Fixed Repeating Schedule December 27, 2007
Posted by Lawrence Loucka in : Definitions, Lean , add a comment
Fixed Repeating Schedule (FRS) also known as Every product Every Interval (EPE) is a production schedule which is ‘unchanging’ and repeated perhaps daily or over a period of a few weeks or months before being reset. If it can be implemented then economies of repetition start to become evident and suppliers and customers can be assured in their own activity scheduling. What impedes FRS implementation is the uncertainty of demand and supply. Therefore while the scheduling becomes simpler; the activities necessary to make the FRS possible become more complex. Thus the planning to move to FRS raises issues which if managed correctly will reduce complexity overall and improve customer service.
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Map the process and determine feasibility by evaluating demand linearity
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Select work group, line, or cell and determine available time, cycle time, change over time
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Calculate the Product Family Turnover Rate (PFTR) or otherwise known as the EPE Interval
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Use the PFTR to determine production run sizes for each product
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Determine input and output buffer sizes
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Simulate either with desktop role modeling, spreadsheet, or simulation software
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Establish Kanban controls
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Setup the Heijunka
Checklist December 21, 2007
Posted by Lawrence Loucka in : Lean, Quality, Reviews , add a comment
Check out Annals of Medicine: The Checklist by Atul Gawande in the Dec. 10. 2007 edition of The New Yorker for an insightful exploration of the medical application of one of the most basic of quality tools - the checklist. I was astounded to learn that checklists aren’t a common practice in one of the most complex industries, the emergency room. Setting up a machine, preparing for an audit, readiness reviews, planning a kaizen all have routine lists. Flying a plane, launching a rocket, preparing for battle all have checklists. Gawande describes how in 2001 Peter Pronovost, a critical-care specialist at Johns Hopkins, developed a simple five step checklist for inserting central line IV’s that dramatically reduced the odds of line infections, and the resistance he faced in implementing something so simple and yet so effective.
Production Preparation Process (3P) December 7, 2007
Posted by Lawrence Loucka in : Definitions, Lean , add a comment
3P is about rapidly designing product and production processes to ensure capability, built-in quality, productivity, and Flow-Takt-Pull. The Production Preparation Process minimizes resources needed such as capital, tooling, space, inventory, and time. Rather than tweaking an existing shop floor process, we start with a clean sheet of paper. The 3P process is used to develop a product line specific production system in the shortest time to satisfy design and quality requirements, concept to market time goals,production requirements, and cost requirements.
3P simulates the actual components, product and production line of a new product during the early stages of the design process to learn about manufacturing or delivery requirements before making commitments to a floor plan or process flow. The goal is to produce a product that meets customer demand with perfect quality and at the desired cost. From beginning to end, 3P is an exercise in project management and waste elimination. 3P is a valuable tool because the cost of eliminating waste in the earliest stages of product development is less than during the final stages. The tool is useful and effective when you need to develop a method to meet customer requirements, plan production capacity for new or changing demand, transition new products, set a target date for delivering to market or prove the business-case target cost.
The 3P cross-functional team should include designers, engineers (i.e., manufacturing, quality and process), operators, operations experts and anyone else instrumental in bringing the product to market. Using lean principles, the cross-functional team creates a mock-up of the product and walks through how the product will flow through the factory. Mock-ups may be made from cardboard, plastic foam, wood or any other material that makes sense. Multiple 3P events are usually required throughout the design and development phases of a new product.
Here are the basic steps for 3P:
