LEAN TOOLS HUB
Kaizen is a japanese word and means change for better. It is a core concept in Lean thinking that emphasizes making small, incremental changes over time to improve efficiency and quality
5S is a Lean Tool designed to improve the organization of our tasks. For many, Kanban board 5S is the base of lean. Without housekeeping it is not possible to understand the status of the process.
This tool is based on five Japanese words that start with the letter S: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketru, and Shitsuke. Each one of these words defines one of the five distinct steps of implementation:
Seiri (Eliminate) – Remove all that is unnecessary
Seiton (Organize) – Each object has a defined place
Seisou (Clean) – Clean all work area and equipment and paint if necessary. Define strategies to reduce dirt and optimize cleaning
Seiketsu (Standardize) – Develop a standard for cleaning and organizing (that includes cleaning material and its duration) and develop verification methods
Shitzuke (Respect) – Create a responsible cleaning and organizing environment in all the company. Develop auditory systems for all the factory areas
It is important not to forget the 7 wastes when implementing 5S.
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Heijunka is a lean manufacturing technique that aims to level out the production schedule by producing small batches of different products in a mixed sequence. This helps companies to avoid the build-up of inventory and optimize the use of equipment and labour.
The Logistics Box, manages the customers’ requests (kanbans) and the delivery of goods, is important to keep the deadlines in perspective; it improves also the planning ability.
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A Kanban board puts together kanban’s that are for the same or similar products making batches, in order to optimize the number of set-ups. It is suitable for processes that were still not able to reduce set-ups
The sequencer is a buffer of orders, for a single resource, respecting FIFO (first in first out), allowing to keep the sequence respected. This tool also allows to understand the load of the resource (many cards means more resources needed, few cards means the resource is going to stop).
A Yamazumi chart is a visual chart where you can analyze and compare the work content of every worker on the same production Line.
This Analysis allows you to identify the waiting time of workers with different cycle times, on the same production line.
It’s important to know that the quantity produced per hour is directly influenced by the waiting time and this is also defined by the difference between the highest cycle time compared to the others.
The speed of a production line is always determined by the highest Cycle Time.
Takt time is defined by the customer’s time interval between the output of each piece of a determined product.
Takt time should dictate the rhythm of the productive process, in other words, one piece is produced on each takt
Open Time is the number of hours that this specific line is planned to produce.
Cycle Times that are lower than the takt time will lead to waiting and Cycle Times that are higher than takt time can be Muri and will hold up the planned delivery dates.
It is frequent to join tasks with Mura on the same worker. This allows us to focus on this process and try to reduce one worker on the line.
Poka-Yoke is a system made to prevent errors and defects from occurring or catching them before they reach the customer.
DMAIC is the traditional project model within the philosophy of Lean Six Sigma.
DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
The five phases are followed structurally by working with problem-solving and process optimization
The main purpose of DMAIC tools is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization’s existing processes.
It’s a problem-solving methodology used in the context of Six Sigma, a business management strategy aimed at improving the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes.
DMAIC is implemented through five different phases:
1. Define: In this phase, the project goals are defined clearly, along with the customers’ requirements and the process to be improved.
2. Measure: In this phase, the current process performance is measured, and baseline data is collected to understand the extent of the problem and establish a benchmark for improvement.
3. Analyze: In this phase, the root causes of the problem are identified through data analysis and various analytical tools to understand why the process is not meeting the desired performance levels.
4. Improve: In this phase, solutions are developed and implemented to address the root causes identified in the analyze phase. These solutions are then tested to verify their effectiveness in improving the process.
5. Control: In this phase, control measures are put in place to sustain the improvements made during the improve phase. Monitoring systems are established to ensure that the process remains stable and continues to meet the desired performance levels.
Jidoka is a Japanese term that can be translated as “autonomation” or “automation with a human touch.” It is a key principle in the Toyota Production System (TPS), which is a manufacturing philosophy developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Jidoka is one of the two pillars of TPS, with the other being Just-in-Time (JIT).
The primary goal of Jidoka is to build quality into the production process by empowering machines to automatically detect and stop when a defect or abnormality occurs. This helps prevent defective products from progressing further in the production line, avoiding the creation of more faulty goods and reducing waste. At the same time, it allows human workers to focus on more complex tasks, continuous improvement, and creative problem-solving.
Jidoka typically involves the use of sensors, monitoring systems, and automation technologies to enable machines to self-check for abnormalities. If a problem is detected, the machine stops, and an alert is triggered for human intervention.
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PDCA is four stage improvement cycle based on the scientific method. On this cycle, a change in the process is proposed, implemented, measured and taken the appropriate action. |
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Another designation for this is the Deming Cycle or Deming Wheel, after W.Eduards Deming, who introduced the concept in the 1950s.
Continuous improvement implies “taking action” and encourages change.
The PDCA cycle is a very useful tool to create and follow up those change proposing actions.
The PDCA cycle is usually presented in a visual manner and considers four stages for the implementation of an action:
- Plan – Determine goals and what you propose to d o in order to achieve them;
- Do – Implement what you planned;
- Check – Evaluate the results;
- Act – Standardize and stabilize the change or begin the cycle again.
Synonyms: Deming Cycle
See: Kaizen, Plant Board, OPL