Implementation of Lean Manufacturing

What is lean manufacturing?

Lean manufacturing is a Business philosophy that continuously shortens the time between customer order and shipment by eliminating everything that increases the cost and time.

Benefits of lean manufacturing are:

Productivity improvement
Total Manufacturing time saved
Less equipment utilization (machine time, wear and tear)
Less scrap - material cost saved
Low inventory levels – stock holding cost saved
Quality improvement
Plant space saved – more efficient layout
Better labor utilization
Safety of operations

Principles of lean manufacturing are:

To create continuous flow with direct link between suppliers and customers
To use takt-times and pull-systems to manage the workflow
To reduce batch sizes and inventories
To eliminate waste
To cross-train workers in order to deal with inherent variability
Selective use of automation
To instill a Continuous Improvement competence

Kwaliteg can help assist you with the implementation of a system that applies the principles of lean manufacturing.

The implementation of lean manufacturing techniques requires that all the wastes are identified and eliminated from the System. Anything that does not add value to the product can be defined as waste. Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate waste. There are different types of waste:

Waste of inventory (space and time)
Waste of Time (manufacturing time)
Waste of Materials (Scrap)
Waste of Equipment (machine time)
Waste of plant space and movement of materials and objects
Waste of Labor (unnecessary actions)
Waste of capital (idle times of resources)

Lean manufacturing is not only a project or program. It is way of thinking.

The implementation of lean manufacturing will comprehend the following stages:

Data collection stage
Data analysis and development of solution Stage
Implementation Stage

During the Data collection stage the following activities relating to lean manufacturing are performed:

Time studies and Motion studies
Establishment or review of Process Flow charts
Investigating Product families
Bottle necks and problem areas

Data Collection comprehends information gathered on the current state of facilities and operations. The output will be document describing all the important facts on the current state of the facilities and operations that are relevant for lean manufacturing.

During the Data analysis Stage the following activities relating to lean manufacturing are performed:

Establishment of a Capacity plan
Determination of the current state of the Value Stream Map
Value Stream Map Future state – Micro and Macro Levels
Determining the Work Balance
Design of a Layout proposal
Preparation of a Project Implementation plan

This stage will have three documents as output:

Evaluation Document comprehending analysis and calculation
Design Document proposing a solution leading to a
Project implementation plan

During the Implementation Stage the following activities relating to lean manufacturing are performed:

Execution of the project implementation plan.
Design and manufacture of special tools and material handling equipment
Outsourcing of Capex (if needed)
Training of relevant staff

Kwaliteg can provide you with lean manufacturing consultants that have the relevant expertise in the field. They will perform an initial analysis, a detailed analysis and develop a solution for your organization. Assistance in the implementation and maintenance of the proposed lean manufacturing system can also be given. Additionally Kwaliteg could provide required engineering solutions as well.

Involvement of Kwaliteg will decrease over time. while the involvement of the Customer organization will increase.

Website:http://www.kwaliteg.co.za
Home Profile Products Resources Contact

improvement of productivity, lean manufacturing consultants, industrial engineering services, consulting, production manager, process engineer, job planning, labour relations, job schedule management, machine capacity balancing, materials handling, method studies, measurement of performance, incentive shemes, bonus, motivating workers, supervision, time management, inventory control, just in time, computer-aided Production Planning, producability, allowance, tool handling, operator, worker, safety, hazard, business services, utilisation, Operations Management consultant, industrial engineering, Work Study, Time Study, work station, south africa, southafrican, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Midrand, Transvaal, Gauteng, productivity improvement, assembly line balancing, manufacturing process analysis, labor productivity, ergonomics, ergonomical design, bill of materials requirements plan, utilization, work instruction, flow chart, Toyota Production System, Pull Manufacturing, Just-In-Time, Implementation of Lean manufacturing, productivity improvement, JIT, TQC, EI, TPM, Short Cycle Manufacturing, One-Piece-Flow, Cellular Manufacturing, Demand Flow Manufacturing, Stockless Production, Focused Flow Manufacturing, Agility, plant layout, improving productivity, Workstation design, Value Adding Manufacturing, Group Technology, Time Based Management, Synchronous Flow Manufacturing, End-Lining Operations, Continuous Flow Manufacturing, improved productivity, product families, product families