3 Common lean production techniques

Question 1

Kaizen definition:

Answer 1

Kaizen means continuous improvement by eliminating waste.

Question 2

Kaizen summary

Answer 2

-Workers meet regularly to discuss problems and possible solutions
-In this way, wastage is reduced and efficiency is improved
-Factory floors are usually rearranged so that the flow of production from one activity to the next is improved.

Question 3

Just-in-time production

Answer 3

-Focus on reducing the need to hold stocks of raw material or parts that are needed (This reduces storage costs)
-Raw materials are delivered just in time by suppliers for production
-Reliable suppliers are needed for this to work

Question 4

Just-in-time production examples

Answer 4

e.g. Milk gets delivered to milkshake factory 30 minutes before production starts, this means that the milkshake factory won’t have to spend money on expensive refrigerators to store milk before it gets produced.

Question 5

Cell production

Answer 5

-The production line is divided into separate teams of workers, each makes a part of the finished production
-Motivation is improved due to the variety of tasks and the worker belonging to a team

Question 6

The advantages of Kaizen might be:

Answer 6

» increased productivity
» reduced amount of space needed for the production process
» work-in-progress is reduced
» improved layout of the factory floor may allow some jobs to be combined,
thereby freeing up employees to carry out some other job in the factory.