THE QUICK-START APPROACH TO JOBSHOPLEAN: HOW TO INITIATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LEAN IN A HIGH-MIX, LOW-VOLUME MANUFACTURING FACILITY Bryan Wang The Ohio State University Abstract Lean manufacturing has been recognized as one of the best practices in varieties of industries. However, some lean practices are suited for assembly-like organizations, not for high-mix, low-volume jobshops. This case study presents how a custom forge shop uses a strategyQuick-Start Approach to Jobshoplean- to analyze the current state, to create a lean culture, to train the managers and employees, and to reduce cost and improve productivity. Figure 1. Background This case study is based on a 12 week long lean manufacturing project at a custom forge shopBula Forge & Machine Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio. Bula offers customers a fully-integrated forging and machining facility with many value-added services including assembly, sub-assembly, fabrication, heat treatment, machining, welding, protective finishes and more. Bula specializes in production runs of 50 pieces to 10’s of thousands, working with carbon, alloy, and stainless steels in weights of 1 to 60 pounds. The project was supported by Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Logistic Agency (DLA) with the objectives to reduce the production lead times of forgings supplied to DLA and DOD, to modify the Toyota Production System to suit custom forge shops, and to develop a training program for the industry. Figure 2. Analyze and Improve “Quick-Start Approach to Jobshoplean” (figure3) is a lean manufacturing implementation strategy developed by Dr. Shahrukh Irani at The Ohio State University. It combines the concepts and tools of group technology, traditional IE techniques (eg. flow process chart, flow diagram, etc.), lean tools (value stream map, 5S, etc.) and Theory of Constraints. In this case study, this approach is used as the road map for analysis and improvement. Key phases of this approach are discussed as follows: Method The framework of the lean project includes four parts: 1) Use “Quick-Start Approach to Jobshoplean” to analyze and make improvements; 2) Create a lean culture through manager training and discussion group; 3) Develop a lean training program for all the employees; and 4) Document the learning process and outcomes in order to transfer to other shops in the forging industry. The framework is illustrated as figure 1. The Gantt chart of the whole project is shown as figure 2. 1. Data Collection In order to form product families and select appropriate product family as the target for analysis, certain data is necessary: 1 Sales (quantity and dollar value): Sales data from January, 2004 to March, 2007 was selected for analysis. A weight of 0.3 was assigned to 2004, 2005, and 2006 each. A weight of 0.1 was assigned to the first three months of 2007. The weighted sales and quantities represent the current production mix. Collect Sales data from the past fiscal year: - Revenue - Quantity Obtain all Routings/ Bill of Routings PFAS T Create Part Fam ilies Routings: The routings of the products is key information to form product family. The routings were put into a spreadsheet. However, information in the ERP system was not up-to-date. For example, some machines in the routings are obsolete or replaced. Thus, an evaluation of the machines was conducted to update the database. Lists of all relevant operations & parts were given to the forge shop manager, machine shop manager, and secondary supervisor to update the information. Pick a Part Fam ily with Highest Contribution From this Part Fam ily, pick a Part (or Parts) with sam e Routing Obtain the layout of the facility and locate: - Receiving - Shipping - Value-added workcenters featured in the routing/s 2. PFAST Analysis Production Flow Analysis and Simplification Toolkit (PFAST) is a library of computer programs for machine grouping, part family formation, cell layout and shop layout design. It helps analyze and simplify material flows in make-to-order or other high-mix low-volume manufacturing facility. (Irani, Huang, Udai, Zhang, & Zhou; Irani, Zhang, Zhou, Huang, Udai, & Subramanian, 2000). The data obtained from the ERP system was converted into an input file format for PFAST software. The results are presented in many different forms concentrating on different perspectives. According to the Product-Quantity-Sales (P-Q-$) analysis of PFAST results, there are 57 parts representing the top 80% of the product mix. P-R Analysis Type II shows that the 227 parts could be split into hundreds of part families. Part families are formed by taking into consideration the routing variances which is the height of the dendogram. Generate the Flow Diagram for the Part (or Parts) Evaluate the Flow Diagram to identify: - Flow Delays - Eight Types of W astes - Violations of the Principles of Design For Flow - Absence of Line of Sight - Crossflows and Backtracking in Flow Paths - Large (>10ft) travel distances between consecutive operations , - etc. Create a Flow Process Chart to identify Flow Delays and Eight Types of W aste Create the Value Stream M ap for Detailed Evaluation of the Flow Diagram TEST STOCK ABRASI VE SAW 1 1 1 1 N umber of shift: N um ber of shift: 1 760 C/T= 20/hr C/O= 10 m in S/U= 15 m in 951 C/T= 1 day/ht # C/O = S/U= Com pute: - Value Added Ratio (VAR) - M akespan (C) - W eighted M akespan (Cw) 3. Part Family In order to help select a part family for Quick-Start Approach to Jobshop Lean, a supplement technique, P-Q-T Analysis, was used. Besides the quantity of each part, the frequency of order is also considered. Sale manager was also requested to label the parts as three categories- Runner, Repeater, and Stranger, depending on the frequency of customer order. Help to identify the Bottleneck Perform TOC Analysis at Bottleneck Identify and Prioritize Strategies for Im provem ents Project Schedule to Im plem ent Recom m endations in O rder of Priority Figure 3. Quick-Start Approach to Jobshoplean 2 Figure 4a. P-Q-T Analysis (1) Figure 6. Routing of P/N 6504 4. Flow Diagram Based on the routing in Figure 6, a flow diagram of P/N 6504 was created (Figure 7). The flow diagram shows how the parts flow through the entire facility, from raw material storage at the left side to the shipping area at the lower right corner. From the flow diagram some problems in product flow were identified. First, there are many backtracks between forging shop and shipping area which violate the “Design for Flow Principles.” Second, the cross-flows in shipping area are so complicated that need further examination. Figure 4b. P-Q-T Analysis (2) Figure 5. Part Families around P/N 6503& 6504 Figure 7. Flow Diagram P/N 6503& P/N 6504 were selected as the part family because: 1) the parts together represent 25.57% of the total revenue; 2) the parts are repeaters and are pulled by customer through a kanban system; 3) the parts have identical routings. P/N 6504 was selected for preliminary analysis due to production schedule. The routing of P/N 6504 is shown as figure 6. 5. Flow Process Chart A flow process chart was created to study every step of the flow process of P/N 6504. The flow process chart captures a lot more detailed information that helps to identify wastes. The steps are documented as different categories- storage (▼), transportation (→), operation (O), inspection (■), and delay (D). For storage and delay, the lot 3 size, time spent, and place were documented; for operations, setup time, cycle time and number of staff were also documented; for transportation, the distance and the method (forklift, cart, etc.) were documented. Figure 8 shows the frequencies of the different types of activities involved. Out of these only the operations are considered value added. Other activities can be seen as different types of wastes. identify the constraint and exploit the constraint. For P/N 6504, the constraint is M227, milling. The cycle time for P/N 6504 on M227 is 9.06 minutes. It’s the same for P/N 6503. In the past, Bula Forge usually forged the whole work order (For example, 2,000 pieces of 6503) and pushed the WIPs to the following operations. However, during the 12 weeks of JS lean program, the management team at Bula Forge had a major change in thinking. An example follows. In May, when Bula figured out there would be not enough P/N 6503 and P/N 6504 for M227. They stopped forging the batch and changed to forge parts needed in order to keep M227 running. (P/N 6503& P/N 6504 are milled at the same time at M227). The illustration is shown as figure 8. The estimated benefits of this change are : z Eliminate idle time of the M227 (constraint): 8hrs z Reduce excessive work-in-process P/N 6502: $85,000 (75%) P/N 6503: $50,700 (55%) z Reduce the flow time (average) P/N 6503: 30 days => 12 days (60% improvement) Figure 8. Analysis of Flow Process Chart 6. Value Stream Map A value stream map of P/N 6504 was created. The value stream map presents the material flow and information flow at Bula Forge. Both value-added and non-value-added activities are shown on the map, and the Value Added Ratio (VAR) was calculated as 12.38%. This number means most of the time spent during the process is non-value-added. Wayne, the president of Bula, commented on this change, “We never make this kind of decision in the past. Never. Through this lean program, we now look at things differently.” Figure 10. Change of the production schedule Figure 9. Value Stream Map of P/N 6504 Create a lean culture through manager training and discussion group 7. Theory of Constraints Theory of constraints is usually applied by taking a series of actions: 1) Identify the constraint; 2) Exploit and elevate the constraint; 3) subordinate the constraint; 4) Move to the new constraint. Given the 12 weeks period, Bula Forge was able to 1. Lean Manufacturing Discussion Group Making some improvements projects during a short period might not be difficult. However, sustaining the results and keep improving is a 4 different story. So, one major attribute of this JS lean program is to form a “Lean Manufacturing Discussion Group” that go through a series of training activities. As a result, A group of 10 from Bula, including president, vice president, shop managers, sales manager, and department of scheduling, human resource, purchasing, and engineering, with the intern from OSU as facilitator, met 1 hour per week for the first 8 weeks, and added 2 more hours for discussion for the following 4 weeks. Develop a lean training program for all the employees All the charts and tables created during the analysis stage and all the outcomes of the discussion group were used to develop a training program for all employees. The curriculum is shown as figure 12. For Managers only Module 4Read a Flow Diagram 2. Readings, Discussion, and Group Activities All of the Lean Manufacturing Discussion Group members were required to study the assigned readings before the meeting. The required readings include: The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement (2004), by Eliyahu M. Goldratt Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation (2003), by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones The Toyota Way (2003), by Jeffrey Liker Besides the required readings, some chapters are selected as additional readings: Learning to See (2003), by Mike Rother, John Shook, Jim Womack, and Dan Jones Toyota Talent (2007), by Jeffrey Liker and David Meier Module 6Read a value stream map Module 3- Identify a problem Learning notes for The Goal Executive book summary of The Toyota Way Module 2- Identify wastes Module 1- Understand Lean Principles Lean Thinking, Ch.1-5. Video Presentation: A program to initiate JobshopLean at Bula Forge Figure 12. Document the learning process and outcome in order to transfer to other shops in the forging industries. The whole implementation process was documented as a project report in word document. Also, all the managers were interviewed and videotaped. The video has been edited and published as the instrument of knowledge sharing. During the meetings, the intern instructed lean concepts and tools using real examples at Bula, i.e. the result of the analysis. And the group as a whole had discussions around the topic and identified opportunities for implementing the concept/tool. After the meeting, the members conducted individual or group projects and then presented the results during the next meeting. Figure 11. shows four improvement projects implemented during the 12 weeks. These projects are done by the management team and the employees. Results The managers and employees were trained as lean thinkers, and thus have the ability to identify problems and solve the problems. Here are two examples- one in shop floor, and one in office: Example #1- Use 5S to reduce setup time The discussion group selected grinding as the target operation and videotaped all of the operator’s actions when he prepared for grinding. Then, the group reviewed the video together and identified unnecessary transportations when building a box due to improper location of boxes, skids, and liners. The operator spent most of the time walking around to get the three items from three locations. So, the team did 5S on a shelf, cleaned up all unused items, and placed the boxes, skids, and liners at one location with proper quantity (Figure 13-a) Figure 11 5 Module 5Read a Flow Process Chart Estimated benefit of this improvement is shown as follows : • 5 minutes are saved when building 1 box • 395 boxes built each year; so, 32 hours are saved each year • $12 hourly wage is saved per hour; so, $384 is saved each year • The resources can be used for value-added activities • The saving is more if benefits of the employee, overhead cost, etc. are considered This improvement is very encouraging to the group because no technology investment is made. It’s simply through using the lean tools to identify the wastes. And it only takes 1 hour to make it happened. The benefit of this improvement: • Quality Dept will save 151 hrs per year – 20% savings • Admin Dept will save 74 hrs per year – 33% savings • Shop Floor will save 150 hrs per year – 60% savings • Annual savings is over $5,000 per year. Figure 13-a Figure 14. Recommendation & Conclusion After 12 weeks analysis and training, more opportunities for improvement were identified. Also, there are many actions to take to ensure continues improvement. 1) Bula needs to keep updating the data in ERP system such as routings, cycle times, setup times, etc. This should be a discipline that every time there is a change in the operation, the information should be entered into the system immediately. 2) Bula needs to keep reducing the setup time by implementing SMED and thus reducing the batch size. Bula can start this project by selecting a part, videotaping all the actions of the setup, create Figure 13-b Example #2 Shorten the administrative lead time The quality department used to spend a lot of time on reporting scrap. Many actions are unnecessary in the office. For example, copy and paste data from one file to another file, and then record this action in another file to make sure it’s done. Also, there is a storage area for all the documents. By creating a Microsoft Access database and re-designing the process, unnecessary transportations and motions were eliminated. 6 a flow process chart and distinguish the actions as either internal or external activities. Then, the group can brainstorm to eliminate unnecessary motions and shorten the changeover time. 3) The sales manager can persuade the customers adopt the lean concept and level their demand. By having reduced setup time and having stable small orders from customers, Bula can implement the idea of heijunka and enjoy the benefit of low inventory. 4) As Bula has successful experiences using 5S and visual management tools for the pilot project, these concepts should be used all over the facility. 5) Although in the short term it is not possible to re-design the layout, move the machines, or improve the line of sight efficiency, there’re still ways to improve the communication between the operations. For example, equipping the managers and even the operators with walkie-talkies can save time walking around. 6) This lean project focused on P/N 6503 and P/N 6504 only. The group should do similar projects on other parts, create value stream map for other parts, and create a Value Network Map to see the whole picture. 7) Since training is the major strategic issue at Bula, Bula can explore the benefits of having the shop managers and employees trained by TWI program. Also, a training management system such as ISO 10015 can be considered as the framework of cross-training. Reference: Irani, S. A., Huang, H., Udai, T. K., Zhang, H., Zhou, J. “An Overview of the PFAST Program Library”<http://www.iwse.osu.edu/ISEFaculty/ irani/research/PFAST/PFAST%20-%20General %20Overview.htm> Irani, S. A., Zhang, H., Zhou, J., Huang, H., Udai, T. K. & Subramanian S. (2000). Production Flow Analysis and Simplification Toolkit. International Journal of Production Research, 38(8), 1855-1874. 7
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