If you were set the challenge to introduce dramatic improvements into your business today, where would you start? Do you have a clear goal for your business? Have you written down your vision of how the business will look or feel after the improvement? Can you describe that difference clearly to your colleagues?
If you can, you are well on your way to achieving success. If not, it’s not too late. Creating a clear communication of where your business should be in a fixed timeline can require a steely nerve and determination to succeed, but if realistically set and delivered this will inspire people to follow you on your improvement journey.
Why do I mention that the vision should be realistically set and achievable within a set time? Energy and pace are needed within your business as fuel for the improvements which drive change. The energy and pace of success and deadlines gives a virtuous cycle. If vision is too far away and too difficult, support is hard won with many battles.
Once the vision is in place, both objectives and metrics of measuring success are needed. Objectives help communicate to all the senses what will be different once improvements aligned to the vision are delivered. Metrics, also called indicators or key performance indicators (KPIs), ensure that the improvements are accounted for, either in money, units of performance or a value which can be tracked over time to show progress.
So you may ask if having the vision, objectives and metrics aligned ensures that the improvements will be delivered? I would recommend taking the next step to list and prioritise the actions needed to make the vision, objectives and metrics actually happen. The prioritise actions are put against realistic time lines to create a Master Plan.
But will the plan guarantee success? Only if you live the plan! You must review it everyday. You must look at the intention of the actions and align your daily tasks. You must become an inspiration to your colleagues and lead all involved in delivering their part of the plan. Only by making small steps every day will you guarantee the dramatic changes needed for your business.
Start today and you’re one step closer to continuous improvement becoming “normal” culture. Kaizen is improving a little everyday and keeping that improvement you made.
A One Point Lesson is a 5 to 10 minutes learning tool, which normally take less than 15 minutes to write. It is a lesson on a single topic/point, on one sheet of paper. It normally consists of 80% diagram and 20% words all produced by hand. It is generally prepared by supervisors or group leaders and sometimes by operators.
When to use it?
• Whenever an important message must be communicated and understood.
What does it achieve?
An OPL quickly enables a team to share key learning and builds on a common understanding of the systems and standards that apply to a work area. When properly managed, they support greater transparency of knowledge and help to rapidly bring new people in an area up to speed.
• To pass on better knowledge.
• Strengthen the understanding for functions of machines and lines.
• Improve knowledge about maintenance defect prevention.
Types of OPL
1. Basic information sheet: essential basic information – practical know-how and know-how of methods:
• Maintenance activities as e.g. filter changing.
• Small repair works.
• Setting of machine functions.
• Cleaning and checking.
• Lubricating.
• Reason for quality loss.
2. Problem case study sheet: teaches how to prevent recurrence of an actual equipment problem.
3. Improvement / Kaizen lessons study case: describes the approach and key measures in a successful improvement case study.
Key points to remember when writing OPL’s
• Only One Point illustrated on a single sheet of paper.
• As many senses as possible should be addressed (See above).
• It must be written As Simple As Possible.
• It should take approximately 15 minutes to write using a pencil, pen or felt tips.
• When words are used, they should be ALL capitals.
A Place for Everything and Everything in it’s Place.
Does this describe your work areas?
• Space is crowded with parts and tools
• Unneeded items are stacked between workers
• Excess inventory on the floor
• Excess items and machines make it difficult to make improve process flow
• Equipment is contaminated and a collection point for miscellaneous materials
• Needed equipment such as tools are difficult to find
• All of the above create an unsafe work environment
• Tasks and processes take different times and are unpredictable
Based on the Japanese words that begin with ’S’, the philosophy of 5S focuses on effective work place organization and standardized work procedures. 5S reduces waste and non value added activities, simplifies work environment and in the mean time improves quality efficiency and safety.
5S is a methodology for organizing cleaning, developing, and sustaining a productive work environment.
What are the 5S’s?
Step 1 – Sort – get rid of clutter
The first step focuses on eliminating unnecessary items from the workplace. An effective visual method to identify these unneeded items is called red tagging. A red tag is placed on all items not required to complete your job. These items are then moved to a central holding area. This process is for evaluation of the red tag items. Occasionally used items are moved to a more organized storage location outside of the work area while unneeded items are discarded. Sorting is an excellent way to free up valuable floor space and eliminate such things as broken tools, obsolete jigs and fixtures, scrap and excess raw material. This step will also help with the „just in case” attitude.
Step 2 – Set in order – organize the work area
This step is based on finding efficient and effective storage methods.
You must evaluate the number of necessary items, the locations of those items and also evaluate what you need to do your job. Effective ways to set in order can be such as painting floors, using shadow boards, modular shelving and cabinets for frequently needed items etc. Just imagine how much time the employees waste every day looking for the proper tools for a maintenance activity. The philosophy must be this: „A place for everything and everything in it’s place.”
Step 3 – Shine – Clean the work area
Once you have eliminated junk and clutter and identified necessary items you are ready to take the next step: clean the work area. Daily follow-up is a must for this activity to sustain this improvement. This step will create ownership and build pride in the workers that they have a clean and clutter-free work area. This will also help the people notice changes in equipment and the production area such as: leaks, vibration, misalignment, breakage etc. If these abnormalities are left unattended they can lead to serious equipment failure and loss of quality, speed, production etc. These all add up to impact your company’s bottom line.
Step 4 – Standardize – Use standard methods to keep the good condition
Once the first three steps of 5S are implemented focus must be put on standardizing the best practice in the work areas. Give opportunities to employees to take active part in the development of these standards. All the workers area if given an opportunity can be a valuable source of information regarding their work.
Step 5 – Sustain – Maintain through discipline, commitment and empowerment
This is the most difficult part of 5S to implement. Human nature is hard to change. People often want to return to the old ways of doing things. Sustain focuses on defining a new mindset and a standard in workplace organization.
The fully implemented 5S will have a positive effect on everyone. People will feel better about their work place and the work they are doing. The benefits are endless. You will have improved safety, improved moral, improved productivity, and improved maintenance.
This video shows how 5S can help you implement Lean training in your workplace, using simple tools and techniques to drive and maintain excellent workplace organisation. Helping take you on a journey of Total Productive Maintenance, to becoming World Class.
Overview of 5S within Improvement Context (WCM Lean / Total Productive Maintenance (TPM))
Lecture and syndicate work for 5S:
Step 1 – Sort
Step 2 – Set
Step 3 – Shine
Step 4 – Standardise & Step 5 – Sustain
The course is designed to create 5S practitioners who can lead, or be involved in, the day-to-day 5S activities in their own business or factory. The delegates should have responsibility for delivery of improvements clearly agreed before attending the course. Practitioner training gives delegates the understanding of why a tool is used, what the key principles are, and most importantly exactly how to apply the tool within their business or factory using KCTS processes to deliver results.
5S is the foundation element of WCM Lean/Total Productive Maintenance as it allows many of the initial factory losses to be dealt with efficiently, and enables some of the basic improvement tools and techniques to be introduced.
The KCTS Lean Manufacturing qualification is an abridged version of training that we have used to catapult major Blue Chip companies, such as Unilever and Saint Gobain into becoming the industry standard in World Class Manufacturing.
Tackle stubborn projects:
The key to our success over other training providers is that we base our workshops around the completion of real live site projects. The result is a demonstrated improvement in your business KPI’s. We achieve this through the application of Lean tools such as;
Problem solving:
Set up reduction (SMED)
Statistical process control
Visual management systems
Value stream mapping
TPM
5S
Measures should be used to understand the performance of a business or department. This can be to benchmark against other operations for comparison.
The measures will also demonstrate improvements achieved through the application of Business Improvement Techniques. Measuring the initial condition of an area before making improvements is vital.
What is Takt Time?
Takt Time is the rate at which a product must be produced to meet customer demand.
How do you Calculate it?
Takt Time = Net Available Time/Customer requirement.
When to use it?
• When planning production;
To minimise inventories
To prevent overproduction
To create flow
When planning pull systems
What does it achieve?
• Balance of production with customer demand
• Prevent overproduction
• Minimise inventory
Key steps:
• Understand the Customer Demand
• Determine the Net Available Time to produce the product
• Divide Net Available Time by the Customer Demand
• Round the result up by less than 5% to allow a margin of comfort
As an example; if you have a total of 8 hours in a production shift, (gross time) less 30 minutes for lunch, 30 minutes for breaks (2 x 15 mins), 10 minutes for a Team Brief and 10 minutes for basic Operator Maintenance checks, then;
Gross Available Time = (8 hours x 60 minutes) = 480 minutes
Net Available Time to Work = 480 – 30 – 30 – 10 – 10 = 400 minutes.
If Customer Demand was say, 400 units a day and you were running one shift, then your line would be required to spend a maximum of one minute to make a part in order to be able to keep up with Customer Demand.
In reality, people can not maintain 100% efficiency and there may also be stoppages for other reasons, so allowances will need to be made for these instances, thus you will set up your line to run at a proportionally faster rate to account for this.
The Quick Kaizen tool is a method of recording our progress in solving a simple problem.
When to use it?
• Daily meeting problems.
• 5S Organisation problems.
• Minor stops on machines.
• Any other problem where people disagree on the potential quick solution.
• The problem will be typically solved within one day, and will take less than 2 hours actual effort.
What does it achieve?
Quick Kaizen gives focus to an area or activity problem and allows us to monitor the potential solution methods. This helps us to keep track of reported proof tests and to logically decide on the best solution(s).
Key steps
1. Draw/Sketch the problem and add any necessary comments to clarify the precise issue.
2. List the potential causes of the problem.
3. For each cause, identify a test/check and how to perform the test/check.
4. Assign each test/check to an individual and record whether each is a cause Yes/No.
5. Agree a list of actions to solve all identified causes.
6. Assess the risks of all potential solutions.
7. When all actions are complete, monitor problem is solved and enter completed date.
TPM means Total Productive Maintenance. TPM is about involving everyone in creating and sustaining the necessary standards in their own areas. The standards must continually challenge the organisation to get better results as fast as possible.
A number of techniques are used to get the involvement and change in standards which are needed to deliver better results.
The techniques are often shown as a “TPM Temple”. This demonstrates that the techniques all aim to reduce Losses & Wastes, often measured by OEE, and apply to any organisation no matter the structure or products. Each technique has a number of Key Steps which need to be done to get the involvement and change in standards which are needed to deliver better results. The techniques focused upon within this programme are:
• Focused Improvement, also called Continuous Improvement or Kaizen
• Autonomous Maintenance
• Professional Maintenance, also called Condition Based & Planned Maintenance
• 5S, also called Workplace Organisation
• TPM Loss & Waste programme including OEE, Overall Equipment Effectiveness
Other techniques which may be applied as part of TPM are:
• Safety, Health & Environment, reducing accidents, illness & emissions
• Training & Education, improving consistency and delivery of knowledge
• Early Management, improving the way new products and process are introduced
• Quality Maintenance, reducing quality problems
• TPM in Administration, involving people who work in offices and helping change standards in the offices to deliver better results
TPM aims to reduce losses to ZERO. This can be an extremely tough target for some losses, but ultimately satisfying for the people where the losses occur when achieved.
When to use it?
Identification of the type of problem can help work out the plan on how to solve it. Autonomous Maintenance and Professional Maintenance can eliminate sporadic problems by getting reliability back into the process, the area or the activities. Quality Maintenance will improve reliability of the process further to reduce quality defects. Other parts of TPM that can eliminate chronic problems include Focused Improvement, 5S Workplace Organisation and Training & Education.
What does it achieve?
Ownership of problems is only possible when people within the area, or activity, where the problem occurs can be involved in its elimination. TPM focuses people on creating and updating standards to share learning and tackle common problems. TPM delivers results faster than tackling problems in an unstructured way.
TPM aims to reduce losses to ZERO.
Key steps:
1. Visit the area, or observe the activity, and investigate the problem
2. If the problem relates to Safety, Illness or Emissions, select Safety, Health & Environment techniques to eliminate the problem.
3. If the problem occurs regularly, every shift or every day or every week the problem is Chronic
4. Select Focused Improvement, 5S or Training & Education when there are Chronic problems
5. If the problem occurs regularly, every month or every year or every few years the problem is Sporadic
6. Select Autonomous Maintenance and Professional Maintenance or Quality Maintenance as an improvement tool when there are Sporadic problems.
7. Visit the area, or observe the activity, and check the problem has been eliminated
Variations:
• Most people do not mind changing, but most people mind being changed. The way that people are involved is crucial and standards must be written by those who work within the area, or activity. These standards must be communicated and reviewed by the other people who also work within the area, or activity.
