Unit 18: Lean and Quality

LO4: Be able to plan manufacturing production using lean and quality principles and approaches

Organising efficient production

Instructions and answers for tutors These instructions should accompany the OCR learner resource activity which supports Cambridge Technicals in Engineering Level 3.

IntroductionLearners will learn how to organise an efficient production line to produce a product – in this example a

small Lego® car. Based on a group size of 14–16 the activity can be scaled as necessary. Ideally there

will be 3 runs through the process with learners discussing and implementing modifications between the

runs. Run 1 is described here. Please refer to the Appendix for Team selection, Rules and suggestions

for Runs 2 and 3.

Activity 1Defining the production stagesLearners will need to examine the product, decide what assembly content is in each of the 4 stages and

produce sketches so each stage knows exactly what to do.

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Activity 2Setting up and running the production lineThe illustration below shows how the room should be laid out.

Customer demand is 8 Modular-Cars in 4 minutes (single shift).

Each process in a different part of the factory i.e. layout is by process. Batch manufacture is operated – batches of 4.

Cars can only be moved between stations by Material Handlers and MUST BE MOVED IN BATCHES OF 4.

Key outputs will be measured to monitor productivity.

Activity 3Post run review and using the Lean Improvement Monitoring spreadsheet (see separate Excel file)

Following the input of the data feedback from the Lean Task Force or each team, accompanied with

input from the other learners should be taken. Consideration of issues should be focused around the

identification of the 7 lean wastes (TIMWOOD).

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The inputs on the left hand side can be added prior to the run. Following the run the right hand ‘Outputs’

section is completed.

The ‘Quality’ column is how many were produced in the run that had no mistakes.

‘Output’ is how many were produced. The ‘Productivity’ column will calculate automatically and tell the learners how many cars are

produced per person. ‘WIP’ Work In Progress column should be completed. This is the amount of cars that are partially built

on the production line. ‘Lead time’ will calculate automatically. This tells the learners how long it takes them to produce a car

from start to finish NOT how often one falls of the end of the production line.

ImprovementsThe improvements made to the manufacturing scenario can be wide and varied. These may include;

One piece continuous flow. Materials to hand for each station.

Pull system from customer – Kanban signals. Remove quality checks – Right first time.

Remove material handler and quality inspectors.

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Unit 18: Lean and Quality

LO4: Be able to plan manufacturing production using lean and quality principles and approaches

Organising efficient production

Learner activity sheetIntroductionFollowing instructions from your tutor, you will organise an efficient production line for a sample product.

There will be 3 run-throughs of the process, when you can discuss and implement modifications

required.

Activity 1Defining the production stagesExamine the product, decide what assembly content is required in each of the 4 stages and produce

sketches so that workers in each stage know exactly what to do.

Activity 2Setting up and running the production lineSet-up your production line and operate it following these rules:

Customer demand is 8 Modular-Cars in 4 minutes (single shift). Each process in a different part of the factory i.e. layout is by process.

Batch manufacture is operated – batches of 4. Cars can only be moved between stations by Material Handlers and MUST BE MOVED IN BATCHES

OF 4. Key outputs should be measured to monitor productivity.

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Activity 3Post run review and using the Lean Improvement Monitoring spreadsheet (see separate Excel file)

Following the input of the data feedback from the Lean Task Force (or each team), accompanied with

input from the other learners, consider the identification of the 7 lean wastes (TIMWOOD).

Using the spreadsheet, the inputs on the left hand side can be entered prior to the run. Following the run,

the right hand ‘Outputs’ section should be completed.

In the ‘Quality’ column you should indicate how many products were produced in the run that had no mistakes.

In the ‘Output’ section indicate how many were produced. The ‘Productivity’ column calculates automatically how many cars are produced per person.

In the ‘WIP’ (Work In Progress) column indicate the amount of products that are partially built on the production line.

The ‘Lead time’ will calculate automatically how long it takes to produce a car from start to finish NOT how often one falls off the end of the production line.

ImprovementsMake suggestions as to how improvements could be made to the manufacturing process.

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AppendixTeam selectionThe following people are required as a minimum to partake in the simulation. If enough cars are

available and a large learner group is in attendance then teams can be created and can compete against

each other. Assign learners to the following positions:

Operators x 8 (2 per station)Operators work in assembly. They assemble the components together at the at the 4 stages of production.

Material Handler x 2Material handlers are responsible for taking parts orders from the operators, collecting the parts from the warehouse/stores and delivering them to the assembly stations.

Quality Inspector x 2Quality inspectors are situated at the end of stage 2 and stage 4. They must check that the car is built to the correct specification before moving on to the next stage of production.

Lean task force advisors – remaining members of the group.The lean task force represent the highly skilled ‘lean experts’ within the organisation who have been sent to identify where ‘waste’ occurs in the process and suggest strategies for improving the production performance.

Rules Operators will assemble product in batch sizes of FOUR Operator MUST request parts from Stores via the Material Handler

Parts must not be pre-assembled – batches of FOUR must arrive from the previous station before work can commence.

Parts must be transferred between operations by the Material Handler Only complete batches of FOUR will be moved by the Material Handler.

No communication is allowed between operators only via Material Handler. Quality Inspector is responsible for quality throughout the factory.

No movement of operators or parts. Quality Inspector will deliver final product to customer.

Run 2 Prior to this simulation the following changes will be made;

Materials to hand for each station – The materials are moved from the stores to containers on each station. (Movement/Transportation)Remove material handler – If materials are positioned at the stations then the material handlers will not be required. The individuals maybe removed from the team improving the productivity per person measure or they can be added to the production team if bottle necks were spotted. (Movement/Transportation.)

Remove quality checks – Right first time. Each member of the assembly team is responsible for quality at their individual point in the process. Errors and defects are spotted and rectified at the

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stations, not sent down the line to be spotted at the end by a quality inspector. This makes quality the responsibility of everyone involved and means components are not being worked on when they already have a defect. Value cannot be added to a product that has quality issues. (Defects.)

Customer demand is 8 Modular-Cars in 4 minutes (single shift) (Dependent on number of cars available. The factory can be reset and cars dismantled or those cars at stations that are part assembled from run 1 can remain in place and added to the Work In Progress (WIP) measure. If this approach is adopted then order is 8 but customer demand is now 16.)

Each process in a different part of the factory i.e. layout is by process (see layout diagram below)

(Dependant on option selected above.) The system has limited Work In Progress (WIP) between each station, as if after a holiday or shutdown

Batch manufacture is operated – Batches of 4 Cars MUST BE MOVED IN BATCHES OF 4 but can now be moved by operators.

Key outputs will be measured to monitor improvements.

Run 3In this simulation the following changes can be made for Run 3:

One-piece continuous flow – batch production will be removed. Products are made ‘one at a time’ as they move along the production line. This means staff are only making what is required. This would follow the same order of products and specifications ordered by the customer. This reduces overproduction, defects and inventory. (Inventory/Overproduction/Defects)

Linear production line – To allow better ‘one piece continuous flow’ the production environment will be realigned to a linear production line. It is worth highlighting to learners that this is an ‘ideal’ situation. Factory layout, machinery, infrastructure and building constraints may restrain this in reality.

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Pull system from customer – “Kanban” signals. Kanbans will be added to each station. The Kanban is a signal to make more or to stop making as the next stage of production is still busy working on a preceding product. This helps alleviate ‘bottle necks’ or ‘unevenness.” Unevenness is referred to as Mura. This also helps to stop overproduction and unnecessary inventory. (Overproduction/Inventory/Movement)

The key to ensuring that run 3 becomes a ‘pull’ based ‘one-piece continuous flow’ system is the use of

Kanban signals. The Kanbans can be simple pieces of coloured card or paper placed on each desk next

to the material storage boxes. The Kanban tells the operator whether the following stage is ready for the

next assembly or still working on a previous product. If the Kanban is empty then carry on making

product. If it has an assembly in it, then the following stage must still be working on a product and

sending more assemblies to the station will cause a ‘bottle-neck.’ The diagram below illustrates how the

Kanban system should be operated. There should NEVER be more than ONE assembly in a Kanban

box or being worked on at a stage at any point during the simulation.

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