Lean thinking

Key issues What are the principles of lean thinking, and how can they be appiied to cutting waste out of suppiy chains  

Lean thinking is a cyclical route to seeking perfection by eliminating waste (the Japanese word is muda) and thereby enriching value from the customer perspective. The end-customer should not pay for the cost, time and quality penalties of 

Following on from the concept of value, the next principle is to identify the whole sequence of processes along the supply network. The principles of time-based mapping are discussed in sections 5.4 and 5.5 of Chapter 5. 

In essence, this means applying the pyramid of key factors that we outlined in section 6.2. Minimising delays, inventories, defects and downtime supports the flow of value in the supply network. Simplicity and visibility are the foundations to achieving these key factors. 

Enforce the rules in section 6.2 make only in response to a signal from the customer (the next process) that more is needed. This implies that demand information is made available across the supply chain. Where possible, supply from manufacturing, not from stock. Where possible, use customer orders not forecasts. 

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Womack, J., and Jones, D. (1996). Lean Thinking Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. New York Simon Schuster. 

First articulated in The Machine That Changed the World (New York Harper Perennial, 1999) authors James Womack and Daniel Jones distilled Lean into hve principles in their follow-on work. Lean Thinking ... 

As noted in Lean Thinking by James Womack, the ideal, lowest-cost situation is where the entire supply chain operates with no inventory, and parts or product are made to order. Companies need to do everything they can to approach this ideal to remove costs from the system. As the ideal is approached, the delivery time of products can be improved and the quality of the products will also improve. 

Model and on the 4Ps, a framework for lean thinking emerges. Womack and Jones (1996) solicited five principles from their research on TPS. These include the need to 1) create value for the customer, 2) identify the value stream, 3) create flow, 4) produce only what is pulled by the customer, and 5) pursue perfection by continuous identification and elimination of waste. From this framework, the following definition of Lean Engineering Education is presented ... 

McManus, H. L., Rebentisch, E., Murman, E. M. and Stanke, A. (2007). Teaching Lean Thinking principles through hands-on simulations. Proceedings of the 3rd International CDIO Conference, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 11-14 June. 

Womack JP, Jones DT (2003) Lean thinking, rev. and updated. Campus, Frankfurt... 

An example to help one understand this inability to turn off lean thinking occurred a few years ago while I was on a domestic flight. It had to be a few years ago because this incident is about food service. In this case, the flight attendant was working her way down the aisle distributing box lunches. 

Figure 3.1 is a comparison of someone with a traditional focus with that of a lean-thinking, process-focused individual. To help you interpret... 

If all of the above listed positions are filled, you will have a large safety committee. The advantage of this is that many safety champions are being developed at one time. That is in alignment with lean thinking—engaging employees in continual improvement activity. Smaller companies may not have the resources to staff a team of that size and may have to ask participants to wear more than one hat. 

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Admlnlstration)-mandated safety program is compared to a proactive safety program driven by lean thinking and tools. Learn about the value of a proactive program that engages employees in the continuous improvement of safety as seen from the eyes of a manager, a lean champion, and an hourly employee. 

The genesis of Lean is the Toyota prodnction system (TPS). In TPS, value is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. Essentially, Lean is centered on preserving value with less work. For many organizations, TPS has almost become a religion. And, like most religious doctrines, there are many variations of Lean thinking. There are also zealots. 

Womack JP, Jones DT (1996) Lean thinking banish waste and create wealth in your corporation. Simon Schuster, New York... 

This approach was originally developed, like lean thinking, in Japanese business practice and involves the creation of an extended networks of inter-linked suppliers within a supply chain, all of whom are focused on delivering innovation in products and services, either in the form of functional or cost reduction improvements. The practice normally involves the creation of extended long-term supplier associations focused on passing value improvements throughout the supply chain to the customer. 

Melton, T. (2005). The Benefits of Lean Manufacturing What lean thinking has to Offer the Process Industries. Chemical Engineering Research and Design Nasser Mohd, A., Baba Md. Deros, R. and Nizam Abdul Rahman, M. (2009). A Review on Lean Manufacturing Practices in SMEs. Retrieved December 20, 2014, from http //www.academia. edu/942964/A REVIEW ON LEAN MANUFACTURING PRACTICES IN SMALL /ySID MEDIUM ENTERPRISES... 

Under the leadership of the General Manager, the Supply Chain and Operations Area had embraced the principles of lean thinking developed by Toyota (Liker, 2004) and applied them. Within 12 months the operational sections had been reconfigured into 7 value streams that represented the company s major product lines cross-functional teams had been established to eliminate sources of inefficiency such as waste, non-conformance and duplication communication channels had been unblocked and individuals had been empowered. 

A pull process is also associated with Kanban and Lean Thinking or Lean Manufacturing which are covered in more detail in Chapter 13. In essence, lean manufacturing requires materials to arrive into each stage of production just... 

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