Common lean tools

Think of this article as a toolbox, from which you can pick and choose the right tools to use in your organization. Some of them are techniques for managing people and some are frameworks for solving problems, while others offer ways of thinking about or structuring work.

All these Lean tools are intended to help you drive out waste, increase efficiency, and make the most of your resources. The first Lean tool we will discuss is the PDCA cycle, a Lean management tool used to operationalize continuous improvement.

Included in the PDCA cycle are the following steps:. PDCA is intended to be a cyclical process—a four-step loop or five, if you include the O step that is repeated continuously. It can be particularly helpful when:. Root cause analysis is an important concept in Lean manufacturing, because it helps teams continuously refine their processes to eliminate sources of waste.

This questioning allows teams to diagnose problems without any statistical analysis and often identifies multiple root causes and the relationships between them.

For examples and use cases of the Five Whys, we recommend this article. Going to the Gemba is a way of getting to the heart of where value is created—a call to leaders to get out of their offices and spend time on the plant floor to gain a thorough and accurate understanding of the realities of their working environments.

All too often, decisions about manufacturing value streams are made without consulting the people on the front lines, those who might have the most insight about how to improve processes and resolve issues. The Gemba is one of three important Lean manufacturing tools that can help leaders approach their role with greater humility as they sharpen their analytical skills. Jidoka is another Lean manufacturing tool of Japanese origin.

Jidoka, or autonomation, involves designing equipment to partially automate the manufacturing process, so that machines can automatically detect defects when they occur, and stop the line so that a human can address them. The purpose of this Lean tool is to prevent the production of defective products and eliminate overproduction.

It also reduces labor costs by eliminating the need for direct human supervision over every station on a production line. With a partially automated system, workers can monitor multiple stations, and focus their attention on resolving problems instead of simply monitoring for quality.

Most Lean manufacturing tools emphasize the importance of visualizing important information and empowering the entire value stream to act upon that information. Think of a line in a public bus that you can pull to request the bus to make an unplanned stop. Modern Andon systems vary in design, but often involve the use of colored lights, audio signals, text, or other displays to indicate status. The use of Andon systems is a key part of Just-in-Time manufacturing.

Reduce setup changeover time to less than 10 minutes. Techniques include:. Enables manufacturing in smaller lots, reduces inventory, and improves customer responsiveness.

Six categories of productivity loss that are almost universally experienced in manufacturing:. Provides a framework for attacking the most common causes of waste in manufacturing. Documented procedures for manufacturing that capture best practices including the time to complete each task. Eliminates waste by consistently applying best practices. Forms a baseline for future improvement activities. The pace of production e.

Provides a simple, consistent and intuitive method of pacing production. A holistic approach to maintenance that focuses on proactive and preventative maintenance to maximize the operational time of equipment. TPM blurs the distinction between maintenance and production by placing a strong emphasis on empowering operators to help maintain their equipment.

Creates a shared responsibility for equipment that encourages greater involvement by plant floor workers. In the right environment this can be very effective in improving productivity increasing up time, reducing cycle times, and eliminating defects. A tool used to visually map the flow of production.

Where the goal of any business is to make money now and in the future. And, that a relative few number of things actually would dictate the output of value for a system. The concept of a value chain means we want an understanding of end to end processes that develop and produce results for internal and external customers.

And finally, the endless pursuit of perfection in our execution. Standard or standard visual work. Error proofing, mistake proofing, and poka-yoke, and the practice of kaizen. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

At this point, managers will try to determine exactly where the bottleneck is occurring. How is it used? In manufacturing, Andon lights are generally used in assembly lines. Different colored lights are used to signal different problems and actions required. Operators may turn on an Andon in order to signal that there is a problem in an assembly line. In an office setting, a red colored light Andon may signal that a fax machine or printer is broken.

Andons work best when they are highly visible and easy to understand. They must go hand in hand with an action. So, for example, an Andon warning light on a car that signals low gas, would indicate a clear action: fill up the tank with more gas. Source: agileleanhouse. What is Gemba? Gemba Walks refer staff taking the time to walk through the factory, examine what is going on, and determine if there are any issues. In the lean management philosophy, staff are expected to do Gemba Walks at least once a week.

What is Hoshin Kanri? What is the goal of Hoshin Kanri? The goal of Hoshin Kanri is to determine your strategic objectives and then align them with specific resources and action plans to meet those objectives. Source: wikihow. OEE is a system used to measure manufacturing productivity. It measures the percentage of time that a manufacturer is truly productive. OEE includes measurement of quality, performance, and availability.

By measuring productivity in terms of time, manufacturers can gain insight into how to improve overall manufacturing performance. The system helps to identify waste, track progress, and improve manufacturing equipment efficiency.

Cellular Manufacturing is the process of producing similar products in one cell. The product, in Cellular Manufacturing, moves through the production process in a single unit without interruptions.

In Cellular Manufacturing, similar products can be produced on the same assembly line. Example of Cellular Manufacturing? A metallic case arrives in a factory and needs to be assembled. Assembly requires a variety of different steps. The goal of Cellular Manufacturing is for all the steps to occur in one area, in a single cell. This reduces the time it takes to transport the parts during the production process.

Source: mktgcdn. Continuous Improvement is a methodology within lean manufacturing that advocates following formal practices to improve efficiency over time. How is Continuous Improvement implemented? Continuous Improvement is implemented in four steps:.

Source: nevilleclarke. Total Productive Maintenance is a lean tool used to prevent machine downtime within the production process. The goal is to limit downtime as much as possible in order to increase production efficiency. Total Productive Maintenance includes three main components:. Source: smartsheet. Total Quality Management is an organizational effort to improve the quality of a manufactured product.

The goal is to increase quality of every single step in an organizational workflow. What are the origins of Total Quality Management? It was later used by Japanese Manufacturers and implemented on a mass scale in the s.

There are a few main principles of Total Quality Management:. Source: apollorootcause. Root Cause Analysis is a lean problem solving method that aims to get to the root of a problem. By treating the root cause, manufacturers can eliminate larger problems down the road.

Still, Root Cause Analysis will generally not fix problems in one try and is generally an iterative process. Value Stream Mapping is a lean tool that uses a flow diagram to depict every step of a process. What is Value Stream Mapping applicable to? Value Stream Mapping can be applicable in almost any industry, but it is primarily used for: logistics, supply chain, product development, and administrative processes.

What data should be collected to create a Value Stream Mapping? Some data points to collect for Value Stream Mapping include:. Source: agilelea. Continuous Flow is the opposite of batch production and is closely associated with Kanban and Just-in-Time. The goal of Continuous Flow is to use ongoing examination and improvement to integrate all elements of production.

By aiming for a Continuous Flow production process, waste and other problems come to the surface and can then be solved. Ultimately, many lean principles and tools center around creating a Continuous Flow production process. Areas like oil refining, metal smelting, and natural gas processing are ideal for the Continuous Flow process.

A Lean Audit is a tool used to determine how well lean manufacturing principles are working in a factory or company. Changeover is the amount of time it takes to change a piece of equipment between the production of one item to the next.

In Lean, the goal is to ensure a Quick Changeover. A pit-crew at a car race is a great example of Quick Changeover. The quicker a crew can a changeover, the better chance a racer has of winning. A slow changeover will often result in losing a race. Right First Time is a lean philosophy that stresses getting processes right the first time, every time.

The concept involves planning and a deep understanding of manufacturing processes. In lean manufacturing, 7 Wastes refers to seven typical places manufacturers have waste. Using the 7 Wastes tool, manufacturers can determine where they have waste and can improve their processes in each area. The method was invested by Toyota and is an integral part of the Toyota production system. Source : e-qms. Six Big Losses refers to the six most common reasons for ineffective production.

In order to effectively use lean manufacturing methods, management must set proper goals strive for. Ideally, those goals should be clearly defined and communicated. In order for a goal to be achieved it should be:. KPI is an acronym for Key Performance Metric and it refers to metrics used to assess and analyze manufacturing efficiency. KPIs are essentially metrics set by management in order to measure the success of lean manufacturing goals. The goal of SMED is to get all changeovers and startups down to 10 minutes.

Each step should be one minute or less. By reducing setup time, factories can greatly improve efficiency. What are the steps to implement SMED? The steps to perform SMED are as follows:. Source: sixsigmaconcept. A3 Problem Solving is a problem solving method that uses a structured, continued growth methodology to improve manufacturing practices. The method was invented by Toyota and is based on the work of Edward Deming.

The PDCA method is a cycle and is repeated over and over again in order to drive continuous improvement. Source: truenorththinking. Standardized Work is a tool used to document current best practices, improve the standard, and ensure that the new standard becomes a baseline for improvement. Standardized Work improves 3 important aspects of the manufacturing process:.

What are the benefits of Standardized Work? The main benefits of Standardized Work include:. Source: qualityaretegroup. This process continues until a conclusion is reached. The 5 Whys technique was developed by Sakichi Toyoda and has been used by Toyota to improve its manufacturing processes.

The 5 Whys technique generally requires persistence and determination for it to work effectively. In order to properly perform 5 Whys, managers should follow a variety of rules:. Hartford Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Tel: info hartfordtechnologies. Hartford Technologies Blog. Posted: Oct 19, PM. The Kaizen method generally involves 5 primary steps: Identify problem area that will be given focus. Utilize videotape to analyze current method.

Test and evaluate improvement tactics. Implement improvements.