Polyhedrika

  Process variation analysis is essential in order to improve it. There is always variation. Sometimes we only have random variation such as in the case of dice throwing: https://polyhedrika.blogspot.com/2020/12/dice-throwing-exercise.html   Normally we have additional variation caused by special causes and these are the ones we should analyse and reduce first. Hourly Production  We are going to analyse the hourly production data collected during one month: Download this Excel file Trend Analysis.xlsx from OneDrive folder Process stability SPC charts allow us to check for stability: see if all variation is random. https://polyhedrika.blogspot.com/2020/12/spc-analysis.html We now apply an individuals SPC chart to our production data to check this: The green and red dots are a clear indication of lack of stability: there are special causes affecting production. Timestamp Data Collection When we collect process data either manually or automatically it is essential to collec...

  Project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time (Wikipedia) A key application for project management is job scheduling in order to define the sequence of jobs for each product or customer project. When we schedule production we typically work in batches (in spite of Lean) and a scheduler is provided in    Production Scheduling In this case we are going to approach non repetitive projects such a house remodeling. You can download here an excel file you can use by removing all data in light yellow cells and filling in your own: Download this Excel file Scheduling.xlsx from OneDrive  Some Project Management Problems The schedule was distributed in paper but I am not sure I have the latest version I have received several emails and Whats Apps with changes but it is not clear which is the final result The plumber found ex...

  Data collection is not for free. While an operator is recording data, he/she is not producing. In general variable data such as a speed, temperature, etc. requires some sort of equipment to measure it and therefore it is more expensive to collect than attribute data: Pass/Fail, On-time/Late, etc. Time is a key variable in any process which can automatically be collected by any PC, Portable, Tablet or Smartphone, therefore it does not require any additional measuring equipment. Entering a date or a time manually into a terminal is prone to multiple typing errors which if undetected can distort all subsequent key metrics. If data is collected on paper and then typed into the system at a later stage, apart from the waste of this operation, the errors might be difficult to recover. If we are able to simplify the data recording operation, the operator can report in real time all incidents or data entries, in which case the data collection application can automatically associate a Tim...

  The Standard Work Combination of machine and operator times tries to meet the throughput requirements of the line with the available machines and operators. Download this Excel file Standard-Work-Combination-Table.xlsx from OneDrive  In this example 4 autonomous machines are handled by one operator who is performing the following operations on each machine in sequence: Unload finished part from the machine Load the new part Start the machine Take the removed part to the next machine The following table contains the operator times to perform these operations as well as the machine times involved: The manual times include the loading and unloading of the parts in the machine therefore these times are included in the machine times. Walk times involve the operator but not the machines. Each start time is calculated from the previous start time plus manual and walk times. The quality control operation is performed by the operator and no machine is involved. If we want to maximiz...

  Production based on forecast uses resources to produce items which will not eventually be sold while there is a shortage of those items the market actually demands. Demand lead times are getting shorter in most business while supply lead times are not able to keep pace. This often leaves just one alternative: "make to plan", also called "Push" logistics. The result is that in spite of our excess inventories we are unable to satisfy the demand: we have plenty of what nobody wants and no enough of what they want. "Make to order" or "Pull" logistics produces only what has been ordered by the customer so we avoid dedicating resources to produce unwanted items. The problem usually is lead time: can the customer wait until our supply chain is able to deliver? Kanban One way to implement "Pull" logistics is to use Kanban . A Kanban (Japanese for a card) is a token generated by the consumption of an item (or fixed lot of items) which authoriz...

      COURSE OBJECTIVES Understand how Lean Management leads to productivity improvement and customer satisfaction. Apply Lean Management both to manufacturing and business processes. Identify different kinds of waste in the company. Define the Value Stream Map and identify non-value-add steps Implement "PULL" management Apply KANBAN to achieve PULL Practice with Lean tools (VSM, 5S, TPM, Visual control, etc) Develop a Lean Project  Lean Body of Knowledge INTRODUCTION Improvement Project Scheduling Just-in-case Vs Just-In-Time logistics Line Vs workshop production Production by lots Vs continuous flow VALUE ADD MANAGEMENT Waste Vs Value add Process metrics: throughput, capacity, Work-In-Process, Lead time, yield, etc WASTE IDENTIFICATION AND REDUCTION  8 Wastes: description  Waste identification Go to Gemba WORKPLACE ORGANIZATION 5S methodology 5S in shared databases and IS applications Visual management Real-time production board: plan Vs ac...