5.3

Question 1

what is lean production?

Answer 1

Lean production simply means efficiency and the elimination of waste.

Manufacturers who apply lean production methods use less of everything that is involved in production, from labour, machines, space, time, suppliers and especially inventory.

The main features of lean production; less waste and greater efficiency need a more specific approach.

Question 2

can you exapnd on less waste?

Answer 2

the concept of having less waste implies that when applied to material; less of the materials used in production are discarded. Overall waste does not add value but instead raises costs and if possible should always be reduced or eliminated.

Question 3

what are some of the forms waste can come in?

Answer 3

Labour that is useless and not productive
Capital that is useless and not productive
Material that is discarded
Activities that cause Labour and capital to be less productive

Question 4

can you expand on grater efficeny?

Answer 4

Efficiency means less costs are incurred. Efficiency in simple words, involves controlling your costs, which is just as important as increasing your sales revenue.

Question 5

how do we achive greater efficeny?

Answer 5

To achieve greater efficiency, costs must be understood and their sources controlled. With greater efficiency the organization’s resources will be better used.
Physical resources – for example less space for storage or no storage (keep less stock!)
Human resources – for example reducing travel times between venues
Financial resources - not holding that much stock will cost the firm less

Question 6

what are the methods of lean production?

Answer 6

1) Continous improving (Kaizen)

2) Just-in-time (JIT)

Question 7

expand on continous improving (Kaizen) as a method of lean production?

Answer 7

Kaizen, which means continuous improvement is a concept that applies to all areas of management and even goes beyond the business environment to include activities that are outside of the business that may have an indirect impact of the business itself (i.e. work-life balance)

Kaizen is an umbrella concept that implies continuously seeking to improve upon all the elements that affect a business and not a one-time fix. This approach to continuously addressing and improving upon any imbalances, results in more worker productivity.

Question 8

what is also needed for Continous improvemnt (Kaizen) to work?

Answer 8

For Kaizen to work it must be inclusive to all levels of hierarchy, “no blame” is attached to the problems or issues, systematic thinking is needed and the focus should be in the process NOT in the product.

Question 9

Exapand on Junt-in-times as a method of lean production?

Answer 9

The delivery of raw materials just when it is needed. The thinking behind JIT is the elimination of inventory (stock) build-up.

Getting rid of this cost entirely is impossible, because costs for raw materials must be incurred in the manufacturing process, however, accumulated costs can be reduced to when they are needed, which is the thinking behind JIT.

Question 10

what is the cradle to cradle design?

Answer 10

The Cradle to Cradle design is a means of protecting the ecosystem and nature through a system that is in principle waste free. This is a mimic of nature whereby the metabolism of the planet is self-sustaining and complete. Another term used to refer to the Cradle to Cradle design is regenerative design.

Even though the Cradle to Cradle concept is still “newish” a C2C certification helps the company towards the goals of Sustainability and CSR.

Question 11

what is the consequence of quiality controle?

Answer 11

Quality control is very important for consumers willingness to purchase a product or service. If a business has a good image and reputation for quality, the likelihood that consumers will be loyal and repeat their purchases is very high

Question 12

what is quality assurance?

Answer 12

Businesses take the concept of quality control and Total Quality Management very seriously. And nowadays, thanks to a quality revolution the concept has been moved to quality assurance, which refers to “assure” the customer the product is still the best!

Question 13

what does the term quality specifitically suggest?

Answer 13

The term quality specifically suggests that the product is:
Reliable
Safe
Durable
Innovative
Value for money

Question 14

difference between quality control and quality assurance through concept?

Answer 14

CONTROLE-
Quality is controled by one person carrying out an inspection after the product run has been completed.

ASSURACE- qulity of assured through the organisation, no one person in in controleof qulity- instread the whole business focuous on this.

Question 15

difference between quality control and quality assurance through cost?

Answer 15

CONTROLE- A maximum persenate of rejects is set, for example 2% of products are allowd to fail. Wasteful production.

ASSURANCE- Zero rejects are expected- every product is expected to pass inspection. lean production.

Question 16

difference between quality control and quality assurance through process?

Answer 16

CONTROLE- It is rare to halt production as it is costl to do so. Quliaty stops with the job; the focuous is only on th job ay hand.

ASSURANCE- The company expects to halt the production to fix errors. Qulit includes suppliers and after-sales servicing.

Question 17

difference between quality control and quality assurance through people?

Answer 17

CONTROLE- Qulity is the responsibility of one person. Role culture. Autocratic learsership. Top-down, one wat comuitcation.

ASSURANCE- Quality is the respinsibility of the team (quality circles).

Totoal qualith culture.

Democatic consultatice leadership.

360 degree communication.

Question 18

what are the methods of messuring quality?

Answer 18

We will have a look at the following three methods of managing quality:

Quality circles
Benchmarking
Total quality management

Question 19

what are quality circles?

Answer 19

Businesses seeking to maintain and improve on the quality of their products implement Quality circles as an approach to controlling and resolving production related issues.
The Quality circle involves a group of workers who come together in teams and make decision on how to address the issues and problems they have identified.
Management, if supportive of the Quality circle, will not only motivate the staff involved but also secure the benefits of the model. Quality control can be costly however the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Question 20

what is bench marketing?

Answer 20

Who is the best player on your sports team? Who is the fastest runner? Which student in the class is the best performer? If you aspire to match the level of any one of those we have mentioned, then they have become your benchmark. Businesses also have the same strategy, so basically benchmarking is about comparing the firm with the competitors.
By determining what the industry standard is, who the industry leader is and using this information to target performance, business is able to attract consumers who expect this as a minimum level of quality.

Question 21

break down the steps of bench marketing?

Answer 21

Benchmarking is part of the competitive nature of the market and is very specific.
The first stage is in determining what the business want to benchmark. This could be within any function of the business, for example in Human Resources Management: salaries, wages, benefits, or dress codes among others. Or in Operations and Management: Quality, timeliness, equipment and inventory among others.
The second stage is determining who your benchmark should be and collecting as much information that is available. By identifying the industry leaders this information becomes easy for any business to access.
The third stage is to apply the information gathered and try to not only match the industry leader but to in turn become the benchmark standard itself.

Question 22

whs is total quality management?

Answer 22

Total Quality Management or TQM is a process that looks at quality management from the pre-purchase stage to the post-purchase stage.
The management of quality at the pre-purchase stage involves image, reputation and the consumer’s perception of the product prior to purchase. The brand name and reputation play a very important role in TQM.
The post-purchase stage of TQM is in the effort to determine if the quality of the product will draw loyalty from the consumer and thereby generate repeat consumption.

Question 23

what is another thing to keep in mind when lloking at the totoal quality management?

Answer 23

Every function of the business, all activities and all individuals are taken into account when TQM is applied.

TQM is an all-inclusive (holistic) approach. It organizes awide scale of efforts of all individuals, departments and activities to put in place and make permanent a system in which the business continuously improves on the deliver of high-quality products and services to consumers.

TQM is costumer focused from start to end with customer relations conducting post sale surveys and service; employee involved through empowerment and process centred.

Question 24

what are the fearures of the total quality management?

Answer 24

Quality chain- as the quality of the business depends on the quanity of its suppliers and after sale servises, all stages of the production process must have consern for quality. A posible way to consider this is by imagining that the next part of the chain is the final costomer.

statistical process controle (SPC)- all stages of ythe production are moniteed and information is givien to all paritoes, usalkt in the form of eeasty to undertand diagrams, charts and messages.

Mobalised workforces- All emplyees are expected to embrace TQM. Everyone is encuraged to feel pride in their work, given resposibilities and recognitition, for example through employee of the month scheems- so everyone is included in the qulity desion making process.

Market orinetated apprcoh- By focuousing on what the consotomer wants, the business can make sure that itiis innovation and continually reinvening its products. This can lead to imprved sales and brand loyality.

Question 25

So, what is the impact of lean production and TQM on an organization?

Answer 25

With competition in business being increasingly global, businesses that fail to implement lean production and TQM policies are at a distinct disadvantage.
The competitive costs of not implementing these processes exceed those of implementation.
However,occupational injuries, job strain and stress, are increasingly linked to lean production work pace and demand. In a well balanced business environment the benefits of applying of lean and TQM policies are clear.

Question 26

talk about national and international quality standards?

Answer 26

The best way for a business to assure the customer the quality of their products is by getting certification from recognized quality standards. Hence, quality standards in national and international settings serve to guide consumers and producers alike.
Organizations such theInternational Organization for Standardization, theEuropean Foundation for Quality Management,theAlliance for Performance Excellenceand theCanadian National Quality Instituteall serve to ensure compliance with set standards through certification that recognizes guidance in quality management.

Question 27

why can national and international ceritification be farvorable ifor the business?

Answer 27

Certification can be favourable for the business since it can help with:

Develop market abroad (enable exports)
Give a competitive edge
Save on costs of withdrawing products
Act as an insurance
Bring better profit margins