Lean Concepts
Lean Concepts
Lean Concepts
Lean Manufacturing Terms and Concepts
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A bottleneck is commonly referred to step in a process which limits the total capacity of the process. It is the step, workstation, or stage which causes work in progress to build-up because it cannot be processed at the same rate as the other steps or workstations or has the greatest cycle time in a one path process. Bottlenecks should be identified and addressed when planning capacity expansions or planning the capital expenditure budget. Potential process bottlenecks should be investigated in production planning, and new facility planning. This can be achieved through preventive risk thinking and other problem analysis tools.
The takt time, which is a German derived word meaning meter, is referred to the available work time per day or production shift to completely satisfy all customer order demands within a defined work period. It is obtained by dividing the available production time in a work day or shift by the required daily quantity of output. It defines the maximum available work time to complete all customer orders in time within a defined time period.
The takt time is useful for a producer to balance the rate of production to better meet customer demand. If the cycle time of each unit of output is less than or equal to its takt time then the time to produce the required units during each time period is sufficient to meet customer demand. If the cycle time is equal to the takt time, the production process is said to be at capacity. This does not include any plant downtime which can reduce total takt time.
Error proofing entails minimizing the opportunities the operator or human interaction into the process has of making a mistake that can cause any type of waste , downtime or quality issues. Poka yoke are error proofing controls or engineering solutions to error proof work tasks, processes and functions in order to avoid costly mistakes.
Error proofing can sometimes lead to loss of skills and operator focus on key items as error proofing is commonly achieved by automation and standardization of tasks. These two things are preferred solutions to avoid problems and will most definitely do so, but they can take control and opportunity to rectify an issue away from the operator and when the situation does get out of control the operators will almost certainly require engineering or technical support.
Items like checklists are very good error proofing measures when they are done properly and not just as a tick and flick exercise. Continuous training and upskilling with OPL’s and review of SOP’s can also help in avoiding operator errors. Most errors are made when operators are new to the plant or process, become complacent and forgetful of skills which are not used as often.
Standardization of work practices allows process steps to be decomposed and optimized into simple easy to follow steps that any operator can easily perform. Standardized practices allow operators and workers to perform tasks the same way every time by using a set standard and clearly defined process which combines and uses different resources effectively such as time, technology, tools on shadow boards and raw materials.
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