This article:
Source: Business-improvement.eu
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Lean: Value adding organization |
![]() The power of a ‘talking’ shop floor
By Dr Jaap van Ede, editor-in-chief Business-improvement.eu, 13-09-2022.
Available in Dutch on Procesverbeteren.nl
An improvement culture also starts with visibility. An inspiring mission, playable like a film, will give direction. And by frequently visiting the gemba - the place where a problem or conflict is going on - you make yourself visible as a manager. The shop floor then ‘speaks’ to you. Therefore: a 'talking shop floor' is the best foundation for process improvement ! Standardisation is often regarded as the basis for process improvement. After all, if there is no best way to perform a certain task, you don't know whether it can be done better. Standardisation also makes process steps reliable, so that these can be more closely alligned to each other. You are then able to produce Lean, that is: with little buffers of materials. A good culture is another important pillar of process improvement. If everyone does not contribute enthusiastically, it will not work. Yet, there is an even more important foundation, on which both standardisation and culture rest. This foundation is visualisation. On one hand, this concerns things you can already see, such as intermediate stocks, but with a lack of overview and context. On the other hand, it concerns things that are normally hidden. Examples are the mission of a company, thought processes, or personal conflicts. ![]() Visual management at Scania: at a glance the steps in their production process are visible, including any disruptions.
By just looking around, everyone knows what to do, or where there are problems. In Lean terminology, this is called visual management. This works much better than consulting an ERP system from behind your desk, in which the data are often not correct anymore! During the corona-crisis, visual management was also applied in shops. There, arrows and symbols indicated how to walk and where to stand. Another example of visual management in daily life are the road markings and signs, which direct car traffic in the right direction. ![]()
A talking shop floor also raises new, more profound, questions. For example: Why is this intermediate stock lying here? Why is rework needed here? What are they waiting for at this location? Such questions are an enormous source of inspiration for continuous improvement.
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Flow Even thought processes can be visualised. That way, you can share your train of thought, and ask others to think along with you. You can also have your thought process checked by others, making you an increasingly better problem solver. All methods for identifying root causes work with visualisation, from fishbone analysis to the thinking tools from the TOC and A3 management. Also an in-depth approach such as Problem Solving & Decision Making (PSDM) of Kepner-Tregoe relies on making thought processes visible. Most important aspect What you cannot see, you cannot improve, whether it concerns problems, root cause analyses or personal conflicts. This is not only true in production environments, this is true at every place in any organisation. The Dutch childcare benefits scandal is a good example of a confusing situation, in which information was shared in a poor way, in this case between the executives at the Tax and Customs Administration, the ministries and the Lower House. Think of the well-known game in which a row of children passes a message along. This message then gradually changes to something completely different. Due to 'adding water to the wine' of alarming messages from the tax authorities, the House of Representatives had no insight in what was really happening. The result: citizens came in serious trouble, and now the government has to deal with a huge damage claim. After this sidestep, I return to the Lean tools. I will show how these do make things visible in time! Standardization and 5S Structuring workplaces with 5S also relies heavily on visualisation. 5S stands for five steps, all beginning with an S. The steps are: Sort, Set (order), Shine (clean), Standardize and Sustain. Often, colours and lines are used to indicate where each material belongs. Regarding tools, shadow boards are often used to show where tools should be placed when not in use. If something is missing from such a board, this is a very strong visual signal. Visualisation also helps to solve machine malfunctions. For example, you can make a draw of the normal operation of a machine, focusing on the most error-prone steps. Those critical steps often turn out to be the cause of quality problems. Jidoka Jidoka disrupts the flow temporarily, to prevent errors from being passed on to the next production step, in which case these are only being discovered after having been 'built into' large numbers of end products. Jidoka actually is a built-in quality inspection per production step. Jidoka makes it immediately visible if there is an (imminent) problem. ![]()
![]() Application of Andon-lamps at Tenneco, in a production line of shock absorbers
An Andon works best when it is not only clear what is going wrong, but also what the response should be, which might include asking for help. ![]() After an Andon signal, here a team leader steps in to solve the problem, preferably within the takt time of the production step concerned. In this case, this person even has the word Andon on his back!
Sometimes Kanban is not an option, because there are too many product types and materials, for which you would need many different Kanban cards. In this case there is an alternative: POLCA. Kanban and POLCA both regulate the work in such a way, that the throughput is maximised. ![]() The amount of materials that an external supplier sends, can also be controlled with Kanban cards
Smart solutions for Poka Yoke are also available. For example virtual reality glasses, that show you what needs to be done, e.g. during a maintenance task. ![]() Poka Yoke at SCA, a producer of incontinence materials. Here, a red sign prevents a roll from being placed the wrong way. The output of paper should not touch the sign.
X-matrices and Oobeya’s The highest level is the company mission, with an associated vision for the next five to ten years. This vision has a number of performance indicators, which can then be 'cascaded' to sub-goals for departments. So-called "X-matrices" show these local improvement targets, and how these link to higher targets. X-matrices also display the current improvement actions. X-matrices sometimes hang in a so-called Oobeya, Japanese for 'war room' or 'large space' . In this room you usullly see a number of related improvement boards. Oobeyas are also used for project management, for example during the development of a new product. In that case, the boards show whether all subtasks are on schedule. ![]()
Video is also used to show what happens when a machine is adjusted during a product change-over. The idea is to find out which activities are necessary and which are not. This way, the change-over time can be reduced. An example of a very efficient changeover process is changing the tires of a car during a Formula 1 race. ![]()
The goal is a value stream as big as possible. Thereto, a future value stream map is made with as little wasteful moments as possible, such as waiting and transport. It shows the situation you would like to see. This way, the future production flow is made visible. ![]() Value Stream Mapping within a hospital
The Gemba, where a problem arises. can also be located at a supplier or at a customer. In addition, go to Gemba helps if there are possible conflicts between people. Then too, you visit those people to find out what is going on. Job Relations from Training within Industry is a Lean method which helps you to evaluate such a situation in a structured way. Moonshining During moonshining, ideas are tried out - provided it is safe to do so - in a small-scale manner and with simple materials. Think of cardboard, Lego-like constructions, or even tape. An example is the cardboard hospital layout that the Zaans Medical Centre in The Netherlands made, before they started to build their new hospital. Moonshining means trial and error with low investments: build and test prototypes quickly, by making do-it-yourself dummy's. It can also mean: try before you buy. Moonshining is also a very fast way to test a (re)new(ed) process. Then, you make the new situation visible! Reality often turns out to be different from what was thought. Moreover, everyone can see the intention, and is then able to contribute with their own ideas. ![]() Moonshining: cardboard was used to see if the intended hospital layout would work in the new Zaans Medical Centre
![]() Chains of events, from possible root causes to a problem, are examined here
The analysis of the deshi is visualised in an A3 report, which has the size of an A3-paper. An A3 report is often repeatedly rewritten. Gradually, a travel description is created this way, from the problem to the proposed 'countermeasures'. The advantage of this visualisation is, that the sensei can check if the student is applying the right way of thinking. At the end of the journey, the problem is not only solved, but the manager concerned has also become a better problem solver! A similar interaction between a problem solver and a coach is seen in the application of Kata, Japanese for routine actions. In this case this refers to structured ways of problem solving. The visualisation of thought processes, often with templates to be filled in, does not serve to make it possible for the sensei to provide solutions. In that case, only the problem is solved, but the problem solver has learned nothing. A good sensei only guides a student, for example with hints to gather more information on the shop floor, or to think out-of-the-box. People often have the tendency to look for solutions within their own field of expertise. This is comparable to only searching for a lost object in places where light shines! Teams It is also possible to visualise the functioning of a team itself. Just like the steps in a Lean production line, tasks in a team must be divided and coordinated in order to create flow. A book like High-Impact Tools for Teams uses visual aids to make the common ground clear, that is: the shared agreements and knowledge. Digital processes and the supply chain In those cases, the flow of production can be displayed virtually on computer screens. That way, just as with the aforementioned thought processes, something is made visible that was hidden! Making a value stream map (VSM) is also possible if you have a digital production process. The VSM is then called a makigami, Japanese for film script. In addition, processes outside your field of vision can be made visual. Think, for example, of stock levels at your suppliers. Large companies such as Scania use logistics control towers to keep track of all material movements in their supply chain. ![]() A team of people representing partners in a supply chain, here improves processes using a Makigami board (photo Yusen)
![]() Process mining at Veco Precision shows the work flow from the past
For example, sensors can visualise the current situation in a factory. The production planning can then take this into account. With a digital twin, you have a digital copy of your production location. This copy makes it possible to test improvement actions. You only apply them in the real factory if they are successful. A modern form of moonshining! Augmented reality, e.g. by using smart glasses, can for example show you how to assemble something. Someone else can also see what you see, and give instructions. This is useful, for example, to solve machine malfunctions. Finally, thanks to smart industry, a factory can also make things visual by itself. For example, the factory can indicate when maintenance is required, or stop production in the event of deviations, in accordance with the Jidoka principle. So there are plenty of opportunities to let your shop floor 'speak' to you, as inspiration for continuous improvement!Do you need help with the implementation of Lean? Referral to this article on internet? Use this link: https://www.business-improvement.eu/lean/Power_talking_shop_floor.php |
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