Strategic Continuous Process Improvement by Gerhard Plenert

Author:Gerhard Plenert
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2011-11-28T14:00:00+00:00

Figure 3.19 Traditional versus cellular design.

1.3.3.4.08 JIT—Just-in-Time

Just-in-Time (JIT) systems bring in only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount it is needed. JIT does not believe in stock piling anything. It attempts to minimize materials, equipment, labor, and space. Ideally, JIT wants employees to only have the one piece they are working on, nothing else. JIT utilizes the pull system, where nothing is introduced into the process until it is requested. Materials are “pulled” from their source and never “pushed” into the process based on a schedule.

A typical JIT company will utilize small, inexpensive machines in the process, not large, multifunction ones. It will ideally have one-piece project flow, not batches of projects. It will have standing operators that move around between functional steps in the process. It will continually look for waste reduction opportunities in the process.

It would require several books to cover JIT adequately. There are literally hundreds of books available on this subject. The author will leave it to the reader to choose from these sources for further in-depth reading and understanding.

1.3.3.4.09 Agile

The term “agile” is used in reference to everything from manufacturing to project management to software development. Unfortunately, it means different things depending on what is being referenced. For our purposes we will refer to agile manufacturing or agile processes. In this case, agile means flexibility. Specifically, an agile process is one that can easily be disrupted. In the case of manufacturing, an agile process is one where the product being manufactured can easily be reconfigured to produce an entirely different product.

A successful agile process would be one in which there is no committed inventory. The work-in-process inventory can easily be reconfigured for a different end product. Agile is also where cycle times are extremely short, thereby allowing rapid flexibility in the process. Agile requires a combination of Lean, JIT, and a pull production environment.

1.3.3.4.10 Poka-Yoke

Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means “mistake proofing” or “error proofing.” It is a method of redesigning processes to prevent errors and is one of the foundational quality improvement tools in any Lean process. Some real-life examples of poka-yoke tools include the following:

Computer disks that can only be inserted in the drive one way

Automatic seat belts

Irons that automatically shut off

Plugs that will only go into the socket one way

Poka-yoke strives to make inspections obsolete. With poka-yoke you would redesign the process so that it will validate and eliminate quality errors. There is only one way to do the process, forcing you to do it the right way.

1.3.3.4.11 PQ Analysis

The product/quantity (PQ) analysis is the tool used to identify the products (P) and the quantities (Q) that will be going through the production cell. We are attempting to forecast the volume of activity that the cell will need to manage.

A bar graph is made showing the individual contribution and the cumulative contribution of all the parts going through a specific cell. This graph is later used to facilitate the design and development of the cell.

1.3.3.4.12 Total

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