfully implement lean manufacturing principles

There are more and more companies around the world that successfully implement lean manufacturing techniques and principles in their daily operation.

It should be noted that companies that use lean manufacturing with success are characterized by one and a single unifying feature— all of them are profitable and strong.

Companies that use lean manufacturing with success are also notably very competitive amid intense and rising competition in the corporate world.