JIDOKA

JIDOKA - the Japanese term meaning automation. In this form of automation the machinery itself is checking the parts produced for defects after processing. With this constant checking of process quality deviations can be directly detected and when defects occur the complete process is automatically stopped until the problem is solved.

You might have come across the word autonomation, which is simply a combination of the words autonomous and automation that describes the automation with still human interactions. JIDOKA has to be seen as a manufacturing principle rather than a methodology. The idea behind JIDOKA is that all machines in the process chain can run without a dedicated operator checking for process stability and quality outcome. If there is a defect or non-conformity of the process, the machine shuts itself down, preventing the defective parts of getting passed on the downstream process steps and for this reason it prevents producing scrap.

In the Toyota Production System, autonomation is one of the main pillar and is also known as intelligent automation as it is firstly focusing on the quality and the ability of a self running system rather than just focusing on the output. You might have also heard the description of automation with a human touch - if a deviation occurs the machine itself will stop the complete manufacturing process and only with the interaction of an operator, after the problem is solved, it can continue production. The upside is pretty clear - you will not produce any defective parts or waste value adding activities on non-conforming components.

With the use of the JIDOKA principle a number of advantages are coming with it:

• Processing of non-conforming parts is immediately noticed, so that neither scrap nor rework occurs. Furthermore, no defective parts are passed on to the downstream processes steps

• Since the defects are detected automatically, a 100% end of line inspection is no longer needed within the scope of quality assurance

• With the help of automatic error detection, operators are no longer needed to monitor machinery, which is no-value adding activity anyway, so it can be declared as waste in the form of waiting time

• Operators have now the freedom to perform multiple tasks during the same time or are able to dedicate themselves to new tasks at all

• Maintenance activities will also decrease as crashes or malfunction due to the passing on of non-conforming parts is avoided

• JIDOKA is the basis of analyzing the root cause of failures and implement sustainable counter measures to avoid these of occurring again

KAIZEN

KAIZEN the mother of all lean terms.

The word Kaizen is a combination of two Japanese words - KAI meaning change and ZEN meaning good. Kaizen is the epitome of continuous improvement and stands for the “change for the good”. Kaizen for your organization means continuous improvement involving everyone.

All together Kaizen is a collection of simple principles for improving your work but also stands for a management philosophy that has turned manufacturing principles upside down the way organizations think and act. The key of all success is that all employee should constantly critically review their processes and workplaces and improve them every day a little more.

You see Kaizen is a fundamental attitude for all players in your organization that results in high quality processes with zero defects on finished goods. Living Kaizen is the continuous strive to improve, simplify or optimize. This ongoing never ending process is therefore best known as the Continuous Improvement Process (CIP).

You can’t say that Kaizen is a methodology or tool, it is a mindset. I can’t emphasize this enough.

““The message of Kaizen is that no day should go by without any improvement in the company””

— Masaaki Imai

Kaizen does not depend on major innovations or fundamental changes, but on the everyday small improvements of your employees. The multiple suggestions for improvements paired with a rapid implementation mentality will show really fast their effect on success. The term of continuous improvement is fairly said just another way of the old fashioned suggestions scheme or idea management, which has a long history in the industry but less successful communicated and accepted.

To make a little list before writing too much I want to make it short. In order to pave the way for Kaizen thinking, a number of principles are linked to it, which should guide the thinking and behavior of all players in your organization.

• Daily small improvements in all areas of your organization

• Avoid any waste of material, time and money

• Consider all downstream process steps as customers and then improve performance and quality

• Improvements are always possible, it will never stop

• Constant improvements are made on a small scale and step by step

• No restrictions in terms of scope; products, services, processes, activities, technology, workplace - everything can be improved

• Different methods and tools can be used, the decisive factor is the effect, not the procedure

• Workplaces, work areas and the situation are viewed "on site", things are viewed and analyzed live (Gemba Walks)

• with constant improvements, higher and higher standards are set and made the rule

• Kaizen is a task for all employees in the company

All employees of your organization are directly involved in the Kaizen activities and everyone has to participate. To secure the success of Kaizen each individual should invest an adequate amount of time of their working hours in Kaizen activities and focus on their commitment on improvements. As your organization has different departments and by this different employee groups their Kaizen activities are different as well (e.g.):

• Top management has to introduce and promote Kaizen as the fundamental principle and drive and monitor its implementation. It creates the right conditions within your organization

• Middle management implements the requirements of top management and ensures that standards are kept. It also promotes the way of thinking by offering appropriate training

• Team leaders support employees in developing ideas and implementing them. They are responsible for execution and success confirmation

• The operators or administrators at the operational level work out concrete suggestions for improvement and implement them. This can also be done in small groups. Kaizen employees improve their specialist knowledge and experience by participating in further training courses.

To give you an example of daily Kaizen routines 5S seems the all time favorite.

You can read the full article on how to implement 5S here. But I will make a short excursion on 5S just to explain the way of thinking. 5S prescribes:

Seiri: Sort out all unnecessary objects

Seiton: Clean-up and correct arrangement of needed objects

Seiso: Keeping the workplace tidy so as to achieve the already established standards through 5S

Seiketsu: Establishing regulations for work standards

Shitsuke: Adherence to the Work standards and continuous improvement

Kaizen is always and everywhere its right to be applied.

Even when most of the people think that it is originally developed and deployed for the automotive industry (best known as the Toyota Production System) with clear mass manufacturing and assembly processes, there is no organization, yours included, that can not improve its performance and quality in terms of customer satisfaction, services, products and processes.

You see Kaizen has become a general way of thinking in all organizations and industries.

Thinking about organizations without Kaizen, you’ll see employees stick to rules and procedures with a “not my task” mentality. Only a few managers have to come up with fundamental long term changes. Kaizen on the other hand stands for the involvement of all employees and that everybody has to think every day what he/she can improve, simplify or optimize in his/her area of work for the “change for the good” of the complete organization, securing the long term success of your organization

YOKOTEN

Japanese term meaning “across everywhere”. With Yokoten the knowledgetransfer is carried out and all activities and countermeasures along the continuous improvement process are communicated organization wide and with other branches of the organization and its affiliates.

Yokoten is not just another Japanese word of the lean world. It might seem fancy to have only Japanese terms on the lean journey but one word isn’t that mainstream and well known but crucial when it comes to lean transformation in your organization. Yokoten describes the process of sharing knowledge across your organization. It includes systematics such as lead plans for copying and improving kaizen activities that work in your complete organization.

Think of Yokoten as horizontal deployment of improvement actions. The Yokoten approach is horizontal and peer-to-peer, with the expectation of Gemba Culture that your people go and see for themselves and learn how other departments or plants in your organization improved their processes. The idea behind is global knowledge transfer of improvement actions as basis for individual local solutions.

It is crucial that it is not a top-down thing where in all plants of your organization everything has to be the exact same. That simply will not work. It is more a benchmark where e.g. one plant in your organization is the champion of one manufacturing process (e.g. injection moulding). Therefore this plant is the “Lead Plant” and by this the benchmark for injection moulding organization wide. All other plants with injection moulding are welcome to the “Lead Plant” to learn from their experience and adopt the Kaizen activities to their own individual needs. With this kind of knowledge transfer a sustainable improvement and collaboration in your organization will be established.

In a nutshell, Yokoten can be understood as internal copy and improve. The role as senior manager is to spread the information and build bridges between the different locations/plants and give the transfer of knowledge a little jump start. Make your organization learn and improve from each other, most of the time there are already good examples out there and just want to be explored and further improved.

The long term success will prove that it is not the processes but the people that are continuously developed, that make the difference between a growing and successful organization or a simple copy cat of Kaizen activities.

The effective Yokoten process is a crucial brick for the foundation of a true learning organization. And no matter where you look at, truly successful organizations have a functioning organization wide knowledge transfer installed.

Supermarket

When speaking of a supermarket in lean context we are talking about an independent instrument that is used to control production. In a supermarket raw material and pre-commissioned components can be found in defined areas. The amount is well organized according the replenishment times of each component, in general the inventory is limited and components are refilled as soon as they are used. Following the Pull Principle with the help of the Kanban-System.

Concerning the supermarket we see it as one of the pull strategies that can be implemented as link between two process steps when developing the future value stream. The supermarket is the third option when firstly One-Piece-Flow and secondly FIFO are no options at all.
The supermarket is a great methodology to help your organization to manage a variety of inventory where you don’t need to know in what order the components will be consumed. Through the so called Kanban-Pull-System “internal customers” will take components of the supermarket, which are replenished by the internal logistics following the Kanban-Pull-Principle or in a pre-defined interval. With this integrated pull system of the supermarket as link between logistics and production you can also speak of a general replenishment pull system. But let’s have a look at the supermarket, what it can be used for and how it could look like in your organization.

The supermarket itself is a mix of FIFO lanes for different components stored in Mobile Racks or a typical shelf where components are stored in bins or on pallets. Let’s assume on workstation A 3 different components are assembled, in the supermarket 1 lane would be dedicated to only this component following the FIFO principle. With this explanation you can see why FIFO itself is preferred the supermarket. The supermarket is either steered with two bin principle or kanban cards. According the replenishment time, the replenishment is triggered with the extraction of components and the stock dropping below the minimum quantity.
You see, the key question is when to use a supermarket instead of installing plane FIFO lanes or even follow the One-PIece-Flow.

Here are some examples when this is the case:

• Two main material flow streams come together before or are split after the supermarket

• Your organization follows the made to stock principle, then the supermarket is at the end of production and stores finished goods

• With the help of a supermarket different lead times of suppliers paired with a high variance can be leveled and production can be smoothly supplied

• Upstream processes are lacking quality, downstream process steps can easily replace defective parts/components (interim solution until problem is solved)

• Different change over times, when a downstream process needs a change over the upstream processes can fill the supermarket as a overflow stock that is drained after change over is done

All of this examples have in common that the final target is to eliminate the supermarket itself and improving the material flow in a way that simple FIFO lanes or a Two-Bin-Principle at workstations can be realized.
The size of a supermarket is always determined by the components and their space needed for storage and their replenishment lead times. So it is a good piece of advice to have a clear overview of your components, their recurring demand including their replenishment times and don’t forget about a little safety stock on top.

As already mentioned there are two principles that are already well-known for implementing and steering a supermarket. The first one we have a look at is the Kanban-Principle and the second the so called Two-Bin-Principle, in which the bins itself trigger the replenishment.

A supermarket running on Kanban Cards can be seen shematically in the picture below. Every component stored in the supermarket is represented by an individual card, on which all required information is listed in order to trigger the replenishment process. The Kanban-Card can be seen as order slip for suppliers. Usually Kanban-Cards are placed on the so called Kanban Board. This kind of a supermarket can be seen most of the time.

The Two-Bin-Principle is a kind of supermarket where the bins itself are utilized the same way the Kanban Cards are used. In this approach all components have e.g. two assigned bins, filled with the dedicated components for this exact bins. The full bins are placed at the workstation, components are used and the empty bins are placed on the empty conveyor, ready to be collected by the Mizusumashi. the Mizusumashi refills the bins with the defined components and brings the full set back to the workstation. This kind of “decentralized” supermarkets are typically used for small and C-parts, which are consumed by not only one but several workstations, e.g. screws, washers, etc. as the financial impact of c-parts are low and the space needed is small.

In the end the supermarket is the last possible way to implement a Pull System after failing on implementing a One-Piece-Flow or FIFO. The target is and always will be to reduce the size of the supermarket by changing it into a FIFO system or change the material flow in to One-Piece-Flow. Therefore the supermarket can be seen as needed but temporary. The size of a supermarket is always defined by the size of the components itself, the replenishment time incl. some safety surcharge and the consumption lead time of the production. By simply removing or adding Kanban Cards or Kanban Bins the level of WIP can be adjusted.

Value Stream

A value stream includes all activities (value adding as well as non-value adding) in your organization that are required to deliver your product or service to the end customer.

With the help of the value stream you are able to describe all process steps required for the creation of your product or service, from raw material to the delivery of finished goods. With the Value Stream Map you are able to find potential sources of waste and try to eliminate those by concentrating on the value adding processes. Focus on customer needs and what your customers are willing to pay for. In the ideal state the your production is completely smoothed out and material as well as information stays in a state of continuous flow. Optimization of this state is always driven through productivity. Even when continuous flow is the ideal state, intermediate storages, work in progress or buffers are not evil and even can be a result of optimized material flow.

Push and Pull

To read the full article please go here. Push and Pull is a way in which you can optimize your production and produce according the value stream and flow principle when storages become tight or order books full. Just in time can avoid costly warehousing but gives you also a straight dependency on delivery performance from upstream processes or suppliers.

The pull principle describes the process from the customer's point of view. The order triggered by the customer pulls the components through production. With the push principle, the goods are pushed through production. The pull principle saves the storage of finished goods and thus also transport and search effort.

Layered Process Audit

Today we will talk about layered process audits.

LPA, or Layered Process Auditing, is a quality technique developed for manufacturing management. When used correctly, LPA brings your organization to improve quality, minimize scrap and rework, plus reduce customer rejections by driving cultural change throughout your company. To gain a better idea and to understand what LPA means we will have a little deep dive.

Layered Audits are a defined approach that devotes time and resources to ensuring that high-risk procedures and error-proofing mechanisms are consistent and functional. Therefore, three important components make up a Layered Process Auditing System:

• Full focus on High Risk Processes (HRP) by a list of defined audits

• Depending on layer of audit the audit itself is performed from various levels of management

• A system of reporting and follow-up to ensure that containment is maintained based on specific needs. But also, to maintain and drive the continuous improvement process in your organization

A full stack of audits

This part of a Layered Process Auditing System is straightforward. Audits are merely a set of questions aimed to investigate machinery or processes. An LPA system's audits should concentrate solely on parts of the value adding process where deviation poses a high risk of producing defective products. E.g. if you have an end of the line quality check station that is measuring crucial parameters or functions that are critical to customers of your product and the calibration is wrong, you are producing in Takt defective or non-conforming products. No need to mention that you should keep an eye on that process. With the help of a proper LPA system you will have the EOL station within the layers allowing containment and corrective action as soon as the station surpasses set tolerances.

Multiple layers of audits comes with multiple layers of auditors

Multiple layers of authority from across your manufacturing department conduct audits on a regular basis, at a predetermined frequency, in an LPA system. For example, once per shift, the Shift Leader conduct an audit that checks the parameters or settings of your EOL-Station. Another layer of management, which may include process engineers, maintenance staff, or even the human resources department, would circulate through the system performing the exact same audit. The sample audit might be performed once a week or once a month by someone in the layer by assigning a number of auditors to this layer and establishing a timetable that cycles through the system's audits. Yet another layer of management, such as the plant manager or even executive staff (the number of levels in an LPA system can vary enormously from facility to facility, depending on your organizations demands and needs). This extra layer of auditors performs the same collection of audits on a rotating schedule, concluding the example audit once a month or once a quarter, for example.

Countermeasures, Containment Actions, Reporting and Improvement Process

In order to have an effective, a Layered Process Audit system you’ll have to combine analysis, measures and improvement process.

If an auditor observes a non-conformance during an audit, the auditor should not only document their findings but also take quick appropriate action to ensure that defective products do not leave the facility. In order to help with the documentation and immediate actions you can use the A3 report and methodology. Simple but effective. You can find it here. Anyway, the findings should be documented and made readily available to management for further analysis. An LPA system is a handy tool for debugging problem areas and identifying areas that are suitable for improvement actions when combined with a strong system for recording and reporting these audit results. A systematic approach will be discussed in the Shop Floor Mgmt. article.

Though Layered Process Audits may be developed to meet a customer or corporate demand, effective LPA systems are built, implemented, managed, accountable to, and owned by your participatory manufacturing management group. A solid LPA system may help you to take proactive control of your manufacturing operations while also enhancing product quality and business bottom line.

Coaching

There is no denying that the abilities of a coachee to perform and learn are enhanced when they are encouraged by a coach to form solutions to the problems which they are confronting. This is exactly what coaching is. A coach may not be an expert, but for sure they can be regarded as the technical point of contact and are asked for their opinion and advice.

It has now become quite common to see supervisors coaching their employees. There can be a five steps procedure been seen in order to define and achieve goals.

At this point I want to recommend the book written by Anne Loehr and Brian Emerson, "A Manager’s Guide to Coaching" demonstrates how managers or supervisors can help their employees enhance their skills and develop themselves without the need for any additional training.

An employee’s success depends on “aptitude, attitude and resources.” Attitude matters most. In fact, a better outlook can make up for shortfalls in skills or materials.

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But let us go back to the five steps of the coaching process.

Step 1: Define the target state

In Step 1 we focus on defining the required outcomes. Get the clarity to define goals or future states. It is proven that those individuals who are clear regarding their goals are most likely to achieve them to those who have not defined their goals in a clear manner. Not having well-defined objectives can result in unpleasant side effects, for instance, preoccupying yourself with details. A successful and effective goal must be created by the coachee itself and must concur with their personal values. It is important to make certain goals a bit challenging, as easily achieving results cannot sometimes prove to be less motivating. On the flip side, it is also essential that some goals must have manageable and realistic partial steps so that, in general, it can be considered as achievable.

Step 2: Status Quo

The main aim in the second step is to identify the delta between the current state and the ideal solution within the structure of the current situation analysis. It is also important to assess the psychological and real cost that comes to light, especially when the client is clung to their current situation. Doing this can challenge the client to provide the energy required for the change. With that being said than just a small amount of time must be spent on assessing the Status Quo, and most of the focus must be given to achieving the desired outcomes. You should not expect any solutions at this particular stage.

Step 3: Costs of Opportunity

At this stage, the client needs to develop feelings for their own resources and their possibilities of gaining control of it: "When you feel resourceful, you feel in control, and when you feel in control, you feel confident." The feelings of control are mainly developed on the basis of the knowledge that there are different options and choices. The coach motivates the coachee to identify various options, by which the probability of determining between the non-action and action would already be recognized and appreciated. For the purpose of identifying different options, brainstorming has proven to be extremely helpful. It involves writing everything which crosses your mind regarding the particular subject in a creative and playful manner without evaluating them. The next step involves coachees opting for the options that look more beneficial and effective. These options are then assessed, and their consequences are analyzed concerning various criteria. Because one thing is certain – every option comes at some cost. Make sure that the coachee is willing to pay it.

Step 4: Taking Action

It is time the coachees make their mind as to which one of the options looks better to them that can help them achieve their goal. At this point in time, the role of the coach is to motivate the coachee to state exactly what they intend to do. It must be understood that it is the responsibility of the coachees themselves to execute the individual steps. The duty of the coach is to identify the signals from the coachee that shows resistance. In such scenarios, it is helpful to refer back to the first stage of outcomes for the purpose of confirming whether the objective and goal is extremely unrealistic or obscure.

Step 5: Review

By assenting to review the plan of action after a certain period of time, a little bit of pressure is applied on the coachee to take action. The critical thing for the success is the genuine conduct of the review rather than just an announcement. It is essential to take the first step in the near future in order to avoid losing the planned actions in the daily activities of the business. For that reason, the momentum for the forthcoming actions can stay consistent. The senior-level personnel or the coach can take help of the review in order to keep the obligation and track the coachee's progress and can also regard it as, for instance, for their own superior. The coach ultimately continues to maintain control, and the coachees becomes capable of achieving clarity regarding their own activities.

Production Diary

With the help of a production diary, based on a pre-defined shift planning all other functions and outcomes are planned and tracked. This includes the mgmt. team as well as all supporting functions. In order that everyone is aware about the upcoming week the production diary is openly displayed on the shop floor. With the production diary and the pre-set structure of daily meetings of the shop floor mgmt. all daily activities are carried out. Best known part is e.g. Gemba Walks and the included problem solving activities e.g. A3 or just confirming that all processes run as planned.

With this big part of shop floor mgmt. it is clear that all regular meetings planned along the production diary are set. All other unplanned activities or extra meetings need to be conducted respecting the fixed schedule of the production diary.