Lean

Question 1

Characteristics of Lean

Answer 1

Customer- External customer is the starting and ending point

Simplicity- Lean is not as simple but simplicity pervades

Visibility- Seek to make all operations as transparent as possible

Regularity- Makes for “no surprises” operations

Synchronisation- Seek “keep it moving” manufacture

Pull- Seek for operations to work at customer’s rate of demand

Waste- Endemic. Learn to recognise and seek to reduce, always

Process- Organise and think by the process view, the supply chain perspective

Prevention- Seek to prevent problems, rather than to inspect and fix

Time- Seek to reduce overall time to make, deliver, and introduce new products

Improvement- Improvement and continuous improvement is everyones concern.

Partnership- Seek to co-operative working both internally between functions, and externally with suppliers.

Gemba- Go to the workplace and seek the facts

Variation- found in every process. Seek to reduce it

Participation- give operators the first opportunity to solve problems

Question 2

Toyota’s 7 Wastes

Answer 2

Over-production- root of so many problems and other wastes

Waiting- In a factory if things aren’t moving, it is an indication of waste

Motion- Time is wasted when workstations have a non-optimal layout

Transportation- any movement of materials is a waste. Cannot be fully eliminated but should be reduced

Over-processing- wastes like e.g. using a hammer to crack a nut. Using bigger machines when smaller machines can be used

Unnecessary Inventory- No inventory is the goal but impossible. Inventory tends to increase lead-time, prevents rapid identification of problems, increases space, discouraging communication

Defects- costs money both immediately and in the longer term and may surface internally and/or externally

Question 3

New wastes

Answer 3

• Untapped human potential
• Inappropriate systems
• Energy and water
• Materials
• Service and office wastes
• Customer time
• Defecting customers

Question 4

Agile car manufacture

Answer 4

• Break dependency on economies of scale
• Produce low volumes economically
• Three day car
• Small assembly plants
• Maximum use of common components
• Make work interesting and challenging
• Involve the customer in product design
• Supplier partnerships
• Analyse data quickly