by Lean Material Handling | Apr 9, 2018 | Lean Manufacturing, Warehousing
In line with the ultimate goal of Lean manufacturing, which is enhancing work environments to reduce waste and uphold production, various equipment is incorporated into the movement of paraphernalia around the factory. The most notable are forklifts and pallet carts. The former is slowly getting removed from factory floors due to the efficiency of pallet carts. The use of pallet carts has been observed to bring the following benefits:
Decongesting the Floors With Pallet Carts & Tugger Trains
Pallet carts can be automated to specific routes. Their movement can be configured in such a way that they take up minimum space, and deliver necessities from one point to another.
Loading containers on forklifts are albeit more complicated because they require more space to maneuver. One or more carts can easily be removed, allowing for the rest to move along to other destinations.
How to Increase Delivery Capacity
Operators of forklifts have to transfer weighty load in a limited number of containers and still have to travel back and forth before delivery is complete.
Pallet carts have revolutionized this field by introducing the ability to link multiple carts then deliver them in one journey. The number of carts is practically limited to the power output of the tugger in the series.
Forklifts may still need to be used in some factories, but are restricted to receiving and shipping.
Reducing Energy Consumption
Less energy is consumed when the number of tugger trips is reduced. If more materials are able to reach their destination in two trips instead of four, less waste is emitted. This runs well with the objective of lean manufacturing.
Another thing that is improved is required manpower. More people are needed to operate the traditional way of moving materials. A normal system will have to work with three people, whereas one controls the movement of the car, someone else loads new cargo, while still another unloads the cargo.
Help Reduce Wait Times
Production times can be cut by half with the use of pallet carts. In a study to compare the delivery speeds of forklifts and pallet carts, both were observed as they got loaded, traveled and unloaded packages of equal weight from point A to point B.
The findings from this study were rather pleasant to the researchers as it was discovered that pallet carts took 50% of the time required by forklifts to complete a designated job. The reasons behind such a huge difference were the perfect design of routes and detachability of the pallet carts.
Detaching and reattaching carts takes less than a minute, and eradicates production wait times.
The good thing with pallet carts is that they only need basic driving skills from operators. Those operated by hand have a notable abridged control panel which machinists use to guide the vehicle around with.
The operators need just a bit of training to enable them to run the machine efficiently.
by Lean Material Handling | Mar 8, 2018 | Lean Manufacturing
Businesses deal with a lot of issues on a daily basis. Activities may be hindered by delivery problems, extended lead times and issues with factory and office workflow. Most corporations wonder how they will know if they are ready to engage in lean manufacturing.
The good thing with lean manufacturing is that it gives a business the “nitty-gritty” that constitute effective operations.
What is Lean Manufacturing?
This is a commonly misinterpreted word. It is thought to be a method of copying what other companies do. However, Lean manufacturing is more of learning from other companies with the knowledge that not everything that seems to work for them, will work excellently for you.
All businesses are unique, hence call for techniques that are aligned with their goals.
It is common for many businesses to seek Lean when they feel that they have taken care of all the basics. A more informed view is that Lean is the actual basis.
Lean follows practical approaches such as scrapping bureaucratic and complex procedures. This takes businesses from large scale messes to smooth performance.
Problems That Arise When Implementing Lean
The industry is packed with Lean trainers and consultants. Most of them introduce what they think will work for you after interpreting the Lean approach. Unfortunately, this method is likely to lead to overly rigid procedures. When the approach is carried out in the form of complicated diagnostics and checklists, it not only fails to resolve the problem at its core but also becomes extremely resource hungry.
For the Lean solution to work, the core business problems such as quality, lead time and engagement of staff have to be understood and targeted.
Is There a Particular Time When a Business Is “Ready For Lean?”
Some issues such as problems with strategic direction may hold up the implementation of Lean. Areas such as marketing and sales might also call for immediate attention.
Commitment to other projects might mean that Lean implementation takes a break. There may be inadequate resources as a result of an ongoing commitment.
Some changes that occur on a large scale may make a particular time not fit for launching a Lean program. For instance, if your company is laying down future management changes or is in the process of being acquired, it is wise to see these essential activities through to completion.
As much as Lean programs have great benefits to any organisation, shifting the focus of key staff from a running project to Lean initiative is difficult.
The Bottom Line
Your business is ready for Lean manufacturing if: your internal processes are unsuccessful, your delivery and quality is unpleasant to your customers; frustrating to them, or none of your staff is willing to be held accountable for any activities.
There is always some sort of gap even when things don’t seem to be bad. It is very rare that your company will get to a point when you feel that the Lean journey has been travelled successfully.
by Lean Material Handling | Feb 25, 2018 | Lean Manufacturing
- Toyota
Toyota is among the top three automobile manufacturers in the World. Indeed, the success story is true philosophy. It has replicated itself in many forms, resulting in the ‘Lean’ concept as it is known today.
The Toyota Production System (TSP), based on the Lean management philosophy, lead to the development of the Lean manufacturing concept. The TPS is a unified socio-technical system that encompasses its management practices and viewpoint.
Socio-technical systems are approaches to intricate organisational design geared towards spotting the communication between technology and people in their places of work. TPS is sometimes recognized as the Toyota Way.
The main objective of Toyota’s Production System is to get rid of discrepancy and overstrain in a design that removes waste. Materials and resources that count as waste include; time is taken as consumers wait for assistance or a particular product, and unnecessary movement.
Toyota’s model also holds that the process is as lithe as resources can allow. A flexible process is able to overcome stress, a burden that makes more waste to be generated.
- Ford
Ford’s waste elimination journey began way back at the beginning of the 20th Century, pioneered by the firm’s founder, Henry Ford. He tested ideas on waste and wrote a book: “My Life and Work”. In the book, he related the description of “waste motion” to a farmer fetching water from a lower point and taking it higher by using a ladder instead of installing pipes to take the water around.
Ford demonstrated that setting aside budgets for the purpose of enhancement was by no means waste expense. This was because development reduced waste and improved efficiency.
- John Deere
In 2003, the largest agricultural equipment manufacturer in the world set on a journey to transform Iowa, US. The objective was to introduce lean manufacturing in place of mass production, and it was to set the manufacturer back a whopping $100 million.
According to Kallin Kurtz, the Project Manager, there was a change in the manufacturing engineering outlook owing to the success of the project. Non-value-adding activities were identified and scrapped at the first opportunity.
- Parker Hannifin
This Ohio-based company is among the largest shakers in the motion control technology sector. As from 2000, the company with over 50000 employees the world over, began the implementation of best practice programs in customer service, productivity, cost reduction and throughput.
The management body at the firm came to the realization that tailored E-commerce tactics hastened the supply chain process as a result of the dramatic decrease in human involvement.
- Textron
Cessna Aircraft, Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems form the American industrial corporation. They have a tailor-made approach, known as the ‘Textron’s Lean Sigma Standard’ which is a common and all-inclusive set of techniques and tools to be applied in every functional area.
Each department benefits from the standard in terms of accelerated innovation and growth, waste elimination, and variation reduction.
by Lean Material Handling | Feb 25, 2018 | Factory
When changing the existing layout of a facility or moving into a new factory, you want to ensure that the workflow is enhanced and that there is enough space for all you need to set up.
It is therefore important for you and your team to consider a few factors before choosing and implementing any particular factory design.
Work in Progress
Your team ought to ask themselves questions such as: In what way can we transfer WIP from one point to another? What is the best way of making sure that we are working on the job that needs to be worked on? In other words, how do we know if it is the correct one?
Raw Materials
These will be needed for any manufacturing process. Final goods might involve several raw materials in different ratios. The team is likely to ask themselves questions such as:
- What method will we use to top up materials when they are depleted in any units?
- So there happens to be a quality problem; how do we alert the other teams about it?
- We need the materials to be positioned nearer to our workstations. How close can they be located?
- Is it necessary to incorporate forklifts into the cells?
Movement of People
Labour is mobile. The layout has to be created in such a way that answers the following:
- Can people move freely around the unit?
- Does this free movement help or hinder other people from performing their jobs?
Finished Products
There has to be an end product after every process that works on raw materials is done. Where will the finished assembly be transferred to? Will it be dispatched or moved along to the subsequent units?
Is a quality check necessary for the finished products?
Information
The availability and accuracy of information greatly determine the value of the output. There are standards to be met, controls, and checks to be conducted on materials as they move on the production line and so on. It begs the questions:
- How well are the instructions presented for the teams?
- How do we get information on what is required to be made at a particular time?
Commodities that tend to be used up fast
These are also known as consumables. They get depleted quickly and need to be continuously replenished.
- What is it that we need?
- Where do we get what we require?
Waste
Most manufacturing processes incorporate some form of garbage as materials move along. Questions here will include:
- What is the best method of getting rid of integral waste?
- Does the method require the use of machinery such as forklifts?
The Bottom Line
Several layouts may need to be brought up, then the most appropriate one chosen from them. It is recommended that the factory layout is improved before shifting into a new building. This has been observed to be an excellent way to save on resources such as time and money.
by Lean Material Handling | Feb 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
Lean manufacturing comes with an array of acronyms that may look like alphabet soup to any outsider. They seem to be letters joined with no rhyme or for no apparent reason. These are the common Lean manufacturing terms that are worth learning and remembering.
JiT
Stands for Just-in-Time system. It is a manufacturing approach that dwells on receipt of materials when and only when they are needed. An optimal material flow is created; meaning that at any given time, there are never too few or too many parts for the completion of a process.
DMAIC
These are the steps to solving problems in a structured manner. The abbreviation denotes the stages: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
Cycle Time
This is the time required to take an activity from start to finish. The objective of many manufacturers is to reduce the time taken and make it a process that can be repeated over a number of times.
Lead Time
Lead time is the total amount of time taken for an order to get processed and make its way to a customer. It encompasses all processing, production time, shipping and any other procedures that happen before a requested order is delivered successfully.
If a part is said to have a 100-day lead time, the earliest time in which it can be delivered to a customer is 100 days.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
KPIs are used to measure the success of a system or a business. Performance measurement is done on the most important things that have to be tracked.
RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
A method that solves problems by determining the root cause of an issue. The development team is able to comprehend the exact problem in the process and is able to correct it and do more than repair it.
PFEP (Plan for Every Part)
Describes and preserves information about every part that goes into a manufacturing process. This information includes; where a part is sourced from, the way it is purchased, how it is received, the dimensions and weight, and the packaging.
SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die)
It is a manufacturing waste reduction method. SMED aims at contemporizing transitions to improve on time taken to shift from running the present product to the subsequent product.
Lean
The term arises from the Toyota Production System which is defined as ‘a production system that is anchored on the total elimination of waste’.
KanBan
This is a tool that controls inventory. It is also a fundamental tool for the success of the JIT system. With Kanban, the whole manufacturing process is transformed due to an efficient flow of materials.
PDCA
A structured methodology for solving problems in the following procedure: Plan, Do, Check, Act.
Value Stream
All processes that change a raw material into a finished good. To increase the value of the final product, the process has to be altered accordingly.
WIP (Work In Progress)
These are all goods that have had some partial finish to them. They cannot be considered as raw materials but rather goods awaiting completion.
by Lean Material Handling | Feb 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
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