Lean manufacturing: basic principles and real results. Lean system (Lean manufacturing) Methods and tools of the visualization method

Oleg Levyakov

LIN (from the English Lean - slender, lean) production or logistics of "lean" production has caused a tremendous increase in labor productivity and production volumes and remains the main production system in many sectors of the world economy.

Lean- this is an American name Toyota Production System. The creator of lean manufacturing, Taiichi Ohno, began his first experiments in production optimization back in the 1950s. In those post-war times, Japan was in ruins and the country needed new cars. But the problem was that the demand was not great enough to justify the purchase of powerful production line, in the manner of Ford. Many different types of cars were needed (passenger cars, light and medium-duty trucks, etc.), but the demand for a specific type of car was small. The Japanese had to learn to work efficiently, creating many different models in conditions of low demand for each model. No one had solved this problem before, since efficiency was understood exclusively in terms of mass production.

Lean manufacturing involves the involvement of each employee in the business optimization process and maximum customer focus.

The starting point of lean manufacturing is customer value. From the point of view of the end consumer, a product (service) acquires actual value only at the time when direct processing and production of these elements occurs. The heart of lean manufacturing is the process of eliminating waste, which is called muda in Japanese. Muda is a Japanese word that means waste, that is, any activity that consumes resources but does not create value. For example, the consumer does not need the finished product or its parts to be in stock. However, in a traditional management system, warehouse costs, as well as all costs associated with rework, defects, and other indirect costs are passed on to the consumer.

In accordance with the concept of lean manufacturing, all activities of an enterprise can be classified as follows: operations and processes that add value to the consumer, and operations and processes that do not add value to the consumer. Therefore, anything that does not add value to the customer, from a lean manufacturing perspective, is classified as waste and must be eliminated.

The main goals of lean manufacturing are:

reduction of costs, including labor;
reduction of product creation time;
reduction of production and warehouse space;
guarantee of product delivery to the customer;
maximum quality at a certain cost or minimum cost at a certain quality.

As mentioned above, the history of the LIN system began with the Toyota company. Sakishi Toyoda, one of the founders of Toyota, believed that there is no limit to production improvement and, regardless of the company’s state in the market and its competitiveness, there is a need for constant movement forward, improvement of all production processes. The result of this philosophy was the kaizen (continuous improvement) strategy pursued at Toyota enterprises. Sakishi Toyoda supported big investment into research work to create new cars.

Kiishiro Toyoda, Sakishi's son, understood that he would have to do something unusual in order to successfully compete with American auto giants (such as Ford). To begin with, he introduced the concept of “just in time” (Togo and Wartman) at his enterprises, which meant that any car part had to be created no earlier than it was needed. Therefore, the Japanese, unlike the Americans, did not have huge warehouses with spare parts, while the Japanese saved more time and resources. The "kaizen" and "Togo and Wartman" methods became the basis of the Toyoda family's manufacturing philosophy.

The next in the dynasty, Eiji Toyoda, began his activities by developing a five-year plan to improve production methods. To do this, Taichi Ono was invited to Toyota as a consultant, who introduced “kanban” cards - “tracking inventory movements.” Taichi Ohno taught the workers a detailed understanding of the "kaizen" and "Togo and Wartman" methods, modernized the equipment and established the correct sequence of operations. If any problem arose with the assembly of products on the conveyor, the conveyor would immediately stop in order to quickly find and fix any problems. Toyota has been implementing its industrial quality philosophy for twenty years, including with its suppliers.

Soichiro Toyoda became president and then chairman of the board of directors of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1982. Under his leadership, Toyota became an international corporation. Soishiro began his work to improve quality in the company by studying the works of the American quality expert E. Deming. Quality management at Toyota enterprises has become clearer and has been implemented in all departments of the company.

Thus, over several generations of Toyota management, a unique quality system was developed, which formed the basis of the LIN system.

The most popular Lean manufacturing tools and methods are:

Value Stream Mapping.
Pull-line production.
Kanban.
Kaizen - continuous improvement.
The 5C system is a technology for creating an effective workplace.
SMED system - Fast equipment changeover.
TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - Total equipment care.
JIT system (Just-In-Time - just on time).
Visualization.
U-shaped cells.

Value Stream Mapping is a fairly simple and visual graphic diagram depicting the material and information flows necessary to provide a product or service to the end consumer. A value stream map makes it possible to immediately see the bottlenecks of the flow and, based on its analysis, identify all unproductive costs and processes, and develop an improvement plan. Value stream mapping includes the following steps:

Documenting the current state map.
Production flow analysis.
Creating a future state map.
Developing an improvement plan.

Pull production(eng. pull production) - a production organization scheme in which the volume of production at each production stage is determined exclusively by the needs of subsequent stages (ultimately - by the needs of the customer).

The ideal is “single piece flow”, i.e. The upstream supplier (or internal supplier) does not produce anything until the downstream consumer (or internal consumer) tells him to do so. Thus, each subsequent operation “pulls” products from the previous one.

This way of organizing work is also closely related to line balancing and flow synchronization.

Kanban system is a system that ensures the organization of continuous material flow in the absence of stocks: production stocks are supplied in small batches, directly to the required points of the production process, bypassing the warehouse, and finished products are immediately shipped to customers. The order of product production management is reverse: from the i-th stage to the (i - 1)-th.

The essence of the CANBAN system is that all production departments of the enterprise are supplied with material resources only in the quantity and on time that are necessary to fulfill the order. The order for finished goods is submitted to the last stage of the production process, where the required volume of work in progress is calculated, which should come from the penultimate stage. Similarly, from the penultimate stage there is a request for the previous stage of production for a certain number of semi-finished products. That is, the size of production at a given site is determined by the needs of the next production site.

Thus, between each two adjacent stages of the production process there is a double connection:

from the i-th stage to the (i - 1)-th stage, the required amount of work in progress is requested (“pulled”);
From the (i - 1) stage, material resources in the required quantity are sent to the i-th stage.

The means of transmitting information in the CANBAN system are special cards (“canban”, translated from Japanese as a card). Two types of cards are used:

production order cards, which indicate the number of parts to be produced at a previous stage of production. Production order cards are sent from the i-th production stage to the (i - 1)-th stage and are the basis for the formation of a production program for the (i - 1)-th section;
selection cards indicating the quantity material resources(components, parts, semi-finished products), which must be taken at the previous processing (assembly) site. Selection cards show the amount of material resources actually received by the i-th production site from the (i - 1)-th.

In this way, cards can circulate not only within an enterprise using the CANBAN system, but also between it and its branches, as well as between cooperating corporations.

Enterprises using a CANBAN system receive production resources daily or even several times during the day, so the enterprise's inventory can be completely updated 100-300 times a year or even more often, while in an enterprise using an MRP or MAP system - only 10-20 times in year. For example, at Toyota Motors Corporation, resources were supplied to one of the production sites three times a day in 1976, and in 1983 - every few minutes.

The desire to reduce inventories also becomes a method for identifying and solving production problems. The accumulation of inventories and inflated production volumes make it possible to hide frequent equipment breakdowns and shutdowns, as well as manufacturing defects. Since, in conditions of minimizing inventories, production may be stopped due to defects at the previous stage technological process, then the main requirement of the CANBAN system, in addition to the “zero inventory” requirement, becomes the “zero defects” requirement. The CANBAN system is almost impossible to implement without the simultaneous implementation of a comprehensive quality management system.

Important elements of the CANBAN system are:

an information system that includes not only cards, but also production, transport and supply schedules, technological maps;
system for regulating the need and professional rotation of personnel;
system of total (TQM) and selective ("Jidoka") product quality control;
production leveling system.

Main advantages of the CANBAN system:

short production cycle, high asset turnover, including inventories;
there are no or extremely low storage costs for production and inventory;
high quality products at all stages of the production process.

An analysis of global experience in using the CANBAN system has shown that this system makes it possible to reduce production inventories by 50%, inventory by 8%, while significantly accelerating the turnover of working capital and improving the quality of finished products.

The main disadvantages of the just-in-time system are:

the difficulty of ensuring high consistency between product production stages;
significant risk of disruption to production and sales of products.

Kaizen- this is a derivative of two hieroglyphs - "change" and "good" - usually translated as "change for the better" or "continuous improvement."

In an applied sense, Kaizen is a philosophy and management mechanisms that encourage employees to propose improvements and implement them promptly.

There are five main components of Kaizen:

Interaction;
Personal discipline;
Improved morale;
Quality Circles;
Suggestions for improvement;

5C system - technology for creating an effective workplace

Under this designation a system of establishing order, cleanliness and strengthening discipline is known. The 5C system includes five interrelated principles for organizing the workplace. The Japanese name for each of these principles begins with the letter "S". Translated into Russian - sorting, rational arrangement, cleaning, standardization, improvement.

SORTING: separate necessary items - tools, parts, materials, documents - from unnecessary ones in order to remove the latter.
RATIONAL ARRANGEMENT: rationally arrange what is left, place each item in its place.
CLEANING: Maintain cleanliness and order.
STANDARDIZE: Maintain accuracy by performing the first three S's regularly.
IMPROVEMENT: making established procedures a habit and improving them.

Quick changeover (SMED - Single Minute Exchange of Die) literally translated as “Changing a stamp in 1 minute.” The concept was developed by Japanese author Shigeo Shingo and revolutionized approaches to changeover and retooling. As a result of the implementation of the SMED system, changing any tool and readjusting can be done in just a few minutes or even seconds, “with one touch” (“OTED” concept - “One Touch Exchange of Dies”).

As a result of numerous statistical studies, it was found that the time for carrying out various operations during the changeover process is distributed as follows:

preparation of materials, dies, fixtures, etc. - thirty%;
securing and removing dies and tools - 5%;
centering and placement of the tool - 15%;
trial processing and adjustment - 50%.

As a result, the following principles were formulated to reduce changeover time by tens and even hundreds of times:

separation of internal and external adjustment operations,
transformation of internal actions into external ones,
use of functional clamps or complete removal of fasteners,
use of additional devices.

TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - Total equipment care mainly serves to improve the quality of equipment, focused on maximum efficient use thanks to a comprehensive preventive maintenance system. The emphasis of this system is on prevention and early detection of equipment defects that can lead to more serious problems.

TRM involves operators and repairmen, who together ensure increased equipment reliability. The basis of TPM is the establishment of a schedule for preventive maintenance, lubrication, cleaning and general inspection. This ensures an increase in the Total Equipment Efficiency indicator.

JIT (Just-In-Time) system - materials management system in production, in which components from a previous operation (or from an external supplier) are delivered exactly when they are needed, but not before. This system leads to a sharp reduction in the volume of work in progress, materials and finished products in warehouses.

The just-in-time system involves a specific approach to the selection and evaluation of suppliers, based on working with a narrow range of suppliers selected for their ability to guarantee just-in-time delivery of components. High Quality. At the same time, the number of suppliers is reduced by two or more times, and long-term economic relations are established with the remaining suppliers.

Visualization is any means of communicating how work should be done. This is such an arrangement of tools, parts, containers and other indicators of the state of production, in which everyone can understand at first glance the state of the system - the norm or deviation.

The most commonly used imaging methods are:

Outlining.
Color coding.
Road sign method.
Paint marking.
“It was” - “it became”.
Graphic work instructions.

U-shaped cells- Arrangement of equipment in the shape of the Latin letter “U”. In a U-shaped cell, the machines are arranged in a horseshoe shape according to the sequence of operations. With this equipment arrangement, the final processing stage occurs in close proximity to the initial stage, so the operator does not have to walk far to begin the next production cycle.

In a period of intense competition and an escalating crisis, enterprises around the world have no other way than, using the world's best management technologies, to create products and services that maximally satisfy customers in terms of quality and price.

Losses in any production process are an inevitable problem for many enterprises, both those producing products and providing services. Waste is a condition that, to put it mildly, does not add value to a product or service. In order to detect losses, you first need to recognize them. There are eight types of losses, due to which up to 85% of an enterprise’s resources are lost:

Loss of creativity. When an employee is treated like a cog in a machine that can be thrown out or replaced at any time, when relationships are reduced to the “work with your hands and strictly follow the boss’s instructions” scheme, employees’ interest in work steadily declines. Experts believe that this order of things is outdated, it is pulling the company back, which will immediately affect the company’s profits. In the same Japan various companies“quality circles” appear, where anyone has the right to express their proposals for improving the quality of processes. Analysts believe that in the 21st century, success will be for those companies that can create among their staff a feeling of involvement in improving production.
Excessive production, which is expressed in the fact that more goods are produced than required, or earlier than the customer requires. As a result, those resources that could be spent on improving quality are spent on increasing quantity.
Delays. When workers stand idle waiting for materials, tools, equipment, information, it is always a consequence of poor planning or insufficient relationships with suppliers, or unforeseen fluctuations in demand.
Unnecessary transportation when materials or products are moved more frequently than necessary for a continuous process. It is important to deliver everything you need in a timely manner and to the right place, and for this, the enterprise must implement good logistics schemes.
Excessive inventory, or storing in warehouses more products than are sold and more materials than are needed for the process.
Overprocessing. Products must come out of production of such high quality that, if possible, they eliminate their rework and modifications, and quality control must be fast and effective.
Defects that must be avoided at all costs, because additional funds are spent on resolving customer complaints: if a defective product needs to be corrected, extra time, effort and money are spent.
Poor movement, or poor delivery of tools and materials within the enterprise, unnecessary movement of employees around the premises.

According to a study by the Institute for Integrated Strategic Studies (ICSI) on the spread of lean manufacturing in Russia in March-April 2006, out of 735 surveyed Russian industrial enterprises, 32% used Japanese experience. A repeat survey was conducted in March-April 2008. Application of Lean Manufacturing at Russian industrial enterprises in 2006-2008.” at the III Russian Lean Forum “Lean Russia”. Enterprises that were the first to apply lean production methods: Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ Group), RUSAL, EvrazHolding, Eurochem, VSMPO-AVISMA, KUMZ OJSC, Chelyabinsk Forging and Press Plant (ChKPZ OJSC), Sollers OJSC "("UAZ", "ZMZ"), KAMAZ, NefAZ, Sberbank of Russia OJSC, etc.

07.12.2017

Lean is a business management concept based on ideas production system Toyota company. The key principles of lean manufacturing are the reduction of all possible costs, constant optimization of the business with the involvement of each employee in this process and, as a result, an increase in the efficiency of the enterprise.

Practice shows that implementing the lean manufacturing concept can increase labor productivity by 400% within the first year. Even the use of at least one principle ensures an increase in the efficiency of the enterprise by 30-50%.

Where to start implementing lean manufacturing?

First of all, it is necessary to analyze the current situation at the enterprise and prepare tools for further continuous monitoring. For example, introducing a system for monitoring personnel and equipment in a company - this makes it possible to control all actions of employees and the movement of vehicles, evaluate the time costs of various operations and identify weaknesses. This analysis allows us to determine:

Irrational organization of workplaces, for example, the need to constantly move between different equipment or tool cabinets.
After implementing a personnel monitoring system at the enterpriseRealTrac found that specialists spend about 15% of their working time walking to the common cabinet for the necessary tools and returning to their place. Based on the results of the analysis, it was decided to allocate their own place for tools to each employee - this led to an increase in labor productivity by 15%.
Irrational movement of products or materials for production, for example, ineffective layout of workshops and areas.
Based on the results of monitoring the operation of loaders and the movement of parts through production using the systemRealTrac revealed that each element enters the welding area twice. Between two processes in the welding area, the part was sent to the surface treatment area, with downtime due to waiting for a suitable loader occurring at all stages. During optimization, the welding station was located in close proximity to the machining area, saving more than 400 minutes per month.
Product properties not used by consumers, for example, expensive product packaging, additional functions, excessively complex design.
During one of the marketing surveys, a bus manufacturing company found out that consumers do not pay much attention to the quality of painting. According to the results of the study, the process of painting invisible surfaces was significantly simplified, which made it possible to reduce monthly costs by several hundred thousand rubles.
Downtime of equipment or personnel due to awaiting orders, completion of a previous operation, or failure of equipment.
Monitoring systemRealTrac also allows you to analyze the time that equipment or personnel are idle. Thus, in the automotive production already mentioned above, such downtime was associated with frequent breakdowns of equipment. The cause was eliminated by organizing a repair point in the workshop - as a result, the downtime of personnel and equipment was reduced by 26 man-hours per month.
Losses from overproduction– situations when the volume of products exceeds consumer demand.
According to the results marketing analysis Due to the demand for the manufactured goods, the company decided to temporarily suspend the production of products, which are stored in the warehouse in sufficient quantities. The freed production capacity was used to produce seasonal goods that are in high demand right now. As a result, the company's profit growth for the quarter increased by tens of millions of rubles.
Excess stocks of materials and raw materials.
When, based on the results of the analysis, the costs of renting additional warehouse space were determined, as well as the fact that long-term storage in a warehouse negatively affects the properties of materials, the company decided to organize the supply of parts daily in quantities determined by the production plan. This made it possible to reduce costs associated with storing and transporting components to the work site.
Cause of defects in work which lead to the production of defective goods.
A high percentage of defective goods at the enterprise forced management to constantly monitor the operation of the entire production using the productRealTrac Internet of Things. Due to the fact that the system continuously collected all data from the equipment, if any problems were detected in its operation, the production process was stopped and an alert was triggered. Gradually, the operation of the equipment was fully streamlined, and the number of defective products was reduced by more than 80%.

Algorithm for increasing productivity without increasing production capacity

Step 1. Form a visual diagram of product production. The diagram must display each stage of the flow of information and materials, indicate the duration of the stages and the time required to transition between them. Already at this step, changes can be made to the scheme to optimize the process.

Step 2. Identify bottlenecks. These may include inefficient use of personnel and equipment, suboptimal placement of equipment, standard errors in production, and the presence of unused units on production areas. The RealTrac system can help identify bottlenecks.

Step 3. Visualize business processes. At this stage, you can mark the boundaries of objects on the floor, highlight the most dangerous units, indicate storage locations for tools, install stands with a description of the algorithms for all technological operations, photographs of defective products, and other possible instructions.

Step 4. Model the processes, we take into account the reduction of losses during transportation, movement, and waiting. At this stage, you can try different algorithms, compare the effectiveness of work in practice, evaluate the effectiveness in various ways production optimization.

Careful and thoughtful passage of all stages of the algorithm allowed the production confectionery:

Reduce the number of production line employees from 15 to 11 people

Increase production from 6,000 to 9,000 sets of confectionery products

Achieve an increase in enterprise productivity by 35-37% without launching additional lines

Using a similar algorithm, the warehouse areas of a large distribution center. As part of the implementation of the lean manufacturing concept, signs for overpass numbers were installed at the company's warehouse and traffic patterns throughout the territory were placed, and warehouse areas were redesigned. As a result, drivers began to spend less time in the center, and thanks to the redevelopment, it was possible to reduce the warehouse area by more than 30%.

Real innovations following the implementation of lean manufacturing. How does this work in practice?

One of the largest logistics centers in Russia has gone all the way to implementing the lean manufacturing concept. The key goal of the measures taken was to speed up the completion of orders and reduce the risks of mis-grading and under-investment.

The company's management fully implemented the algorithm described in the previous section, and also carefully analyzed the proposals of the company's employees and the results of customer surveys.

As a result, the following solutions were used in the logistics center:

TechnologyPickbyLight (selection by light). A light signal lights up above the cell with the required products during the order picking process. In order to turn off the light, the operator presses a button, confirming that the goods are packaged.

Distribution of goods by zones. Depending on the popularity of the product, it falls into one of three zones: fast - 20% of products that need to be completed with 80% of orders, general - 30% of products that need to be included in every tenth order, less used - with less in demand products.

The “everything is at hand” principle. The most popular products are located at arm's length, and in order to take products from the top compartment, just use the step.

Visualization. There are floor markings in the order formation area, as well as many auxiliary signs that are intuitive even for novice employees. Most of the signs can, if necessary, be moved to another area to redistribute flows or personnel.

Conveyor for used containers. All used containers (corrugated cardboard) are automatically delivered to the pressing area. This reduces the time spent by staff on folding containers and reduces the level of air pollution, and also brings a small additional income, since pressed cardboard is sold to partners for subsequent processing.

Weight control. The generated orders are weighed, the result is compared with the calculated value, defined as the sum of the weight of each item. If the weight does not match, the order is sent for additional verification.

Special floor covering. Due to the fact that the center’s employees spend the entire day on their feet, the warehouse is equipped with a special orthopedic coating that reduces the load on the legs and spine, and also prevents the risk of injury due to the anti-slip surface.

Open data on labor productivity. The order picking speed of each line is shown on the monitor in real time. This provides a competitive effect and makes it more transparent for employees KPI system, and also allows management to evaluate the work of each assembler and identify the weak points of the line.

Involving employees in the optimization process. Employee ideas for improving work are not only welcomed, but also rewarded with prizes, and points can be received even for an idea that will not be implemented.

As a result of the implementation of the above solutions in the logistics center, staff rotation has decreased, ergonomics and work safety have improved, and the number of complaints from consumers related to incorrect order picking has decreased. Just six months after implementing the lean manufacturing concept, productivity in order picking areas increased by 20%.

This and many other examples confirm that lean manufacturing really improves the efficiency of an enterprise. The main thing is to attract employees to your side and modern technologies, analyze every, even the most insignificant business process in the company, take care of consumers and contractors and be prepared for large-scale changes for the better.

Japanese word meaning "signal" or "card". It is a method used to pull products and materials onto lean production lines.

There are several variants of KANBAN depending on the application: process-starting, double-bin (single-card), multi-card, single-use Kanban, etc.

KANBAN allows you to optimize the chain of planning production activities, starting from forecasting demand, planning production tasks and balancing/distributing these tasks across production capacities with optimization of their load. Optimization means “do not do anything unnecessary, do not do it ahead of time, report an emerging need only when it is really necessary.”

The KANBAN system was developed and implemented for the first time in the world by Toyota.

5C system - technology for creating an effective workplace

Under this designation a system of establishing order, cleanliness and strengthening discipline is known. The 5 C system includes five interrelated principles for organizing the workplace. The Japanese name for each of these principles begins with the letter "S". Translated into Russian - sorting, rational arrangement, cleaning, standardization, improvement.

1. SORTING: separate necessary items - tools, parts, materials, documents - from unnecessary ones in order to remove the latter.

2. RATIONAL ARRANGEMENT: rationally arrange what is left, place each item in its place.

3. CLEANING: Maintain cleanliness and order.

4. STANDARDIZATION: Maintain accuracy by regularly performing the first three S's.

5. IMPROVEMENT: making established procedures a habit and improving them.

Quick changeover (SMED - Single Minute Exchange of Die)

SMED literally translates to “1 Minute Die Change.” The concept was developed by Japanese author Shigeo Shingo and revolutionized changeover and retooling approaches. As a result of the implementation of the SMED system, changing any tool and readjusting can be done in just a few minutes or even seconds, “with one touch” (“OTED” concept - “One Touch Exchange of Dies”).

As a result of numerous statistical studies, it was found that the time for carrying out various operations during the changeover process is distributed as follows:

preparation of materials, dies, fixtures, etc. - 30%

securing and removing dies and tools - 5%

tool centering and placement - 15%

trial processing and adjustment - 50%

As a result, the following principles were formulated to reduce changeover time by tens and even hundreds of times:

separation of internal and external adjustment operations,

transformation of internal actions into external ones,

use of functional clamps or complete removal of fasteners,

use of additional devices.

TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - Total equipment care

TPM - “total equipment care”, mainly serves to improve the quality of equipment, focused on maximum efficient use through a comprehensive preventive maintenance system.

The emphasis in this system is on prevention and early detection of equipment defects which can lead to more serious problems.

JIT system (Just-In-Time - just on time)

JIT (Just-In-Time) is a materials management system in manufacturing in which components from a previous operation (or from an external supplier) are delivered exactly when they are needed, but not before. This system leads to a sharp reduction in the volume of work in progress, materials and finished products in warehouses.

A just-in-time system involves a specific approach to selecting and evaluating suppliers, based on working with a narrow range of suppliers selected for their ability to guarantee just-in-time delivery of high-quality components. At the same time, the number of suppliers is reduced by two or more times, and long-term economic relations are established with the remaining suppliers.

In 2011, it was confirmed that the brain is easier to process pictures than text, and it is easier for people to communicate visually than text-only (for example, through reports).

Peculiarities perception individual, but the average person perceives 83% seen And 11% - heard information. A total of no more than 6% is allocated to organoleptic receptors. A slightly different picture emerges in the process memorization information: on hearing and visual individually, a person remembers 20% and 30%, respectively, and when these two methods are combined, the level of memorization increases to 50 percent.

When we look at pictures, our brains can process multiple elements at once, allowing us to achieve speeds up to 60,000 times faster than normal text reading. Therefore, visualization is one of the powerful and proven methods in lean manufacturing.

The role of visualization in lean manufacturing

Visualization can be considered in two aspects:

as a method of presenting information in the form of optical images (drawings, diagrams, graphs, block diagrams, maps, tables, etc.),
such as placing all tools, assembled units, parts, information about the production process so that they are visible at first glance.

Key advantages include:

Visual planning

A special place in lean-visualization is occupied by visual planning (VP).

Companies implement VP because:

One of the clear examples of the use of VP is Toyota, which has Obeya- from Japanese “large room”. In the company, this has become a project management tool for increasing efficiency and maintaining timing in production.

Verdict

When the general manager of Toyota North America was asked why the company had not written a book about its processes, he thought for a moment and after a few minutes replied:

This is because such a book would consist of one page on which it would be written: “Keep it simple, make all processes visible and trust people to do the right thing.”

This is exactly what visual management is about. Its goal is to make the workflow clearer for everyone involved. With the help of visualization, you can get maximum information in a minimum of time.

3.5. Visualization (from Latin visualis – visual)

Visualization is any means of communicating how work should be done. This is such an arrangement of tools, parts, containers and other indicators of the state of production, in which everyone can understand at first glance the state of the system - the norm or deviation.

The most commonly used imaging methods are:

Outlining

Color coding

Road sign method

Paint marking

“It was” - “it became”

Graphic work instructions

Contouring is good way show where tools and assembly fixtures should be stored. To outline means to outline the assembly fixtures and tools where they are to be permanently stored. When you want to return the tool to its place, the outline will show you where to store this tool.

Rack for storing tools (ShCh-15, East Siberian Railway)

Color coding indicates what specific parts, tools, devices and equipment are used for Press forms. For example, if some parts are needed in the production of a certain product, they can be painted the same color and be stored in a storage area painted in the same color.

Road sign method - uses the principle of pointing to objects in front of you (WHAT, WHERE and in what QUANTITY). There are three main types of such signs:

pointers on objects indicating where objects should be;

signs in places indicating exactly what items should be there;

quantity indicators that tell you how many items should be in a location.

“It was” - “It became”

The image of the workplace/area/shop “before” and “after” the changes clearly demonstrates the changes that have occurred, increases the motivation of workers and supports the new standard.

East Siberian Railway, ShCh-5

Paint marking is a method that is used to highlight the location of something on the floor or in aisles.

Paint markings are used to mark dividing lines between work areas or transport passages.

Application of paint marking on the auto-braking section (TChR-18 East Siberian TR)

Graphic work instructions describe work operations and quality requirements at each workplace in the simplest and most visual form possible. Graphic work instructions are located directly at the workplace and standardize the optimal way to perform work, ensuring universalization of workers and compliance with standards.

Results of implementing visualization:

the ability to significantly simplify work, save time, energy and money;

providing information about the planned indicators that need to be achieved, the availability of materials necessary for the work and the location of certain works;

increase in productivity;

assistance to the manager in determining the state of the process, in identifying bottlenecks in production processes and operations, and the ability to quickly take corrective measures;

training and transfer of experience are simplified.

Lean manufacturing is an effective and affordable method for increasing operational efficiency. Everyone is familiar with the system when everyone is working, everyone is busy, and labor productivity is very low precisely because of the loss of time on various types of searches and unmotivated work. Irritation in such situations reduces work efficiency even more. The introduction of lean production puts things in order, first of all, in our heads, and teaches us to think systematically, step by step. This diagram is then projected onto workplace where order is restored, the work culture improves. And as a result, a streamlined process makes it easier daily work employees, increases the efficiency of production processes. For this purpose, we began to introduce lean manufacturing technologies.

3.6. Kanban.

The term Kanban has a literal translation: “Kan” means visible, visual, and “ban” means card or board.

In factories, Kanban cards are used everywhere to avoid cluttering warehouses and work areas with pre-created spare parts. For example, imagine you are installing doors. You have a pack of 10 doors near your workplace. You put them one after another on new cars and when there are 5 doors left in the pack, then you know that it’s time to order new doors. You take a Kanban card, write an order for 10 doors on it, and give it to the person who makes the doors. You know that he will make them just in time for you to run out of the remaining 5 doors. And that's exactly what happens - when you install the last door, a pack of 10 new doors arrives. And this happens all the time - you order new doors only when you need them. Now imagine that such a system operates throughout the entire plant. There are no warehouses anywhere where spare parts sit for weeks and months. Everyone works only on request and produces exactly as many spare parts as requested. If suddenly there are more or fewer orders, the system itself easily adapts to the changes.

3.7. SMED – Rapid equipment changeover.

reduce the time of equipment setup and changeover operations to ten minutes. This system was originally developed to optimize

3.8. Just-In-Time - exactly on time.

A method of organizing production in which the movement of workpieces and parts during production is carefully planned in time - so that at each stage of the process the next (usually small) batch arrives for processing exactly at the moment when the previous batch is completed. The result is a system with no workpieces or parts waiting to be processed, or idle workers or equipment waiting for items to be processed.