Lean Manufacturing is a set of principles, methods and techniques for the management of a factory’s operational processes, aimed at increasing the value perceived by the customer, through the permanent and systematic reduction of waste.
Its objective is to “always produce more, with less and less resources” (less time, less space, less machines, less materials and less effort). This is only possible with the commitment of the entire organization (from the General Management down to the last employee) to continuous improvement.
We must emphasize that Lean Thinking, more than a method to be applied, is a mentality or way of thinking that inspires and shapes the method itself. It is based on the following 5 principles:
- Value: is only what the client is willing to pay for; everything else is waste and must be eliminated.
- Value flow diagram: to eliminate waste, it is advisable to map the value stream, i.e. to delineate all the activities that make up the production process, distinguishing between those that add value and those that do not.
- Flow: the value creation process is conceived as a flow, which must be continuous, with a corresponding reduction in the time required for material handling (lead time).
- Pull production: satisfying the client means producing only what he wants and only in the desired quantity.
- Perfection: the goal to which we must always aspire, eliminating any type of waste through continuous improvement.
Lean factories are fast, flexible and efficient: operating like non-stop conveyor lines, producing – in the scheduled time and in constant flow – quality goods in the exact quantity demanded by clients. To maintain their profitability and competitiveness, these factories have had to correctly and effectively implement the most appropriate Lean methodologies, techniques, and strategies.
Key elements of Lean Manufacturing:
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- Sensitization and cultural awareness of the entire chain of command in the Lean Manufacturing philosophy and techniques.
- The involvement and commitment of staff with the strategy and objectives of the company (emotional connection of people with their work, their team and their environment). At Itemsa we always advocate ethical productivity, thinking towards people.
- The organization and cleanliness of the workplace (5S).
- The standardization of work (methods and times), which as we show below, is one of the features of our software:
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- The implementation of Pull systems (taking into account and duly controlling the synchronization of the production rate with the client’s actual demand, the amount of excess production, the performance of the restocking process, the method and systematic of withdrawal, and the type of resource planning system used).
- Tight and continuous flow manufacturing.
- Production in small batches, for which it is essential to reduce machine set-up times and tool and equipment changeover times by means of the practical application of SMED. In this case, from Itemsa we offer both pilot actions and specialized training in SMED and our software APPRODUCTIVITY 4.0 also has a SMED module.
- Workload balancing and balanced flow.
- Visual management control and monitoring, which can be done with the EQUDIN-MES module of our software.
- Preventive maintenance of machines and installations.
- Partnerships with suppliers.
- Personnel education and training.
Stages in the implementation of a Lean system
- Design and definition
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- Strong management decision.
- Identification of what “value” means to clients.
- Definition of the value flow of the processes, a task that we also support through our software as you can see below:
- Creation and maintenance of flow in operations and activities.
- Creating baseline standards through Work Method Analysis and Improvement. In order to improve the productivity of any process or work method, it is necessary to record, measure and analyze how it is being carried out. The Work Method Improvement module of our APPRODUCTIVITY 4.0 software makes this simple and effective.
- Leaders definition.
- Start-up zones definition.
- Starting products definition.
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- Implementation
- Personnel training, at all levels, on Lean Manufacturing, its philosophy and tools.
- 5S implementation.
- TPM implementation.
- SMED implementation.
- Implementation of TQS (total quality).
- Implementation of PFS (Pull systems).
- Implementation of JIT-KANBAN.
- Continuous improvement
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- Comparison of the initial standards with the current situation, which can also be done by means of a feature of our software:
- Creation of a continuous improvement policy based on Kaizen.
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By properly utilizing Lean Manufacturing strategies, companies can achieve surprisingly fast results in the following order:
- 15 to 35% increase in overall business productivity.
- 75 to 95% reduction in lead times and inventories.
- 25 to 50% reduction in floor space utilization.
- 75 to 95% reduction in tool changeover times, through the application of SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die).
- Reduction from 75 to 95% of machine downtime due to breakdowns or incidents.
- Reduction from 75 to 95% of the number of defects.
In addition, Itemsa can help you to quickly achieve similar economies in your company and train your staff (middle management and workers) in the management of the most effective Lean strategies for this purpose. See also our offer of Lean Manufacturing courses to train your employees.
Although the expertise of a qualified consultant can help in the approach and development of such an improvement project, the number one element of success is the driving determination of the company’s management to achieve new and higher levels of performance. Based on this, the management will initiate the necessary actions, actively participate in the process and demand the proposed results.
