Lean Systems (Abridged)

Lean Production

Doing more with less inventory, fewer

workers, less space
Just-in-time (JIT)
smoothing the flow of material to arrive just
as it is needed
JIT and Lean Production are used
interchangeably
Muda
waste, anything other than that which adds
value to product or service
Waste in Operations
Waste in Operations (cont.)
Waste in Operations (cont.)
 Basic Elements
1. Flexible resources
2. Cellular layouts
3. Pull system
4. Kanbans
5. Small lots
6. Quick setups
7. Uniform production levels
8. Quality at the source
9. Total productive maintenance
10. Supplier networks
Flexible Resources

Multifunctional workers
perform more than one job
general-purpose machines perform several
basic functions
Cycle time
time required for the worker to complete one
pass through the operations assigned
Takt time
paces production to customer demand
Pull System
Material is pulled through the system when needed
Reversal of traditional push system where material is pushed
according to a schedule
Forces cooperation
Prevent over and underproduction
While push systems rely on a predetermined schedule, pull systems
rely on customer requests
Kanbans

Card which indicates standard quantity of

production
Derived from two-bin inventory system
Maintain discipline of pull production
Authorize production and movement of
goods
Sample Kanban
Origin of Kanban
a) Two-bin inventory system b) Kanban inventory system

Bin 1
Kanban
Bin 2
Reorder
card Q-R
R R

Q = order quantity
R = reorder point = demand during lead time
Types of Kanban

Production kanban Signal kanban

a triangular kanban used to
authorizes production of signal production at the
goods previous workstation
Withdrawal kanban Material kanban
authorizes movement of used to order material in
goods advance of a process
Kanban square Supplier kanban
a marked area designated to rotates between the
hold items factory and suppliers
Determining number of kanbans
An average of 150 bottles are processed per hour through a work cell.
One Kanban is attached to every container.
A container holds 25 bottles.
It takes 30 minutes to receive new bottles from the previous
workstation.
Factory uses a safety stock factor of 10%.
How many kanbans are needed for the bottling process?
 Determining the Number of Kanbans

average demand during lead time + safety stock

No. of Kanbans =
container size

dL + S
N =
C
where

N = number of kanbans or containers

d = average demand over some time period
L = lead time to replenish an order
S = safety stock
C = container size
Determining the Number of Kanbans

d = 150 bottles per hour

L = 30 minutes = 0.5 hours
S = 0.10(150 x 0.5) = 7.5
C = 25 bottles

dL + S (150 x 0.5) + 7.5

N= =
C 25
75 + 7.5
= = 3.3 kanbans or containers
25

Round up to 4 (to allow some slack) or down

to 3 (to force improvement)
Small Lots

Require less space and capital investment

Move processes closer together
Make quality problems easier to detect
Make processes more dependent on each
other
Inventory Hides Problems
Less Inventory Exposes Problems
Components of Lead Time
Processing time
Reduce number of items or improve efficiency
Move time
Reduce distances, simplify movements, standardize routings
Waiting time
Better scheduling, sufficient capacity
Setup time
Generally the biggest bottleneck
Uniform Production Levels

Result from smoothing production

requirements on final assembly line
Kanban systems can handle +/- 10%
demand changes
Reduce variability with more accurate
forecasts
Smooth demand across planning horizon
 Quality at the Source
Visual control
makes problems visible
Poka-yokes
prevent defects from occurring
Kaizen
a system of continuous improvement;
change for the good of all
Jidoka
authority to stop the production line
Andons
call lights that signal quality problems
Under-capacity scheduling
leaves time for planning, problem
solving, and maintenance
Leaning the Supply Chain
Pulling a smooth flow of material through a series of suppliers to
support frequent replenishment orders and changes in customer
demand
Firms need to share information and coordinate demand forecasts,
production planning, and inventory replenishment with suppliers and
suppliers suppliers throughout supply chain
Leaning the Supply Chain (cont.)
Steps in Leaning the Supply Chain:
Build a highly collaborative business environment
Adopt the technology to support your system