LEAN MANUFACTURING 1

Lean manufacturing

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Introduction

Lean is the powerful manufacturing/operation philosophy pioneered by Toyota Motor

Corporation in the mid-twentieth century. It is founded on the idea that consumption value is

understood and that value is constantly provided by eliminating unnecessary or invalid capital

use. Lean focuses on maintaining revenue with much less time in order to give the consumer

more value as a means of making better money. This is achieved by allowing each human

worker to maximize his or her abilities and thereby achieve maximum productivity.

The aim of lean is to increase output while minimizing waste. Lean seeks to increase

the competence of personnel by encouraging employees to consistently advance in their

professions Hobbs, D.P. (2004). Slim leaders find this aim easier to achieve by being prepared

to solve problems. The kaizen is the basis of the theory of Lean. In the supply chain, the more

change is intended to remove duplication. Lean leaders should then go to where value is

generated, which is commonly referred to as the Gemba. Gemba also takes time to train and

lead its staff. They empower staff to identify problems and to discover solutions.

History of lean

Henry Ford was the first to completely incorporate the ‘mass manufacturing'

production structure, which provides large quantities of uniform products in large quantities.

Ford invented flow processing, which necessitates the constant transfer of elements in the
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manufacturing process, Hobbs, D.P. (2004). Ford used industrial manufacture to manufacture

and installs parts for his vehicles in a matter of minutes rather than hours or days. Unlike

craftsmanship, industrial manufacturing produces well-fitting, interchangeable components.

This was a very profitable operation, and the Ford Motor Company manufactured over 15

million Model T vehicles between 1908 and 1927.

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was stated by sakichi toyoda in 1926. Toyoda change

the name of the company, after the manufacturing of manufacturing automobiles. Sakichi's

nephew, Eiji Toyoda’ benchmark in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1950, Dearborn the Ford's largest

and most complex plant at the time producing over 8000 cars per day, while Toyota produced

just 2500 vehicles per year, Lynn, R.,( 2021)

The Ford mass delivery approach was based on the volume of demand rather than

listening to the customer's voice. Toyota worked with Taiichi Ohno on a new production

strategy. They concluded that by right-sizing machineries for real volume and integrating self-

monitoring machines, they could produce better goods at lower prices, with higher efficiency,

and in particular a wider range! Ohno's job was to strike a balance between competition and

efficiency. His discoveries prompted the creation of many new models, including the 'Toyota

production system.'

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, is poised for sales as the leading example of

lean. The biggest accomplishment, ranging from increased sales and market positions in every
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global market to fundamental technologies, is the most important example of the lean

business's strength.

Goals of lean

One of the four aims of lean growth is to maximize productivity. Manufacturers must

focus on the manufacturing and transportation of high-quality goods in order to survive by

cutting additional expenses, companies will be able to focus their attention on the product in

question over a longer period of time and devote to improving the product. Anon, (2019)

The elimination of waste is the second, and arguably most critical, target of lean

manufacturing. Unlike other sectors, manufacturing firms generate a large amount of waste; it

is simply the center of the development sector, Hobbs, D.P. (2004).

Time saving is a third objective of lean production. Lean manufacturing companies

would benefit from shorter periods of turnover. This is how the total costs and productivity of

the worker are reduced.

The fourth and final goal of Lean Manufacturing, however, is overall cost savings. I

presume that, with the commodity generated more quickly, a decrease in production time can

be seen. Price cuts allow businesses to stay afloat, which is critical for production growth.

Tools used by lean

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To optimize productivity and minimize waste, lean production facilities use a

combination of tools and methods. In contrast to rigid process improvement methodologies. A

vital aspect of Lean's production is to be able to determine which tools are the right solutions

for a certain situation Liker, J.K. & Convis, G.L. (2012). The below are some of the Lean

manufacturing tools now most often used on the market.

1. 5S

5S is a well-known term that has evolved and been well-established in Japan over

time. This scheme employs five sentences, each starting with an S, to describe waste forms to

be disposed of. The five sizes are as follows:

1. Sort - Get rid of any clutter or chaos in your office by deleting something that

isn't required for a specific task.

2. Straighten – Ensure all the remaining things in the area are kept straight.

3. Shin - Keeping a safe environment for mud, scratching, and other

troublemakers.

4. Sustainability entails establishing protocols to ensure continuous oversight of

the remaining 4s.

2. Jidoka
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Jidoka is a theory that combines the benefits of science with human intervention. One

individual watching a production line is a nice analogy. In the event of a defect, the buyer

must not only stop the defect but also identify the cause of the defect and take steps to prevent

it from occurring again.

It seems that this technique often wastes time due to job shutdowns, but this is not the

case when used correctly. Each job break allows you to spot an error and add a patch to

reduce the likelihood of making the same mistake again.

3. A bottleneck analysis

A bottleneck analysis can help a Lean factory decide when output limits or job

collapses. The plants will invest in upgrading or modifying new sites in order to reduce the

time of wait and other wastes by searching for the process' "weakest point."

4. Kanban

Kanban is a method of managing parts and processes in a plant to satisfy the demands

of potential vendors and consumers. Consumers must pull the required components from

suppliers and drag them through the whole supply chain if the plant has a specific component.

This decreases overproduction while still maximizing commodity quality.

In short note; In order to build a lean organization, tasks, procedures, and resources

must all be aligned. In an organization, lean challenges are seen as positive learning
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opportunities rather than errors. Managers are twice as good as coaches, assisting employees

in identifying problems and improving their operations on a regular basis. Lean leaders also

encourage a lively and pleasant work environment. They assist employees with better

understanding the problems on the shop floor. Lean used to be seen as a tool and strategy set.

However, it is now universally understood as a basic theory of industry. "Lean cannot be

limited to a number of rules or instruments, Hobbs, D.P (2004). It needs to be approached as a

whole value stream sharing mechanism of thought and action." The automotive sector is no

longer restricted to lean thought.

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References

Anon, 2019. The 4 Goals of Lean Manufacturing. Monroe Engineering. Available at:

https://monroeengineering.com/blog/the-4-goals-of-lean-manufacturing/ [Accessed

April 17, 2021].

Hobbs, D.P., 2004. Lean manufacturing implementation: a complete execution manual for any

size manufacturer, Boca Raton, FL: J. Ross Pub.

Liker, J.K. & Convis, G.L., 2012. The Toyota way to lean leadership: achieving and sustaining

excellence through leadership development, Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Professional.

Lynn, R., 2021. What is Lean Manufacturing? Planview. Available at:

https://www.planview.com/resources/guide/what-is-lean-manufacturing/ [Accessed

April 17, 2021].

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Purdue University, 2020. Lean Tools and Principles and Their Applications. Lean Six Sigma

Online Certification & Training at Purdue University. Available at:

https://www.purdue.edu/leansixsigmaonline/blog/lean-tools/ [Accessed April 17, 2021].