Lecture 6: Principles of Lean- Flow and PULL Flashcards
What is the pull technique?
You only start producing when demand is known
What is Single Piece Flow?
the movement of products or services through the process one unit at a time
What does single-piece flow ensure?
employees are focused on the value-adding elements of the process rather than the waste; waiting, transportation, etc.
TRUE or FALSE
Single piece flow does not impact employee performance?
FALSE
single piece flow improves employee performance
What are the advantages of single piece flow? (5)
- Reduces lead time
- Eliminates over-production
- Reduces inventory
- Identifies defects early within the process
- Provides agility to rapidly respond to changing customer requirements
What is the ideal Lean condition?
process one, pass one
What are examples of single piece flow?
- hairdresser
- surgeon
- dentist
- personal trainer
- formula 1 pit stop
What are factors that prevent companies from achieving single piece flow (5)
- type of demand
- cost
- layout
- planning
- resources
For single-piece flow to be effective the changeover times must be …
short
What should a single-piece flow layout include to avoid defects being passed?
in-process control/inspection
Should there be a pull or push system for single-piece flow to work?
pull
What is batch production?
More things are produced at the same time
What is parallel processing?
To reduce the lead time process steps that are currently being completed in series can be re-engineered to work in parallel
What is another name for parallel processing?
concurrent engineering
What two elements are required for parallel processing?
- Only process steps which are independent of each other can be done parallel
- the customer (or business) would value the reduction of lead time
What are examples of parallel processing?
- chopping vegetables and cooking pasta at the same time that will go on 1 plate
- changing tires of an f1 car and briefing the driver at the same time
What does multi-skilling ensure?
that there are enough sufficiently skilled employees to carry out the process
Why does multi-skilling employees improve quality?
because all members are aware f up and downstream processes and will immediately identify defects
What are Layout and Cells guidelines? (4)
- Utilise a U-shaped layout to minimize transportation and motion
- Organise process steps close to each other so there are no locations for inventory
- Consider ergonomics and safety during cell design
- Use 5S to improve layout efficiency and sustain improvements
What is changeover time?
the time between the last good item and the first good item after a product changeover
What is quick changeover?
the process used to reduce changeover times
What is the 8 step approach to quick changeover process
- Observe and measure the current process
- Separate internal and external activities
- Convert internal and external activities
- Create parallel activities
- Minimize internal and external activities
- Implement the new process and validate
- Document the new process
- Chart change over time
What is an internal activity?
activities that can only be performed when the process is stopped
What is an external activity?
activities that can be performed when the process is still ongoing
Why do businesses not perform at maximum capacity?
Because it leads to overproduction
What is the mother of the Seven Wastes?
Overproduction
What is the pull system?
when work is only conducted based in customer demand or following a signal for demand from the next process step
What are the benefits of the pull system? (5)
- Only produce what the customer requires
- Improved communication between processes
- Standard method for communicating between processes
- System is agile to respond to changing customer demand
- Decreases inventory levels
What is Kanban?
a communication system which uses visual triggers to control the flow of material within a process
Which country is Kanban from?
Japan
What is the literal meaning of Kanban
Kan = visual Ban = card
Who pulls the product through the value chain when using Kanban?
the customer
What is production Kanban?
it identifies the quantity and product type that the process should produce
What does production Kanban start with?
a comprehensive list of all items that need to be completed at a specific time
What is Withdrawal Kanban?
Pulls items from the previous process or a supermarket
In which 4 forms can the Kanban ‘signal for demand’ take form?
- Cards
- Call Buttons
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags
- E-kanban linked to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
