25 Lean Tools Pdf

[Jonelle Rycroft]

Kaizenis a Japanese business philosophy that continuously aims to improve the operations and employees in the organisation. The ultimate goal of Kaizen, as its name suggests, is to have "change for better", whether the change is big or small or rapid or slow. Even the small changes happening at a crawling pace can impact the long run. Every stakeholder is expected to contribute to the company's success through Kaizen. The main advantages of Kaizen include

Jidoka, also called autonomation, is automation with human intelligence. Here, the work stops immediately at the faulty level, which helps identify the root cause of the problem. The concept of Jidoka originated in the 1900s. It was first used by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota group, when he founded a textile loom that broke automatically when the thread broke rather than producing faulty fabric. The process involved in carrying out Jidoka includes identifying the issue or the problem, stopping the procedure followed by fixing it and identifying the primary cause of the problem to avoid future complications. The benefits of Jidoka include:

Poka-Yoke translates to mistake-proofing. Poka-Yoke arose from the understanding that mistakes are inevitable and the system needs to be set up for early detection and avoidance. Poka-yoke tries to prevent the mistake by ensuring the proper condition before executing the process. When not possible, they play a detective function of identifying the error in the process and rectifying it before it reaches the consumer. Significant advantages of poka-yoke include:

Kanban in Japanese translates to a signal card or a graphic card. These signal cards work as the indicators to refill an item that is running low in stock, and when the signal card or Kanban is raised, the necessary things are filled in the required quantity. Kanban thus helps to reduce the wastage of time, extra cost and space of storage by ordering what is only needed, which in turn helps in increasing the company's profit. Kanban is mainly implemented according to the consumer demands, so the chances of committing mistakes are more diminutive and prevent faulty stock from entering the downstream customer processes.

The Tcard Kanban board offers teams a visual management system for handling project tasks, mapping workflows, and refining work delivery processes. Kanban Boards in the Digital Tcards serves as a consolidated platform for optimising work distribution among multiple teams. Each Tcard board visually outlines the different stages of a process, where cards symbolise individual work items and columns delineate each stage's progression. This visual approach facilitates effective task management and communication within teams, offering a comprehensive overview of workflow dynamics.

Continuous flow is closely associated with the other lean tools such as Kanban and Just in Time. Continuous flow makes sure that every single item is moved through all the steps in the process instead of a group working into batches. Here the work is carried out smoothly, and there is a little hindrance between the manufacturing stages. Continuous flow ensures that the goods are continuously being sent to the consumers, and it adds value to the consumer as the waiting time of the consumer is reduced. It also ensures continuity and stability in the production process and reduces waste products.

KPIs are measuring tools used to analyse the progress of production efficiency in the industry. The successful implementation of the lean manufacturing tools and their work is being carried out with the help of Key Performance Indicators or Improvement priorities. The target vs Actual or the Plan vs Goal approach is the easiest way to measure business performance.

The leading indicators indicate the targets are being achieved successfully and can drive the company into success in the future. In contrast, the lagging indicators show the company's past glory and where the plan needs to be regrouped to achieve the desired results.

Integrating Balanced Scorecard methodology with KPI can enhance performance evaluation and strategic decision-making. Key Performance Indicators being the fundamental metrics that gauge an organisation's success in achieving its objectives, it systematically tracks and monitors these quantifiable measures from where businesses can assess progress and make data-driven adjustments to their strategies. The SQCDP framework in balanced scorecard provides a comprehensive analysis of KPIs across different organisational departments, offering insights into both short and long-term goals. This holistic approach ensures that every facet of the business aligns with overarching strategic objectives, driving collective progress and growth.

TPM aims to reduce the machinery's downtime and increase the production system's operational efficiency. Focus is mainly on the increase in production by maintaining the reliability of the production equipment. TPM tries to avoid breakdowns, slow processes, defects or accidents. TPM works on Preventive Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance and Inbuilt Maintenance.

Preventive maintenance involves maintenance of the machinery being scheduled regularly. In contrast, Corrective maintenance checks the equipment altogether and replaces it with the new one to avoid the additional cost of repair every time. Inbuilt Maintenance or maintenance prevention component makes sure no extra equipment is purchased. The ones purchased are in the proper working conditions and of good quality to avoid the additional charge of repairing or replacing them when the production efficiency is affected.

Other operations related to maintenance activity include autonomous maintenance, daily check, external maintenance, focused improvement, planned maintenance, quality maintenance, planned repair etc. TPM tries to create the shared responsibility of the equipment, which will help to increase the involvement of the workers and increase productivity.

A CMMS software revolutionises maintenance management by offering a comprehensive solution that maximises operational efficiency and minimising downtime, in line with the principles of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). With CMMS software, you can seamlessly streamline maintenance tasks, optimise operations, and enhance overall productivity. By integrating TPM methodologies into its features, such as real-time maintenance data, preventive maintenance scheduling, and customisable reporting capabilities, CMMS software empowers businesses to reduce equipment downtime, lower maintenance costs, and extend the lifespan of critical assets.

TQM, just like TPM, is one of the lean tools that increase the system's operational efficiency. While TPM concentrates on the equipment and product, TQM mainly focuses on the end product and its quality.

Customer Satisfaction: "The customer is King" customer feedback defines the success and failure of a product. Therefore, the company constantly undergoes a continuous improvement process to satisfy the customer.

Process Centred: Process here refers to the steps carried out from the initial planning stage of the product to the final customer delivery. TQM ensures that these processes are monitored and analysed consistently to maintain the efficiency of the production system.

Heijunka is the process of level scheduling. Heijunka levels the type and quantity of production and reduces batching. Heijunka tries to maintain evenness in the production system, and the orders are processed according to the customer demands. This tool helps reduce the number of products kept in reserve during the low market and maintain a minimum number of products when the demands increase. Heijunka's goals include reducing inventory, processing time, and capital costs

Andon is a visual response system that demonstrates the status of the production. This visual management tool alerts the operators in the case of an abnormality or problem and empowers them to cease the production process without waiting for the top management. Andon has its origin in the Jidoka methodology. Different coloured Andon lights signal various problems and actions required to resolve them. Andon increases transparency and efficiency in the process and reduces waste.

Like KPI, OEE is another lean manufacturing tool that measures the manufacturing industry's productivity. OEE score of 100% means that the production system works perfectly with manufacturing the right amount of the products at the right time in the needed numbers and good quality with zero downtime. The key factors that are needed for the measurement are:

Availability: This measure considers all factors that can stop production for a considerable time. It can include planned stops like changeover time and unplanned stops like downtime or material constraints.

Enhance production efficiency with the implementation of a robust data capture system to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and optimise manufacturing output. This system analyses asset availability, performance, and production quality to gauge process efficiency accurately. By capturing real-time data, it provides insights into underperforming machines, enabling proactive measures to improve machine efficiency and maximise overall productivity. OEE, derived from the multiplication of availability, performance, and quality metrics, serves as a comprehensive indicator of manufacturing performance, guiding strategic decisions towards operational excellence.

The 5S concept was introduced by the Toyota Production System(TPS) in the mid 20th century, which mainly focuses on the workplace. It involves comprehensive cleaning, decluttering and organising the workstation to maximise productivity and minimise waste creation. The 5S stands for:

Ensure continuous improvement through the agile, efficient, and effective 5S audit process, evaluating the organisation's 5S implementation. With regular audits, track performance trends and implement action plans to address anomalies swiftly. Streamline audit creation and assignment, complete with notifications and reminders for employees, fostering increased engagement and productivity. Experience simplified, organised data flow for every audit, enabling easy tracking and informed decision-making.

3a8082e126