Lean

Question 1

What is Lean

Answer 1

Lean is a philosophy and approach whose core idea and objectives are to:

• maximize customer value while minimizing waste
• understand customer value and focus on key processes to continuously increase it

Question 2

Lean Core Principles

Answer 2

1. Identify value (customer)
2. Map the value stream
3. Create Flow (towards customer)
4. Establish pull (system)
5. Seek Perfection (continuously improve)

Question 3

What is Six Sigma

Answer 3

Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement.Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variation and enhancing process control, whereas lean drives out waste (non-value added processes and procedures) and promotes work standardization and flow. The distinction between Six Sigma and lean has blurred, with the term “lean Six Sigma” being used more and more often because process improvement requires aspects of both approaches to attain positive results.

Lean Six Sigma is a fact-based, data-driven philosophy of improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line results by reducing variation, waste, and cycle time, while promoting the use of work standardization and flow, thereby creating a competitive advantage. It applies anywhere variation and waste exist, and every employee should be involved.

Question 4

Six Sigma

Answer 4

Eliminating non-value-adding activities

Question 5

Lean - Categories of Waste

Answer 5

Downtime

Defects
Overproduction
Waiting
Non-Utilized Talent
Transportation
Inventory
Motion
Excess-Processing

Question 6

Lean - Categories of Waste

Over Production

Answer 6

Overproduction waste is created when more items are produced than are needed by the next step in a process or by the customer. If too many items are produced by one step in a process, they will be left in storage until the next step in the process is ready to handle them.

Question 7

Lean - Categories of Waste

Inventory

Answer 7

Unnecessary inventory waste includes all items that aren’t immediately needed by a customer or process - this means any items that must be stored, including raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods. Overproduction usually results in unnecessary inventory.

Question 8

Lean - Categories of Waste

Transport

Answer 8

Transport waste includes the unnecessary movement of goods, materials, and information, and inefficient workspace planning.

Question 9

Lean - Categories of Waste

Process Waste

Answer 9

Process waste includes any additional steps in the manufacturing process. Process waste can also include all overly complex designs that add too much value to a product that customers aren’t prepared to pay for.

Question 10

Lean - Categories of Waste

Rejects

Answer 10

Rejects are a major source of waste in manufacturing environments. When an item is rejected, for whatever reason, the entire item may be scrapped, or the defective part may be sent for repair. If the item is scrapped, all resources invested in that item are wasted, with no gain to be had. The costs of the raw materials, labor, and transport involved must be carried by the organization with no way to recover them from customers.

Question 11

Lean - Categories of Waste

Waiting

Answer 11

Waiting is usually caused by unrealistic or badly planned scheduling and process delays. Delays include holdups due to delivery problems and downtime. Delays can also include process and design changes.

Question 12

Lean - Categories of Waste

Answer 12

Unnecessary motion waste involves the nonessential movement of people around the workspace. Unnecessary motion includes excessive bending, stretching, and reaching for tools or materials. This indicates a poorly designed workspace, which could be redesigned, eliminating unnecessary motion waste.

Question 13

Lean Tools

Just in Time

Answer 13

Just-in-time (JIT) is a production and material requirements planning methodology that reduces waste by ensuring materials are delivered just as they are needed for the next step in a production process. Materials arrive at the exact time and place they are to be used, with no waiting or storage needed. To be successful, a JIT environment must be tightly controlled, regulated, and coordinated.

Question 14

Lean Tools

Kanban

Answer 14

Kanban is an inventory control system that indicates when material or stock is needed by a process, and tells an upstream supplier to send material downstream.
Standard work is the documentation of the time, sequence, and best practices required to complete a task successfully.

Question 15

Lean Tools

Value Stream Mapping

Answer 15

Value stream mapping involves charting or capturing the steps in the value stream –documenting the sequence of production activities, the flow of information and material, and human movement during a process. Value stream mapping is useful for showing how value is created, where waste occurs in a process, and for showing employees how their work fits into the bigger production picture

Question 16

Lean Tools

Kaizen

Answer 16

Kaizen involves constantly improving a process through incremental steps, rather than through a leap caused by re-engineering or redesigning a process. Change can be forced to happen quickly with a kaizen blitz, in which a team spends concentrated time learning Lean techniques, focusing on a process, deciding on improvements, and implementing them to improve that process.

Question 17

Waste Elimination - 5S

Answer 17

Sort
Involves separating needed from unneeded items, inspecting and listing items that need repair, and clearing out the clutter

Straighten
Entails arranging and organizing the tools, equipment, inventory, and supplies remaining after the sort stage. It means finding ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’

Scrub
It means cleaning the work area, doing root cause analyses on sources of dirt and grime, and making corrections, removing trash, and defining the standards of cleanliness to adhere to. It also includes repairing any broken machinery

Standardize
It involves recording 5S activities and best practices, and incorporating them into the normal work routine

Sustain
Involves monitoring adherence to each of the 5S steps. In this stage, you maintain the improvements made in the first four steps, and establish 5S as the normal way of doing business.

Question 18

5S Practices

Sort

Answer 18

Sort
Remove unneeded items from the workspace.
Record what has been discarded and where retained items are stored.
Inspect the work area for potential problems.
Houseclean the work area.
Inspect and list items that need repair.
Determine the source of dirt and grime in the workspace.
Conduct process owner and supervisory reviews of each best practice.

Question 19

5S Practices

Straighten

Answer 19

Straighten
Analyze the workspace conditions in relation to the work or process being conducted.
Determine the optimum location for tools, equipment, inventory, and supplies.
Create and record the name and location of each item.
Decide where each needed item belongs at what step in the process.
Decide how and where items should be put away within the workspace.
Use organizational tools such as tool outlines, color codes, and labels.
Make sure there is a place for every needed item, and each item is in its place.
Determine if any needed items are missing, and replace or track items down.
Mark aisles and mark areas for movable equipment and boxes.
Conduct process owner and supervisory reviews of each practice.

Question 20

5S Practices

Scrub

Answer 20

Scrub
If needed, divide the workspace into zones.
Assign individual responsibilities to workers within the workspace or zone.
Deep clean the workspace, including equipment.
Perform root cause analysis on sources of dirt and grime determined during the Sort stage, and introduce conditions for correction.
Perform root cause analysis on damaged or broken items and equipment found during the Sort stage, and introduce conditions for correction.
Provide instructions and training for cleaning and maintenance of workspace, tools, and equipment.
Use inspection checklists.
Conduct process owner and supervisory reviews of each practice.

Question 21

5S Practices

Standardize

Answer 21

Standardize
Record 5S activities and incorporate them into the work normal routine.
Record and incorporate standard visual inspection tools such as tool outlines, color codes, and labels.
Set process standards, and determine standard equipment, materials, and supplies.
Determine standard inspection methods and routines.
Determine short-term solutions and long-term strategies for dealing with anticipated problems and scope creep.
Monitor normal routines so that aberrations are noticeable.
Maintain and monitor the workplace to ensure it is clean and organized.

Question 22

5S Practices

Sustain

Answer 22

Sustain
Encourage commitment to the first four steps.
Maintain communication with, and between, process owners, supervisors, and management.
Monitor adherence to the standards for each of the 5S steps.
Establish and perform regular evaluations of each step, and determine areas for improvement.

Question 23

Pola-Yoke-Mistake-proofing

Waste Elimination Tool

Answer 23

Checklist
Screening
Signaling
Control Methods

Question 24

Standard Work

Waste Elimination Tool

Answer 24

Maximize performance and minimize waste
Work Processes
Action Sequences
Quality Checklists
Safety Checks

Question 25

Kanban - Pull

Answer 25

Calculate the safe stock level of materials required (Safety stock is the amount of inventory carried in addition to that which is needed to meet expected demand)

Calculate the lead time for replenishment of materials (Materials lead time encompasses the manufacture and transport time of materials from the supplying resource to the target workstation)

Determine the batch size (batch size is determined by how much product you need to produce in one continuous work process to satisfy customer demand)

Check and adjust levels (final calculations are to check and adjust levels of materials needed in light of the first three steps)