Lean Production
If your production company decides to implement Lean, we will initiate targeted analysis and research work to determine the underlying reasons for any problem. We will then prepare a solution model, preventing any identical problem from emerging owing to any identical reason.
To determine problems of a production company we may ask the following questions:
• How much time is spent in production on activities that add product value?
• What is the efficiency utilisation rate of the production equipment?
• How many products suffer from a quality defect when they leave the factory gate?
• What is the processing time from the time of the customer’s order to delivery?
Reviewing the entire production process
Lean Production comprises the entire production process, including administrative processes associated with production planning and implementation. The reasons for idle time in production often stem from poor planning, insufficient drawings, inappropriate product design or inadequate production documentation.
We are applying Lean Production at both the strategic and operational levels.
The strategic level
The strategic phase of Lean Production highlights the following issues:
• In what areas does production add unique product and thus customer value?
• Does the company possess any specific production competencies which customers consider unique?
The proper strategy for the proper task
Production strategies must support and be coordinated with product and marketing strategies. Frequently, various production tasks are involved, which we will break down to select the proper strategy for each task.
Examples of various production tasks:
• Mass production of uniform standard products
• Production of products with standard variants
• Production of customer-designed products
• Production of individual products
• Spare parts
• Servicing
Objective
For each production task we will set up the targets to be realised during the strategy plan. When we set up targets, we will ignore any limitations currently known, solely determining our approach on the basis of the future product and marketing strategy, and the company's expectations.
Examples of targets for a company employing Lean Production:
• Processing time for standard products: 3 days
• Processing time for standard variants: 2 days
• Processing time for customer-designed products: 5 days
• Processing time for individual products: 8 days
• Quality costs (waste, rework): 0.25% of aggregate production costs
• Cost price reduction: 20%
Making the right investment
If your company is to make optimum investments in the years to come, you will need clear answers to investment issues with regard to production equipment and development of staff competencies.
Strategy developments usually provide for a sound foundation of and discussion about capital expenditure and the tasks you should sub-contract.
The operational level
Lean Production is a new approach to production; it is a new way of actively involving employees in the development of their workplace – a move appreciated by several employees since they are driving the improvements.
The employees will pause when facing a problem, e.g. an incorrect drawing, missing components, tools, etc., and collaborate with the relevant people to determine the reason for and outline the relevant problem.