ANALYSIS & SOLUTION

Lean Manufacturing is proven cost reduction and continuous

improvement techniques used in the manufacturing business and
industry. The well-established Lean Manufacturing technique is
founded on elimination of waste and non-value added operations
& activities, lean manufacturing mindset, knowledge and
teamwork. The Seven Wates consist of :
1. Transport
2. Inventory
3. Motion
4. Waiting
5. Over Processing
6. Defect
7. Overproduction
Basic Requirements of Lean Manufacturing
1. 5S &Lean 101 Simulation
Sort
Sort out & separate that which is needed & not needed
in the area.
Straighten
Arrange items that are needed so that they are ready &
easy to use.
Shine
Clean the workplace & equipment on a regular basis in
order to maintain standards & identify defects.
Standardise
Revisit the first three of the 5S on a frequent basis and
confirm the condition of the Gemba using standard
procedures.
Sustain
Keep to the rules to maintain the standard & continue to
improve every day.
2. Managing Value Stream Project
3. Making Material Flow Technique
4. Lean Problem Solving A3 Thinking
There are many well documented lean successes in manufacturing
applications. However, service organizations and administrative
processes within manufacturing companies often struggle with
applying these concepts. A big problem is that companies tend to
focus strictly on lean tools, and fail to fundamentally change
how work is performed and how it flows,

and therefore do not realize the significant results that can be

achieved. Its discouraging, and can lead to the abandonment of
lean altogether. The lean office and service effort should focus on
the key business processes that directly affect the organizations
ability to deliver value to its customers, such as the processing of
orders. The business will then realize near immediate benefits,
and customers will quickly see the results. However, there can be
other processes that should be addressed for other business
reasons.
Lets cover four basic steps to the application of lean in office and
service workplaces:
Stabilize
You need to identify the source of the instability, which most
often is an inadequate understanding of customer needs. In
these situations, youll start fairly small, by clearly defining
the needs of the customer, documenting them in simple
ways (think checklists), and providing training to office and
service personnel.
Standardize
When implementing lean in office and services, youll often
find that you already have some stability within your
processes, and standardizing will then become your starting
point.
Visualize
A visual workplace is one that is easier to manage over
time. With work instructions and prioritization rules posted
visibly, less time will be needed to direct the most basic
activities. With techniques that make performance more
visible, less time will be needed to identify problems and
issues with performance.
Improve

While the common-sense nature of lean concepts will

resonate with most people, the successful application of
lean requires fundamental behavioral change in many
people.