how to implement lean manufacturing, lean management, what is lean?

How to start to implement Lean Manufacturing, Lean Management, What is Lean?

Starting to  implement Lean Manufacturing

Talk of Lean Manufacturing is actually a very complex issue, if you are  reading this expecting  to find a magic formula to implement this lifestyle  within your company or organization I have to say that this article is not magic, every company is different and as each doctor prescribed according to the symptoms of their patients, just as is necessary to evaluate the symptoms of your company or organization that is not achieved in a few days.
Do not be discouraged !, I don’t  want to get you discouraged . We can start practicing and exercising a new way of life and to analyze certain strategies that allow us to reach the goal more easily, the road is not unique and it can vary and refine according to we learn along the way and according to the results that we obtained during this new way of life, I repeat a new way of life, Lean Manufacturing is not a project that has a beginning and an end, it´s  a way of life, a way of tireless pursuit of continuous improvement (kaizen), removing the 7 wastes.

Lean Manufacturing as a lifestyle

The first idea that we need to install in our heads is that lean manufacturing is a way of life, Lean manufacturing is not a short-or long-term, do not expect to follow a methodology to arrive to give the expected results quickly, but this read seeks to continuously improve our processes and systems always looking for perfection, but never to leave us still waiting for the conditions are right to make changes, better a simple upgrade now although it is not ideal to an ideal enhancement that will never come, elimination and waste reduction is an everyday task, precisely kaizen refers to a good change not necessarily ideal, starting this cycle becomes endless kaizen-improving continuously improve, so everything can be improved day by day and that's the mentality and the philosophy of life that suggests lean manufacturing, the standard of today, the way we do things today is the worst way to do things tomorrow, without being pessimistic then this phrase motivates us to continuously improve and we understand that.

Often you start to act and your colleagues begin to understand this new philosophy and lifestyle will get more support. So do not despair and remember that as Lean or Lean Coordinator Leader you are the sanest person in the organization (and that is true).

Where to start implementing Lean Manufacturing

After the earlier psychology, which I wrote on purpose let's get a little matter. While I wanted to write the above paragraphs was to prepare your mind as the way of Lean is not easy and is much easier to go with the flow and do as you do Lean Manufacturing, so if you have in mind Lean as a lifestyle and you keep your focus will be easier, there will be many failures, disappointments too so go ahead and see where to start.

1.    Get management support

It is important that the direction taken seriously and really see the benefits of lean manufacturing so you ask them to support installing this philosophy to other members of the organization, without the support of the organization will be very difficult to progress alone is impossible , address not only will upport but will have to involve greatly and participate where possible in kaizen and be an example for operators, if you require a change of culture it is necessary to start with the example without managers committed to lean and not engaged to be able to engage in Lean manufacturing is impossible, all your Lean initiatives ended in unfinished projects.

It is important that the direction taken seriously and really see the benefits of lean manufacturing so you ask them to support installing this philosophy to other members of the organization, without the support of the organization will be very difficult to progress alone is impossible , address not only will upport but will have to involve greatly and participate where possible in kaizen and be an example for operators, if you require a change of culture it is necessary to start with the example without managers committed to lean and not engaged to be able to engage in Lean manufacturing is impossible, all your Lean initiatives ended in unfinished projects.

     2. Training and awareness

Education is very important and is your main ally in Lean, if members of the organization have no idea what is Lean, ask for a training course to receive the bases, preferably someone outside your company of this course, it is essential to see how other companies thrive following the Lean philosophy , so program education sessions on lean manufacturing, training finally make us better every day and it help you everyone start talking the same language . Would be nice if you included articles in books such as "Lean Thinking" of authors  Womack and Jones "The machine that changed the world", once engaged managers is necessary to lower and engage other levels and same managers will give thee allies to permeate this culture and lifestyle to other staff, Lean manufacturing can not be an isolated effort, people do Lean !

Education is very important and is your main ally in Lean, if members of the organization have no idea what is Lean, ask for a training course to receive the bases, preferably someone outside your company of this course, it is essential to see how other companies thrive following the Lean philosophy , so program education sessions on lean manufacturing, training finally make us better every day and it help you everyone start talking the same language . Would be nice if you included articles in books such as "Lean Thinking" of authors  Womack and Jones "The machine that changed the world", once engaged managers is necessary to lower and engage other levels and same managers will give thee allies to permeate this culture and lifestyle to other staff, Lean manufacturing can not be an isolated effort, people do Lean !

  3. Analysis of Value
We can now begin to make a VSM (Value Stream Map) and identify our current situation, this will help us meet our Lean Current Time, the percentage and the time it actually adds value to our product (or service) and how much is wasted, and  to set goals and monitor areas of opportunity that can be converted into kaizen, the VSM will help us begin to monitor our progress on the path to Lean Manufacturing, you will be surprised to know that the time generating value within the lead time (time from which comes an order from a customer until the product is delivered) is less than 10% of the total, that means more than 90% Lead time is wasted !.

           4. Identify waste in the VSM.

            Review the amount of waste MURA, MUDA, MURI that we have along our lead time, view them and classify them, and monitor it and quantity it during the entire journey to Lean Manufacturing focused on doing kaizen minimize these waste or eliminate them altogether. Make a Value Stream map to the future situation.

5. Create self-directed teams

You do not have enough time to document, plan, train coordinate, actions, etc etc, of kaizen, once identified kaizen must seek to create self-directed teams well trained in Lean tools and tools Troubleshooting they can meet themselves under your guidance. This allows you to create small good changes (kaizen) do not have to be very complex, it is preferable to start with simple things involving the operating personnel to be shaping that culture increasingly Lean, this means that up to the operating personnel need to be trained in Lean and troubleshooting tools, those teams should be coordinated by the same managers or supervisors of area, this allows you to have more people working in Lean and thus achieve organizational objectives faster.

6.    First things first

Surely you know that there are many Lean tools, kanban, hidoka, heijunka, 5S, standard work, etc, etc, but where we'll start ?, is where we lose everywhere trying to attack without setting priorities.
If we see some models of the Toyota Lean manufacturing house for example (Toyota production system) see that the base it is well defined that represent those philosophies in which the house rests Toyota. These foundations are essential to keep the rest of their philosophies working and do not collapse, likewise seeks to create a similar model, according to the needs of your company and the diagnosis of " Lean doctor " perhaps on the base of the "House of your company "must be 5S, standard work" heinjunka, TPM, visual management, and higher Just In Time (JIT), Jidoka, Kanban, etc. Basic: 5S, standard work, I would start with these two methodologies but again each company is a different patient

Surely you know that there are many Lean tools, kanban, hidoka, heijunka, 5S, standard work, etc, etc, but where we'll start ?, is where we lose everywhere trying to attack without setting priorities.
If we see some models of the Toyota Lean manufacturing house for example (Toyota production system) see that the base it is well defined that represent those philosophies in which the house rests Toyota. These foundations are essential to keep the rest of their philosophies working and do not collapse, likewise seeks to create a similar model, according to the needs of your company and the diagnosis of " Lean doctor " perhaps on the base of the "House of your company "must be 5S, standard work" heinjunka, TPM, visual management, and higher Just In Time (JIT), Jidoka, Kanban, etc. Basic: 5S, standard work, I would start with these two methodologies but again each company is a different patient

.

5S Housekeeping

5S allows you and predisposes people to work together and achieve visible results faster if you can have a good level of 5s and manage to discipline it will be easier then get in other philosophies Lean that are a little more complicated, which is why it is recommended to start with 5S.

Standard Work

Standard Work, allows you to minimize the variation in the processes in terms of quality, production, efficiency, safety, etc., achieving increasingly similar results since all work following a series of standard steps, and besides the standard work is the wedge It allows you to make a sustainable improvement and not fall again. As we continuously improve our standard must be up to prevent such improvement to fall back due to lack of standardization, if the improvement is not standardized, the new form of work can fall back and lose what we gained.
No standard no sustainable improvement.

7. Quantifies and provides measurable indicators.

Creates a visual floor and visually informs all that's going on.
If you want to see progress in the kaizen, and work toward Lean better start to quantify, handles are visual indicators and sets a frequency to observe the trend, either weekly or monthly, for example quantifies delays in the  process or rework time and set small  kaizen involving all staff to minimize this waste, do not forget to measure and monitor progress through a visible indicator, it is very important to know whether what we are doing is working.

7. Start again.

If something is not working rethinking strategies and begins to attack on an alternate route, sometimes we try to attack what is hard and sometimes it is necessary to attack the weakest first and that will give us access point and weakened the main problem to overcome.

8. Move on

Lean manufacturing is a way of life and always searches to keep your mind occupied thinking how to improve.

These are very generalized guide steps, there are many things that we are going to be learning in this way to Lean.