Lean facility design

The facilities within which new products are developed and existing ones are made and delivered should be designed with lean attributes. Amongst these are  

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Lean thinking focuses on how the seven wastes can be used to support lean principles. Lean thinking follows JIT principles via the concept of one piece flow. Lean thinking extends these principles into product and facility design. 

The BSD can either shut down the entire facility, or it can be designed for two levels of shutdown. The first level shuts down equipment such as compressors, lean oil pumps, and direct fired heaters, and either shuts in the process or diverts flow around the process by closing inlet/outlet block valves and opening bypass valves. The second level shuts down the remaining utilities and support facilities, including generators and electrical feeds. 

Paper walling is only one method among many available, but it cannot stand alone. The operation of an existing as well as a streamlined operation may be illustrated in many ways, inspired by formalized information and logistic architecture methods. The main objective of ensuring a lean and streamlined operation will have to be translated into system requirements and in turn a system design that enables the actual system to be built. A key success criterion is how well the outcome in the computer system design reflects a user-friendly and streamlined flow of operation and information in the paperless facility. 

The reboiler was not designed to withstand low temperatures or thermal shocks. When operators restarted the flow of lean oil, it caused a brittle fracture in the reboiler resulting in the release of hydrocarbon vapor and liquid. During the explosions and fire that ensued, two employees were killed and eight were injured. Natural gas supplies throughout Victoria were disrupted and did not return to full service for more than two weeks. With no alternative sources, many of the company s domestic and industrial customers were without natural gas for most or all of the time it took for the facility to come back online. 

The originators of the lean design process were asked to critique this chapter for technical accuracy. One of them made this comment We have found that 5S is one of the foundations of lean. As far as safety is concerned, nothing makes hazardous conditions and practices stick out more than a well-organized facility. You should expand on 5S and how it can help improve safety performance. ... 

Lean concepts are applied to reduce waste and accidents are a form of waste to be avoided. Guidance is given for safety professional as they become involved in lean applications for existing facilities and in the design processes. 

Lean construction According to the Lean Construction Institute (2011), lean construction is a new way to design and build capital facilities based on success with lean production management in other engineering disciplines which caused a revolution in manufacturing design, supply, and assembly. ... 

The objectives of lean construction are to maximize value and minimize waste. This is accomphshed, in part, by simultaneously designing a structure, facility, or system and its delivery process and by redefining control from monitoring results to making things happen. ... 

Underpinning the application of lean thinking is the need to influence design. Many of the wastes uncovered in the replenishment, make to order and product development cycles cannot be removed because they are inherent in the design of products, systems, processes and facilities. The design strategy employed in lean thinking is to incorporate the ability to undertake lean practices across the total life of a product or facility and also include flexibility to deal with unpredicted events. These issues are described more fully below. 

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