14. Process Improvement

Question 1

What are the 4 main reasons for improving a process?

Answer 1

1. Safety- no longer safe or appropriate
2. Quality- customer complaint
3. Delivery- regularly late
4. Cost- competitor is cheaper

Question 2

What are 6 general reasons for improving a process?

Answer 2

• Productivity
• Environmental
• Growth
• Regulations
• Societal
• Yield

Question 3

What are the 5 stages of lean process improvement?

Answer 3

• Value: specify value from the customer’s perspective.
• Value stream: identify the process sequence that delivers the value.
• Flow: make the value flow at a steady pace to meet demand.
• Pull: deliver the service when it’s demanded by a customer.
• Perfection: seek to perfect all of the previous stages.

Question 4

What 3 groups should be considered when determining value?

Answer 4

• Customer
• Stakeholders
• Employees

Question 5

What gives a process activity value?

Answer 5

• If the customer is willing to pay for it
• If the product or service is changed as a result of the step (value added)
• If the step is done right first time

Question 6

What are the terms that distinguish value from waste?

Answer 6

Value added (VA)
Non-value added (NVA)

Question 7

Most processes have a lot more ___ than __.

Answer 7

NVA
VA

Question 8

What are the 7 wastes in a process (TIMWOOD)?

Answer 8

Transportation: unnecessary movement of parts
Inventory: parts/materials which have no value being added to them
Movement: unnecessary movement of people
Waiting
Overproduction: making products faster than customer demand
Overprocessing: doing more than a customer wants/needs
Defects: not doing it right first time

Question 9

What is a value stream map?

Answer 9

A tool that is used to show the value stream. It groups all of the processes into one map that sequences the operations.

Question 10

What can be found on a value stream map?

Answer 10

• The current state of the process
• Information flow
• Process flow
• Information boxes
• Lead time ladders

Question 11

What is takt time?

Answer 11

The available time per day (including break times but excluding break-downs) divided by the parts required per day

Question 12

Give the equation for takt time

Answer 12

Question 13

What is cycle time?

Answer 13

How fast a product is actually produced.

Question 14

What is the ideal state for flow?

Answer 14

CT = TT
cycle time = takt time

Question 15

What is the flow state during overproduction?

Answer 15

CT < TT

Question 16

What is the flow state during underproduction?

Answer 16

CT > TT

Question 17

What are the two types of flow processing?

Answer 17

• Batch & push processing
• Continuous flow

Question 18

Define batch & push processing

Answer 18

Each person carries out their task on every product in the batch before passing them on.

Question 19

Define continuous flow processing

Answer 19

“make one, move one.”

Question 20

If flow processing doesn’t work what is done instead?

Answer 20

Pull: the company only makes what the customer orders.

Question 21

How does pull processing work?

Answer 21

The company only makes what the customer orders. Hence, the purchase of a product is what causes the production line to restart to fill the ‘gap’ left by the purchased product.

Question 22

Name one feature of pull processing

Answer 22

Extremely low inventory

Question 23

What is continuous improvement in the process industry?

Answer 23

Communication with customers to continuously find out what can be done better and to solve that problem.

Question 24

What is ‘5s’?

Answer 24

A tool used to optimise flow and pull processes.

Question 25

What are the components of 5s

Answer 25

Sort: remove un-needed items
Set: place items in order
Shine: clean all equipment
Standardise: set a standard that is easy to follow
Sustain: Audit, maintain and review the standard to improve