Term Paper on "Lean Manufacturing Follows a Principle of Fineness"

Term Paper 4 pages (1588 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Lean Manufacturing follows a principle of fineness that consists of the removal of waste or actions of no value while regulating the production flow of the product in relation to customer requirement. (Lean Manufacturing: (www.connstep.org) Lean manufacturing can be expressed in simpler terms as a technique for manufacturing products using less of everything of material, time, energy, etc. compared to mass production. (Moving lean beyond the factory floor) Implementation of lean manufacturing consumes lots of time and it makes use of the concepts of effective plant layout, workplace organization, standardized work, customer demand-based manufacturing, quick changeover, one-piece flow, cellular manufacturing, batch reduction, teams, visual controls, quality at the source, point-of-use storage. Lean manufacturing also employs the contemporary essentials and technologies of scrap cutback, process enhancement in machining and tool selection over and above material selection, setting time reduction, Just-in-Time, Kaizan, top-notch manufacturing, synchronous manufacturing, and inventory management. (Lean Manufacturing: (www.connstep.org)

In lean thinking, the initial phase consists of identifying the value and estimating the actions and assets that are utterly essential to generate that value. The first stage to get through with lean thinking is to become skilled at to spot waste. A waste is one that does not straightaway add value. The second stage in any lean venture is to concentrate on the people who add value. In lean ventures, conventional organizational structures yield to new team-based organizations that are built around the stream of value and not on operative knowledge. The third stage in lean production is to appreciate the basic idea of flow. By doing nothing if value can be added, then the flow of value addition should be as fast as possible. If this is not the case, then waste accumulates in the shape of inventory or transportation or added steps or wasted movements. The concept that flow should be 'pulled' from requirement is also basic to lean production. Pulling from requirement can be one of the simplest ways to incorporate lean philosophy. A strictly lean distribution channel only works with a really lean supply chain combined with very lean manufacturing. Lastly, the paradigm shift that is required with lean thinking is frequently slowed down if the organization is not structured around the flow of value and concentrated on serving the customer pull value from the venture. (Poppendieck, Principles of Lean Thinking)

In a business or manufacturing set-up, the usage of the term 'Lean' explains a principle that encompasses a set of tools and procedures into the business processes to optimize time, human resources, assets, and productivity, while making better the quality level of products and services to their customers. Putting into practice Lean principles in an organization involves an effort to an enormous learning experience and growing to be "Lean" is a dedication to a process. (Becker, 2001) a growing number of small and mid size manufacturers are implementing Lean-manufacturing principles even though it has taken a while. These manufacturers may not be employing the term 'lean' have a liking to employ terms such as continuous flow, cellular, quantity of one or just simple common sense manufacturing, but the methods and outcomes are fundamentally the same. (Chaneski, 2001)

Many companies have recognized, after having seen lean manufacturing principles succeed in other companies, that their manufacturing processes can be restructured, leading to lower costs, better quality and quicker customer response. More companies comprehend the fundamental ideas and are looking for ways to integrate these ideas into their own facilities. (Chaneski, 2001) Since the early 1980s, manufacturers have moved away from the conventional Fordist system of mass production toward a system of lean production. Fordism divided intellectual and manual work and further divided the latter into effortlessly learned, recurring steps. On the basis of a constantly moving assembly line, Fordist manufacturing could mass produce a restricted number of models at very low cost and thus came to take over most of the world's manufacturing from the middle of 1950s till about 1980's. (Klier, 1994)

Lean manufacturing, on the contrary, stresses quality and a quick reaction to market circumstances, using technologically advanced tools and an adaptable organization of the production process. Apparently, lean manufacturing is a more capable system of production. According to Aoki, this is due to its methods of organizing and coordinating production that permit a quicker and on-time horizontal coordination between different manufacturing operations and a consequent reduction in costly inventory. Lean manufacturing was initiated and first employed effectively by Toyota Motor Company in the 1950s; since then it has become the routine of many Japanese manufacturing companies. Of late, American manufacturers have embraced it so as to contend successfully both at home and overseas. The triumphant creation of Japanese transplants assembly facilities in North America and Europe confirmed the relocation of lean manufacturing to other socioeconomic environments. (Klier, 1994)

Manufacturers who use a Lean strategy across the organization are as much as three times expected to be an industry best-in-class performer, as per the "Lean Strategies Benchmark Report" by Aberdeen Group. Over a period, Lean programs can obtain great benefits with cheap working capital, lesser operating costs and enhanced customer service. Actually, there is a three time fold in the number of best-in-class performers when the Lean program is prolonged beyond two years or is done all through the customer -- and supplier-facing processes. (Clarke, 2004) in the manufacturing industry, by using the Lean Manufacturing principles, quality, on-time delivery and customer satisfaction are enhanced by removing waste in all work processes. This in turn helps in removing operating costs to where they make a difference for your company and to reduce costs that don't. (Why Lean Manufacturing? (www.bmtadvantage.org)

The total sales and customer service as well as internal operations are all promoted by Lean manufacturing. The influence of market is more suppleness, better lead-time and raised sales. Reduced space and work-in-progress, quality improvements and minimal expediting are the internal effects. (Lean Manufacturing: (www.connstep.org) Quick recognition of the vital problems and addressing them early in the process reduces the rework and enhances the complete quality of the end product. As a result of this principle, companies can on an average cut down shortcomings by at least 20% every year and can enhance quality by up to 85%. Production can be increased with the available resources by Lean techniques, by removing non-value-adding activities. The productivity of the companies can be increased up to 30% every year. Every time Lean enterprises supply the quality products the customer wants on time.

Normally companies can improve customer satisfaction by minimizing lead times up to 90% and by improving the on time delivery to 100%. As a result of the Lean principles, companies can considerably decrease operating costs by improving quality, productivity and customer satisfaction. For instance, companies can normally reduce the inventory to more than 75% by removing or reorganizing work processes. (Why Lean Manufacturing? (http://www.bmtadvantage.org) When Lean principles are used throughout the company, it helps in assuming an office as similar to a factory with its main product being the paperwork or digital information. One of the most valid areas of application of Lean principles in paperwork and digital information is rework where error proofing is done for the wrong data or for missing data. If possible, lean principles can release workers' unseen aptitude and boost their abilities to develop the overall business. (Moving lean beyond the factory floor)

At each level of the organization, Lean manufacturing calls for sound cultural and behavioral transformation. And it all starts with the leader who understands these changes which must be made and are eager to take whatever time is required to first appreciate and than guide all of the work that must take place for the lean to be triumphant. (Harbour, 2001) but the biggest test for any manufacturer who is trying to implement lean principles is to using it… READ MORE

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