Kaizen in the concept of lean manufacturing is considered as. Lean: small steps for big goals

The concept of lean production is not just an applied technique, but a whole philosophy, the essence of which, on the one hand, is in a real focus on the needs of the consumer, and on the other, in constant work on cost optimization. The methods described in the book are used by such well-known companies as Toyota and Porsche, and the high-quality implementation of lean principles allows both large and small companies to significantly increase economic performance. The publication will be useful for entrepreneurs, top managers, middle managers, focused on career growth. With permission from SmartReading, we are publishing a summary ("condensed" version) of the book by James Womeck and Daniel Jones.

smartreading is a project of the co-founder of one of the leading Russian publishing houses of business literature "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" Mikhail Ivanov and his partners. SmartReading produces so-called summaries - texts that summarize the key ideas of bestsellers in the non-fiction genre. Thus, people who, for some reason, cannot quickly read the full versions of books, can get acquainted with their main ideas and theses. SmartReading uses a subscription business model in its work.

Introduction

Lean manufacturing is a revolutionary method of organizing production that has allowed Japan to capture significant shares in the world's largest economies. When the triumph of the Japanese approach became clear, the concept began to spread and be successfully applied in enterprises around the world. Over time, the principles of lean manufacturing have penetrated not only other countries, but also other areas of the economy. Independent lean concepts have appeared - lean logistics, lean construction, etc.

Lean manufacturing is not just a production or sales technique, it is a whole applied philosophy. The central figure of this philosophy is the consumer. The enterprise is obliged to do only what is of value to the consumer. To achieve this goal, a lean organization continually eliminates useless activities.

Following the principles of lean does not require the introduction of expensive new technologies. Conversely, the lean method is often less technically demanding than traditional mass production. Lean manufacturing not only can be introduced into a company without significant investment, but often, on the contrary, leads to the release of resources. At the same time, the implementation practice shows the following effect for enterprises:

doubling labor productivity twice;
90% reduction in release time and inventory levels;
the level of scrap reaching the consumer is halved;
the time to bring a new product to market is halved;
small funds increase the number of available product modifications.

These are average effects, backed up by years of research. They seem incredible to a person who is not familiar with the principles of frugality. Of course, in practice, the implementation of lean production is not so simple, as it requires the most difficult thing - to change the view of production.

1. Five principles of lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is the concept of managing an organization. A lean organization, first of all, seeks to get rid of all unnecessary costs. But this does not mean a banal cost reduction, economy on quality or scale. In the philosophy of lean manufacturing, there is a concept of lean. A lean organization seeks to take only those actions that are directly needed by the consumer, those for which he pays.

To understand lean manufacturing, you first need to know the five stages of its cycle.

1.1 Determining value

A lean organization looks at production through the lens of utility and muda. The Japanese word muda means any cost that does not create value. Value is a specific product that, for a certain price and at a certain time, can satisfy the need of the buyer. Therefore, the production of a product that is not demanded by the consumer is a net waste. For lean manufacturing, all its activities are value creation. Therefore, the first step for an organization is to determine the value it creates.

Company executives tend to distort the value produced by paying attention to the imaginary values of the enterprise - the novelty of production technologies, the profits of shareholders, etc. There are several main reasons for this.

1. The correct definition of value created is hampered by traditional technologies and focus on internal needs instead of customer needs. For example, airlines may focus on getting the most out of their assets instead of offering fast, cheap and safe travel to their customers.

Making good use of what you have is an outdated idea of efficiency.

2. Understanding the value of a product is difficult because the consumer doesn't know what they want until they try it. And if he knows, he often cannot express it clearly.

3. The value of a product is created through the consistent efforts of different departments at different stages of production, and for each point along the way, the final value looks different. A simple set of visions of all participants in the process does not describe value, since often their views on value are contradictory and even conflict with each other. Transition to a new understanding of value can be difficult, simply because this transition requires the participant in the chain to reconsider their role in it.

The starting point for applying lean manufacturing is to accurately define value in terms of a particular product that has certain characteristics and price. At the same time, it is necessary to discard established ideas that give rise to false values, to discard knowledge about the current production process. Working to create false value is pure muda.

After determining the actual value that the organization creates, it is possible to determine the list of target costs - the amount of resources and labor costs for the production of the product, taking into account the complete elimination of muda. The calculated level of target costs at the next stages is a criterion for checking the usefulness of each link in production.

1.2 Value stream

The value stream is the path that a product takes from an idea to delivery of the finished product to the consumer. It consists of three stages:

Problem solving (concept development and prototype production).
Organization of information flows (receiving an order, detailed planning of production and delivery of the product).
Physical transformation (directly the process of production and delivery).

An enterprise must have a complete understanding of its value streams. They need to be captured in the form of diagrams called value stream maps. When mapping, all actions in the flow are divided into three categories based on usefulness:

Actions that create value.
Actions that do not create value, but are necessary due to technological or other reasons (first-order muda).
Actions that do not create any value; such actions can be immediately abandoned without loss of value (second-order muda).

Muda example.Pratt & Whitney, a major aircraft engine manufacturer, did not detect duplicative processes in its production for a long time. But when the process of creating value in the production of three engine models was described in terms of lean manufacturing, it turned out that the procurement of alloys at different stages of production was duplicated, and the surplus at each stage of the production process was simply destroyed. In this case, a simple combination of blanks for different stages of production has significantly reduced the loss of raw materials. This is an example of second order muda. Why did such a situation become possible? Each to a certain extent independent production site cared only about its own efficiency, and losses could only be identified by describing the production process in terms of value creation.

A value stream is the smallest possible set of activities required to design, manufacture, and deliver a product to a customer. Without its optimization and maximum, meaningful reduction and simplification, lean production is unthinkable.

The classic approach to mass production dictates to line and equipment designers that the line must be efficient on its own, but this approach actually creates downtime, inventory, and equipment setup costs. Lean organization undermines the classical notions of mass production. The object of the value stream is each individual part. The flow is a sequence of its changes and movements.

The entire production process should be evaluated from only one point of view - creating value for the consumer. If during the production process, for example, raw materials have to be transported several times or stocks that are not motivated by anything, this is an obvious muda. The percentage of time spent on non-value-adding processes should be kept to a minimum.

The value stream must be considered as a whole, from an idea to a specific delivery, regardless of how many companies or production sites are involved in this process. Lean manufacturing is a means of communication and joint organization of disparate participants in the process based on a common interest - meeting the needs of the buyer.

Each company included in the value stream can also take independent measures to reduce muda. It can adapt its processes to those of other organizations. However, this approach has its limits. To use the full potential of lean manufacturing, it is necessary to include all links in the production chain in this paradigm.

1.3 Organization of traffic flow

There are a number of characteristic features of the organization of production and sales for lean organizations.

1.3.1 Technical and structural reorganization

The principles of lean manufacturing conflict quite sharply with traditional mass production in the approach to organizing production facilities and the production process. Lean manufacturing considers the value stream from the point of view of each product, and the accumulation of work in progress as pure muda. In accordance with these ideas, the enterprise must make a number of technical changes.

It is necessary to reduce the time for changeover and retooling of machines as much as possible. It is important that production allows you to quickly start processing at any stage.

The batch size needs to be reduced. Ideally, batch production should be eliminated altogether, although this is rarely possible in practice. Large machines that only work with huge batches and need to keep inventory are sources of waste that prevent production from being flexible and responding to demand instantly.

A capacity monitoring system should be built to eliminate accidental breakdowns. Ideally, each machine should be ready to start as quickly as possible and at any time.

Production facilities should be located in close proximity to each other. And the stages of processing raw materials and assembling parts should be arranged sequentially, in accordance with the order of the stages of production. So that at the end of the production stage, the product is immediately transferred to the next stage.

Lean organizations actively use the methods of visual control and work organization that appeared in Japan in the middle of the 20th century: 5S, "foolproof", kanban, "just in time" and others.

1.3.2 Organizational structure

Based on the orientation of lean manufacturing to the consumer, the structure of a lean organization is also product-oriented, not function-oriented. The organization is divided into "cells" by product or group of related products. Working groups are formed in the cells, each of which is responsible for the entire production cycle of one product. Such working groups become the basis of the organizational structure.

This principle of organization contributes to the reduction of bureaucratic barriers. The bureaucracy and conflicts of interest that characterize the functional structure of an organization impede the smooth transfer of value between departments.

For the implementation of each value movement project, it is necessary to allocate a fixed team of specialists who will be able to manage the value creation process throughout its entire length.

Experience shows that such a team should not consist of a large number of narrow specialists; small teams of generalists work best. But at the same time, it is necessary that the team has "representatives" of each major area of the value stream, with a prevailing specialization in this area.

Standardization of the workflow of the project team allows you to predict and plan key indicators for each product separately. Accordingly, both planning and the economics of the enterprise change - you can write off most of the costs directly to the cost of the product, there are almost no fixed costs. It becomes possible to evaluate the profitability of each product and the effectiveness of each value stream.

Often in traditional manufacturing, product design and manufacturing are separate. This leads to the fact that a beautifully designed product is difficult and ill-conceived in production. The project team in a lean enterprise works directly in real production. The close interconnection of all links in the product creation flow allows each site to work to improve the performance of the entire production flow.

The general structure of a lean organization is as follows:

Every lean enterprise has a special structural unit, which is sometimes called a training center. An indispensable condition for the existence of a lean organization is transparency for all participants in production along the entire length of the flow. In this regard, workers need not only to be trained to perform their immediate tasks, but also to explain the meaning of management decisions. However, the training center is not just a department dedicated to training employees, it is also a research center. Among other things, training centers collect proposals for improving the enterprise from any employee, analyze and organize their implementation.

1.3.3 Planning and finance

In a lean enterprise, sales and planners are critical members of the product team. They work together: when the product is still being designed, they are already planning sales. In production, in which downtime and pauses are completely excluded, this approach is justified - it can take a few hours from the start of production to finished products, and the seller can plan the time and volume of delivery in advance.

The goal of a lean enterprise is to know the amount of demand today and meet this demand as quickly as possible. Long-term planning of sales volumes remains, but is of an auxiliary nature

The traditional system of finance, which stimulates the work of every employee at every moment of time, does not correspond to the principles of lean manufacturing, leading to the production of excess products (pure muda) and disruption of the smooth flow of production. It is advisable to break down the financial accounting system in terms of lean production by product families. Each product team has its own financial flows and indicators and can independently purchase resources and equipment.

Some elements of the traditional accounting system may remain for external financial reporting. At the same time, for production, internal reporting on teams is more important, transparent and accessible to each employee of the organization - team productivity (specific sales volume for each team member), service level (percentage of products delivered on time), inventory turnover and product quality. In accordance with these indicators, management can set immediate goals for the teams.

The close relationship between demand and productivity avoids the curse of the traditional ordering system, where the seller is rewarded for sales volume, without regard to production capacity. Volume premiums are absurd because they lead to order delays and dissatisfied customers.

1.4 Pulling the product

The combination of all stages and participants in production in a single value stream leads to a significant reduction in the time of creation and delivery of goods to the market, and the production cycle is significantly reduced. Ideally, lean production seeks to meet demand directly, because the product that the consumer needs at the moment is the exact opposite of muda.

The approach in which production responds directly to demand is called product pull - the consumer "pulls" the product out of the organization. At the same time, the need for demand stimulation techniques such as sales disappears, since stocks do not accumulate.

According to this principle value should move downstream only when it is pulled by the next stage of production. The rhythm of the process sets the schedule for the shipment of finished products. The daily schedule enters the last stage of production, from where the need for production passes down the chain. Such a system of work is possible only when there are no downtime between stages and the production time is easily predictable. The movement of demand and the return movement of value is as follows:

Of course, with this approach, the speed of production turnover increases dramatically. The value pull system allows the organization not to do work when it is not needed, but for this it is necessary to be able to start doing it quickly, only on demand from the next stage, and complete it exactly on time. The ideal elongated system of value movement should look like a smooth continuous flow of movement from the project to the shipment of the finished product in the shortest possible time.

The product pull principle also influences and fits well with distribution systems. Instead of forecasting demand and placing orders a month in advance, it is better to organize distribution by day and deliver exactly as many units of products to points of sale every day as were sold that day.

In order to reduce delivery time, storage and delivery optimization methods are used: the delivery of the most popular products is simplified, products are categorized by weight and volume and other indicators, and so on. It is important that in order to comply with the principles of lean manufacturing, production points and points of sale should be geographically located as close as possible.

Value pull must work at all stages of value creation, from delivery to procurement of raw materials, so that further the value creation process can enter the cycle of improvement.

1.5 Excellence

The principle of perfection means endlessly returning to the previous four steps and repeating them. Each new cycle, each new improvement reveals a muda that was previously invisible.

The process of applying the principles of lean manufacturing in the classical Japanese paradigm falls into two categories:

Kaikaku- radical improvements in the value stream;
Kaizen- a process of continuous improvement, which begins after the initial debugging of the system.

Kaikaku should be performed using a technology close to the technology of the initial flow creation - this is the creation of work teams and other primary transformations.

The effect of kaizen activities does not tend to quickly lose effectiveness over time. Paradoxically, in the process of improvement, muda is always found. On the one hand, kaizen events are not free, on the other hand, there is no process that is completely devoid of muda.

With a well-built system of lean production, the main competitor of the company becomes perfection - it is with it that lean production competes.

To achieve results on the path of improvement, it is necessary to be able to prioritize - to find the most critical muda and get rid of it, concentrating on this task. Trying to improve everything at once can lead to collapse.

2. Implementation of lean manufacturing by example Porsche

A classic example of lean manufacturing outside of Japan is the story of Porsche. Having experienced the peak of sales in 1986 (50,000 cars), already in 1992 Porsche managed to sell only 14,000 cars. The German approach to production flourished in the company - engineering excellence was at the forefront, the company had a complex and rigid management structure.

The drop in sales has long been considered in the company only a temporary fluctuation of the market. However, in 1991, when the company suffered a $40 million loss, it was already clear that it was in a serious crisis. Wendelin Wiedeking, who at that time was one of the leaders of the largest manufacturer of automotive parts, was invited to resolve the situation. As a result, he became an agent of change in the transition to lean manufacturing.

Wiedeking made a far-sighted decision - to study and adopt the experience of Japanese manufacturers, which at that time had already captured the middle price segment of the European market. During 1991-1992, Wiedeking visited Japan four times, where he met with production specialists, studied in detail the production structure of the largest automobile companies.

The visits resulted in an agreement between Porsche and the Kaizen Institute (a Japanese institute that teaches and implements lean manufacturing around the world). The research revealed that the company suffers a lot of losses as a result of its inflexible design and production system, the conservatism of the engineers, the weak links between the stages in the value stream and (most surprisingly for the German company) as a result of the high level of scrap in the final product, which then had to fix the service centers.

Like any old German company, Porsche was very conservative and hard to accept any changes. To enable dramatic change, Wiedeking organized training in Japan for management, engineering and production staff. Also, Japanese experts were invited to work on the transformations in Porsche.

As a result of this initiative, Wiedeking planned and took a number of decisive steps.

The number of management levels has been reduced from six to four(by simplifying the hierarchy of production specialists; they were divided into teams of 10 people reporting to one master).

A "board of shame" was created, which played the role of visual quality control. The entire revealed marriage was recorded on the board. At the same time, the detection of marriage at an early stage, where its cost is minimal, was encouraged. At the same time, each employee was informed that a defect that reached the end consumer costs the company an order of magnitude more than a defect detected at the stage of its formation. For most Porsche employees, the true cost of their mistakes has been a stunning revelation.

A system for submitting proposals was organized- each employee was given the opportunity to propose an improvement in the production process, which was implemented, if it really contributed to improving quality and productivity. Good ideas are encouraged. There was such a system before, but each proposal met with so many obstacles that the system simply did not work.

The company has implemented its own quality control system. Each cost center for each production team had a set of targets that were visible to all employees. Planned indicators included the percentage of rejects at each stage, the accuracy of the delivery time for parts to the next stage, and indicators of the production discipline of employees.

Simultaneously with the implementation of these steps, the Kaizen Institute's kaikaku recommendations were implemented, aimed at reducing inventory and organizing the smooth movement of parts from raw material processing to car assembly. In addition to getting rid of mud in its own factories, Porsche began working with suppliers of parts, promoting the principles of lean manufacturing and delivering parts on a just-in-time basis (just in time) and by 1995, in two years, 30 out of 60 supplier plants Porsche has undergone significant changes.

During the implementation of lean manufacturing, from 1991 to 1997, the key indicators of Porsche changed as follows:

the time from the creation of a concept to launch in a series was reduced from 7 to 3 years;
the time from the start of welding work to the release of the car was reduced from 6 weeks to 3 days;
the level of stocks decreased by 6 times;
the level of defects in the supplied parts was reduced by 100 times, on the production line - by 4 times;
labor costs for production were reduced by 3 times.

As a result of all the activities, Porsche returned to profitable performance and managed to maintain its independence, reputation and position in the luxury sports car market.

3. Building a Lean Enterprise

To implement lean manufacturing in an enterprise, it is advisable to start with a trial run - focus on a single product, project or order, try to translate it into lean principles and evaluate the possibilities and benefits of such an approach.

A necessary condition for reorganization is to ignore traditional ideas about the process and its participants. It is better to start quickly, with the most important muda, which at the same time is in full view of everyone. A positive experience in one area of production greatly increases employee confidence in lean manufacturing.

The leader in the organization of a lean enterprise, as a rule, becomes a company that combines all other flows, collecting them into the final product. That is, for example, an assembly company that receives parts, assembles a car and gives it to distribution. Starting within such a company, the transformation process can then move to suppliers and distributors.

The biggest challenge to building a lean organization across the entire value stream may be the transparency of participants. For lean to be of maximum benefit, all participants in the flow must be in the public eye, and this involves the disclosure of trade secrets or financial data, which companies often refuse to do in exchange for future prosperity. To overcome mistrust, several conditions are necessary:

the value of each product family must be established jointly by the participants in the stream;
all firms in the value stream should receive benefits commensurate with their investment;
the participants in the flow must mutually and collectively check all sections of the flow in order to identify muda and constantly repeat the cycle of its identification and elimination.

Characteristically, for the organization of lean production, most of the investments fall on the initial stages of the flow (transfer of mass production to work in small batches). While the main benefits are received by companies that are at the last stage of the flow - sellers. By cooperating to establish a lean enterprise, companies can work together to find compensation mechanisms, such as investing in new manufacturing facilities jointly.

To implement lean manufacturing in an enterprise, certain conditions are necessary:

We need an "agent of change" - a person who has sufficient authority and is ready for conflicts and struggle for the introduction of new principles into work.
The company must have a basic knowledge of lean manufacturing (not just an agent of change).
The business of an organization must be in crisis - only a company in which everything is obviously bad can be ready for drastic changes.
It is essential to have a clear and complete understanding of the company's value streams.

To implement the flow organization method, the following steps must be taken:

Divide production into cells by product families and organize teams to work on each family;
Create a separate unit that will collect together and analyze the experience of the working groups in order to highlight the most effective practices from it and teach them to the rest of the working groups;
Plan and conduct a series of events, after which the traditional work in batches is transformed into a smooth flow, carry out a technical reorganization; identify value creation processes that the organization cannot yet influence, if any, and find a way to adapt to these processes;
Develop a set of targets to be achieved by production (reduce inventory, shorten the production cycle, etc.).

The transition to lean manufacturing is often met with apprehension by employees - the optimization of production is often associated with a reduction in staff. In order not to lose employees, organizations often resort to increasing production volumes. Such a move is possible and justified due to the effect of thrift - increasing the competitiveness of the company and increasing sales. To do this, it is better to develop a growth strategy in advance.

It is advisable to adapt the resources released by lean production to meet the new needs of the organization or invest in stimulating demand or developing new areas of work. But, one way or another, in most cases, the staff has to be reduced. Lean cuts are also made in terms of utility and wisdom - the organization first of all gets rid of employees who do not create value for the customer.

Conclusion

Lean manufacturing is constantly striving for excellence. All employees of the company are involved in the movement towards excellence. The ideal of lean manufacturing is the instantaneous, seamless creation of the value that the customer needs at that moment. To achieve this goal, lean constantly eliminates non-value-adding activities because they move the organization away from the ideal.

The cycle of improvement begins with the definition of value to be created and, after passing through five stages, closes to repeat indefinitely. The steps in this cycle are:

Determination of the created value.
Description of the value stream. All participants are included in the flow, starting from the procurement of raw materials and ending with the delivery of goods to the buyer.
Once the flow map is complete, a number of reorganization steps must be taken.
Improvements smooth the value stream by allowing the customer to pull value out of the organization.
When the apparent muda is eliminated, the cycle starts again to reveal a new muda.

Implementing the principles of lean organization in an enterprise can take years and face serious difficulties. However, if the enterprise is ready for change, then there are no obviously insurmountable obstacles - lean methods are suitable for enterprises of any countries, cultures and fields of activity.

Without requiring high investments, lean manufacturing helps enterprises multiply their economic performance, significantly improve product quality, and even capture new markets.

Lean Kaizen Technology (Kaizen, Japanese continuous improvement) - a comprehensive concept that covers the philosophy, theory and tools of management, allowing you to achieve competitive advantage at the present stage.

In the practice of the management system, this concept has a synonym - a continuous improvement process (German - KVP, Kontinuierlicher Verbesserungs Prozess, English - CIP, Continuous Improvement Process). In the economic sense, the concept refers, as a rule, to actions for the continuous improvement of all functions of the enterprise, from production to management. Kaizen is a concept derived from the Japanese words kai = change and zen = good or for the better. Kaizen was first introduced to a few Japanese businesses during the post-World War II economic recovery and has since spread to businesses around the world. The most famous practical application of this concept was developed for the Japanese corporation Toyota Motor Corporation. It underlies the method Total Quality Management(English - TQM, Total Quality Management) and includes measures to prevent waste (), innovation and work with new standards.

The ideas of the kaizen () system are set out by Masaaki Imai in the book of the same name, which was published in England in 1986. The main ones are:

“Kaizen comes from the fact that there is no enterprise without problems. Kaizen helps to solve these problems by developing a work culture where each employee is not penalized for the problem, but vouches that it will not happen.

"Kaizen strategy is based on the recognition that management, whose goal is to make a profit, should set as its task the satisfaction of the client and his requirements."
"Kaizen is a customer-centric improvement strategy."
“Kaizen proceeds from the fact that all activities of the enterprise should ultimately lead to increased customer satisfaction. At the same time, the philosophy of the internal and external client differs.

Convincing proof of the effectiveness of the concept of frugality is a comparison of the level of innovation in enterprises in Japan and in Western countries. For comparison: in 1989, 83% of all rationalization proposals were implemented in Japan, while in Germany - 40%, and in the USA - only 30%. In Germany, there are 0.15 innovations per employee per year, while in Japan the figure is over 30.

At the NPU, the center is a person with abilities and knowledge, which are the most important capital of the company. Added to this is the positive perception of problems by the organization, as they are an incentive for improvement. What is at the forefront is not the question of the perpetrators of the problems, but common efforts to fundamentally solve them. Not punishment for the mistakes of the past, but opportunities for improvement in favor of a common future should guide the thinking of the company. The desire to know the real problems and permanently eliminate them is decisive!

Thus, the team of employees is seen as a source of motivation, identification, mental energy, synergy and growing creativity. NPM stands for continuous, systematic and consistent work on:

setting and pursuing goals,
elimination of interference
looking for improvement opportunities,
waste prevention with the help of all employees at all levels, in all departments, shops and offices.

Elements of Kaizen

For normal and efficient work in production, you need to create the appropriate conditions. Therefore, Kaizen is based on 5 important points.

Teamwork. All employees must work as a team to achieve a common goal. They are obligated to do whatever is necessary for the benefit of their colleagues and their employer-company. It provides for constant information exchange, mutual training, fulfillment of duties on time, etc.
Personal discipline. In any business, discipline is important. It ensures success. The basis of kaizen is self-discipline, which includes managing your working time, the level of work quality, meeting requirements, complying with regulations, etc.
Moral condition. Employees need to maintain their elevated morale. Therefore, management is obliged to introduce a system of effective motivation, create good working conditions, and provide for all the moments related to providing its employees with everything necessary.
Quality mugs. At the enterprise, it is necessary to organize quality circles, which include workers of different levels. Such circles allow the exchange of ideas, skills, and everything that is required for teamwork. The functioning of quality circles allows employees, when exchanging information, to evaluate their achievements and strive for better results in their work.
Suggestions for improvement. Management needs to ensure that every employee can make suggestions, regardless of position. Even absurd proposals must be accepted and considered.

Kaizen principles

Main:

1.Organization of the workplace (gemba) for which 5S methods are used:

Seiri - determining what is not needed in the work;
Seiso - ensuring the cleanliness of the workplace, equipment used;
Seiton - putting in order everything that is used in the work;
Seiketsu - steps to standardize the first 3 steps;
Shitsuke - support for the steady management of the workplace.

2. Elimination of unjustified losses related to:

Unnecessary movement;
Extra wait;
Improper organization of technical processes;
Transportation;
Defects, marriage;
excess inventory;
Overproduction.

3. Standardization, which allows you to create a basis for stability in work. Implementation of standards should take place at all levels. Their improvement is carried out according to the PDCA cycle.

Important! For the effective implementation of the kaizen system, it is necessary to use other lean manufacturing tools, including the kanban methodology.

Continuous Improvement Process

Continuous Improvement Process is not only the study of new methods and, but also a different form of cooperation. More self-organization on the ground with the help of capable employees, more personal responsibility of all participants, more development of innovative potential in the enterprise. Moreover, the requirements for management acquire additional importance. Along with professional and methodological competence, success depends on the social competence of managers. The process of changing mindsets is top-down and the best guarantee of success through NPM is exemplary leadership. The necessary changes in the approach to work are carried out by management, setting an example for employees who learn these changes and adopt them. The economic and social goals of the kaizen (lean manufacturing) process are goals.

In enterprises using kaizen technology, a continuous process of improvement is an essential part of the functioning of production management. It covers:

organization (organizational structure, distribution of responsibility, coordination, control mechanism);
management (delimitation of goals, choice of topics, team building);
qualifying activities (behavioral training, methodological training);
systematics (regularity, documentation, coverage of work teams, tools);
incentive system (encouragement of innovation, special systems of moral and material incentives).

Lean (lean) (eng. lean production, lean manufacturing from lean - “skinny, slender”) - a system of simple solutions that can increase efficiency and reduce costs.

To date, an increasing number of enterprises are embarking on a lean development path, which allows, with the help of organizational measures, to increase labor productivity from 20 to 400% during the year. Using only one of the tools of lean manufacturing - by changing the flow of movement of products, in two years you can increase labor productivity by 30%. So did the General Director of the Kaluga plant of automotive electrical equipment. Now the plant is setting more ambitious plans to increase productivity by another 50%.

Lean technologies really work, they are needed by enterprises. This will be discussed further.

8 principles of lean manufacturing that increase the efficiency of the enterprise

In the work of our company, the principles of lean management are used, which is based on the desire to produce without delay in the required quantities only the goods that are in demand, without accumulating stocks in warehouses. When picking orders, we try to avoid actions that do not add value to the product. These are, for example, the storage of unnecessary stocks, unnecessary processing and long-term movement of products within the warehouse. Here are a few ideas that we managed to implement. The described actions made it possible to reduce the rotation of personnel, improve the ergonomics of the work process, and increase its safety. Productivity across all order processing areas increased by 20% in six to seven months.

1. Weight control. One of the ways to eliminate losses in the logistics center is the weight control of finished orders. It allows you to find errors before the order reaches the customer, which reduces the number of claims. So, if the actual weight of the box with the order does not match the calculated one, then it is not sealed, but sent for inspection and, if necessary, for additional assembly.

2. Conveyor system for used containers. The conveyor runs through all assembly areas and automatically delivers the used corrugated cardboard to the pressing area, where a horizontal press releases a pile of pressed cardboard with almost no operator intervention. This minimizes the work associated with the turnover of used containers and reduces the amount of paper dust. As a result, the level of environmental pollution is reduced, the equipment fails less often. We sell pressed cardboard to companies for recycling.

3. Selection by light. On a conveyor with an area of 9.2 thousand square meters. m boxes are moving, and employees at assembly stations put products into them using the pick by light system. With its implementation, the performance of collecting orders in our center was 50% higher than the performance in other Oriflame order processing centers in Russia. In addition, the assembly line is built according to the ABC principle, which allows minimizing the number of assembly stations and optimizing unit costs. Here is how the product is distributed:

zone A is the fastest assembly zone, about 20% of goods are placed here, which fall into more than 80% of orders;
zone B - about 30% of the goods come here (or every tenth box);
zone C - over 1.5 thousand items with the least popularity (or every 50th order) fall here.

pick-by-light technology(English, selection by light) is used to collect orders at the workstation. On the scoreboard placed under the selection cell, a light signal lights up. The storekeeper selects the product from this cell and puts it in the box with the order, which moves along the conveyor line. Then he presses the button on the display, confirming the execution of this operation.

4. Visualization. Most visualization elements (markups, various signals) are built in such a way that even a new employee can easily understand their meaning. So, floor marking helps to maintain order near the working areas of the conveyor, it shows where the place of certain materials is, and where it is forbidden to put them. With the help of auxiliary signs (photographs, stencil images) it is possible to indicate exactly how the equipment should stand or what type of material should be in a particular place. This reduces the time to search for equipment and materials, and simplifies the training of beginners. With the help of portable signs, you can manage the flow of products in a limited space, which is very useful in small warehouses.

5. Orthopedic carpet. Pickers who stack piece goods in boxes are constantly on the move, and by the end of the shift, their productivity drops. We equipped such workplaces with a special orthopedic carpet. Due to the soft but elastic structure, it reduces the load on the legs and back of a person when moving around the station, similar to running shoes. And the anti-slip surface prevents the risk of injury and helps maintain assembly speed.

6. The principle of "everything at hand". The more popular the item, the closer it is to the picker. We put products with a high turnover at arm's length, products that are ordered less frequently are further away. To reduce the time for selection from the upper cells, metal steps have been installed at the workplaces, which allow employees to easily reach even the top shelf.

7. Labor productivity monitor. It shows in real time the order picking speed of the entire line and individual stations. So we can evaluate the work of each picker, while employees begin to compete with each other. The monitor successfully complements monetary motivation and makes the KPI system more transparent. In addition, such a system always allows you to identify errors at each station.

8. Points for the idea. The most important thing is to involve workers in the improvement process. It is from them that ideas for eliminating losses should come. We try to achieve the goal by introducing the philosophy of lean production into the minds of employees, training managers and specialists in the algorithm of step-by-step changes according to the PDCA principle (Eng., Plan-Do-Check-Act - planning - action - checking - adjusting).

Now we are finalizing the system of employee motivation, depending on the individual contribution to the overall process. A part of the new system is in operation at the logistics center in Budapest. Its meaning is that for each idea the employee receives points that can be exchanged for prizes, and any ideas are evaluated, even those that are not suitable for implementation.

7 lean ideas that will work in 100% of companies

The editors of the General Director magazine, together with the Rostselmash enterprise, held a workshop on “Production System: Operational Efficiency in Action”. At first, we listened to the speeches of the speakers, and in the afternoon we went on a tour of the workshops. In the article you will find lean manufacturing ideas which can be implemented in any company.

Possible causes of losses in the enterprise

1. Unnecessary employee movements.

irrational organization of jobs - due to the inconvenient placement of machines, equipment, etc.;
workers are forced to make unnecessary movements in order to find the appropriate equipment, tools, etc.

How to avoid losses? Timekeeping of one of the workplaces is performed throughout the entire shift. It is necessary to calculate the time spent by an employee to walk to the location of tools, components, accessories, search for them - we multiply this time by the total number of workers in a shift and by the number of shifts during the year. Thanks to this, it is possible to calculate the losses of the enterprise during the year due to unnecessary movements of its employees.

An example of loss elimination. In the work of one of the sections of the automobile enterprise, all the tools were in a common closet. Workers took one tool at the beginning of the shift, then they had to change it for another. Operators in total had to spend about 10-15% of their time for unnecessary trips to the closet and back to the workplace. Therefore, it was decided to provide each employee with their own cabinet for the tool. As a result, all movement has been reduced, providing a more comfortable and efficient workplace – with a 15% increase in the productivity of our employees.

2. Unreasonable transportation of materials. This category includes material movements that do not add value to the product. Possible causes of losses in the enterprise:

a significant distance between the shops, among which the products are transported;
inefficient layout of their premises.

Calculation of losses. For example, you need to submit a blank that has arrived at the warehouse. Then we think over the algorithm according to which this workpiece goes through all the technological stages of production. It is necessary to calculate how many meters the workpiece needs to be moved, how many times it will be lifted and set, how much resources are needed for this, how much value is lost or added at the output (sometimes such movements lead to a decrease in the quality of the workpiece). The calculated losses are multiplied by the number of blanks that go through the production process throughout the year.

How to get rid of losses? A large-sized body part at an automobile enterprise was moved to the welding area twice. The body was welded, then it returned to its original place in order to process the surface - and again it had to be sent for welding (for welding the assembly unit) and again to its original place. The result was a significant waste of time moving the part and waiting for the forklift. To reduce time losses, the welding station was located next to the electric trolley and machining area. Achieved time savings 409 min. monthly. The saved time was enough for the production of 2 more cases.

3. Unnecessary processing. There are similar losses in a situation when certain properties of a product do not bring benefit to the customer. Including:

Functions of the supplied products that are unnecessary for buyers.
Unreasonably complex design of manufactured products.
Expensive product packaging.

Calculation of losses. You should visit the buyer (customer) to clarify how he uses the products of your enterprise. If you specialize in the production of parts, you need to familiarize yourself with the installation process and related operations with your customer. It is necessary to compile a list of structural elements and material properties of your products that do not matter to your consumer. You also need to clarify with the customer - what properties of the goods he considers unnecessary or secondary. It is necessary to estimate the amount of your own expenses, which were previously required for the sake of such unnecessary properties.

An example from practice. At one of the enterprises for the production of buses, all surfaces were painted according to the highest class of accuracy. We conducted a survey of our consumers and found that they do not need such requirements for the accuracy of painting. Therefore, changes were made to their technical process - for invisible surfaces, the accuracy class was reduced. It was possible to reduce costs by hundreds of thousands of rubles a month.

4. Waiting time. The reason for these losses is the downtime of equipment, machines, employees in anticipation of the next or previous operation, the receipt of information or materials. This situation may be caused by the following factors:

Equipment failure.
Problems with the supply of semi-finished products, raw materials.
Waiting for orders from leaders.
Lack of required documentation.
Problems in the software.

Calculation of losses. It is necessary to keep a record of the actions or inaction of your employees, as well as the operation (or downtime) of the equipment throughout the shift. It is necessary to determine how long the workers are idle, how long the equipment has been idle. The downtime of employees and equipment is multiplied by the number of employees (pieces of equipment) and the number of shifts per year - the result will be total losses.

An example from practice. In one of the workshops of our automotive production, there was a long downtime due to frequent breakdowns. To reduce downtime, a repair and maintenance center was organized in the workshop itself. When our machine broke down, it was enough for the worker to turn to the repairmen so that they would immediately eliminate the existing problem. In parallel, the master sent an application for consideration by the chief mechanic. This approach has allowed us to reduce the downtime of employees and equipment by 26 man-hours every month.

5. Hidden losses from overproduction. It is considered the most dangerous type of loss, as it provokes other types of losses. However, in the practice of many companies it is considered normal to produce more products than required by the customer. Losses from overproduction can be caused by the following reasons:

Working with large batches of products.
Planning for the full utilization of your workforce and equipment.
Production of unclaimed products.
Production volumes exceed demand among consumers.
Duplication of work.

Calculate your losses. It is necessary to calculate the amount of unclaimed products stored in the warehouses of the enterprise during the month, quarter or year. The cost of these goods will be equal to the frozen capital. It is also necessary to calculate the necessary costs for the maintenance of their storage facilities and areas. How many products will spoil during storage? The summation of these indicators will allow you to determine your losses as a result of overproduction.

An example from practice. The automobile enterprise for the production of spare parts and auto components worked at the limit of its capabilities with a regular increase in volumes. However, part of the production was constantly in the warehouses. Based on the results of a study of consumer demand and profit from each type of goods, it was possible to understand that it is better to exclude certain positions in our production, and to direct the vacant capacities to the production of demanded parts. The company was able to completely eliminate losses from overproduction in its practice, achieving an increase in profits by tens of millions of rubles.

6. Excess inventory. There are surpluses in a situation where the necessary materials and raw materials are purchased for the future. As a result, the company has to face certain losses:

wages of warehouse workers;
costs for renting storage facilities;
unfinished production;
long-term storage adversely affects the properties of materials.

Calculation of losses. It is necessary to determine the amount of inventory stored in a warehouse that is not called for earlier than a week later - what costs are required for storage. You also need to take into account the amount of materials in the warehouse that will not be needed for production - and how many of them are damaged materials. Now you need to understand what funds are frozen, in what amount the damaged materials have poured out.

An example from practice. The work in progress at the enterprise for the production of buses was 16 days. The number of certain components in the assembly was excessive, but other items were regularly not enough. Therefore, we organized the delivery of the necessary parts for assembly every day in the right quantity.

7. Defects and their elimination. These losses are caused by the alteration of their products, eliminating the defects that arose during operation.

Calculation of losses. You should count the number of defective products in your catalog during the month and year. What costs will be required for the disposal of this product. What resources are invested to rework defective products? It must be taken into account that these costs are not borne by the customer, since his money is directed to the purchase of only suitable products.

Example. The company had too high a percentage of defective goods - semi-finished products for cakes did not meet aesthetic standards. Appropriate changes were made in production, using quality control methods at the manufacturing stage. If there were problems, an alert would be triggered and the entire process stopped to fix the problem immediately. This approach has reduced the incidence of defective products by about 80%.

Implementation of lean manufacturing in the enterprise

Since March 2008, the current methods of lean production have been introduced into the activities of our company. In the Ural region last year, the demand for the purchase of profiteroles increased significantly. Significant volumes were needed for the growing market. But at that time, we had only one production line at our disposal, so we thought about increasing productivity at current capacities. That's what lean manufacturing methods were for.

Product creation scheme. At the 1st stage, we used the VSM technique - we draw a diagram that depicts each stage of the flow of information and materials. You must first highlight what you need to get as a result of this process and determine the first step to achieve the goal. Then you need to build a chain of necessary actions to move from the first stage to the next. We indicate on your map the duration of each stage and the necessary time to transfer materials and information from one stage to the next. The diagram should fit on one sheet - to assess the interaction of all elements. After analyzing the scheme, we draw an improved map, which displays the already improved process with the adjustments made.

Liquidation of losses. Thanks to the analysis of the map, it is possible to understand the bottlenecks in the production of profiteroles. Among the problems were the inefficient use of personnel, the inhibition of excess inventory, and suboptimal placement of equipment. To get rid of waste, the 5C system was used to optimize the location of equipment - it implies five basic rules. Namely - keep order, sort, standardize, improve and keep clean.

To begin with - putting things in order. We marked the equipment and materials with a red marker that had not been used for a month. It turned out that only 4 out of 15 trolleys were required, the unnecessary ones were sent to the warehouse.

The next stage is standardizing the location of your equipment. We clearly defined the boundaries of each object in production - using markings on the floor. We marked in red the locations of dangerous units, yellow was used for other equipment. They hung all the tools on a special stand, for each of which the place was also indicated by markings.

The next task is to standardize the work of employees thanks to the visualization method. Stands with images of the algorithm of work operations and methods of execution were placed on the walls of the room. Thanks to this scheme, the employee could easily navigate the workflow. Photos of standard and defective products are also placed on the stands. If a defect is detected, production stops until the causes are eliminated, sending semi-finished products and non-standard products for processing.

Next - process modeling, taking into account the reduction of losses during transportation, movement and waiting. In particular, eclairs and profiteroles in a rotary oven were previously baked in successive batches (first 10 carts of eclairs, then ten carts of profiteroles). When the profiteroles ran out, a simple injection machine and workers arose. We decided to reduce the batches of profiteroles to three trolleys and eclairs to 7. The carts for eclairs were marked in blue, for profiteroles in yellow. We have created an alarm system - when the yellow cart arrives, you need to start baking an additional cart of profiteroles. The same principle was used for eclairs.

It was also decided to abandon the unused equipment, a new one was purchased, including an injection machine and an additional belt conveyor.

Thanks to lean production, the number of employees on the production line was reduced to 11 employees instead of 15 - achieving an increase in output to 9000 sets from the previous 6000 per shift. The increase in output per employee was 818 sets instead of 400. Three employees were transferred to more skilled jobs. In total, it was possible to achieve an increase in productivity by 35-37%. A platform was also organized to train its employees in new methods of organizing production.

By implementing a lean manufacturing system, we got rid of inventory

Tatiana Bertova, Head of the regional distribution center of the TekhnoNikol company, Ryazan
Elena Yasinetskaya, HR Director, TechnoNikol, Moscow

About 8 years ago, the leaders of the enterprise realized that the methods of management used do not provide the desired effect. Then we decided to use lean manufacturing. Various improvements were made, many of them did not require significant costs, but at the same time they made it possible to achieve a solid economic effect. I would like to focus on this.

In order to reduce the time of shipment of finished products, we installed pointers of flyover numbers, as well as directions on the territory of our enterprise. It has become easier for drivers to navigate the territory and find loading places faster, having less delays at the plant – significant time savings have been achieved.

Re-planning of warehouse areas and production areas - to save over 30% of used space.

In total, we managed to achieve a 55% increase in production with a two-fold increase in turnover - even reducing the staff by 2 units. In terms of one worker, output increased by more than 200%.

Successful experience made us think about the use of these techniques for other departments.

What to do to make the implementation of "lean" processes effective

The main reason for optimization is the lack of production space. A pilot project in this direction is the improvement of the production process for the production of heat exchangers for air conditioning systems. The lean production group included representatives from production, supply services, technology bureau, chief engineer service and quality service.

Extremely useful help from experts at the initial stage. Although they immediately emphasized that any proposals for improving the production processes should come from the working group, the experts should only provide assistance in project management. The company's managers also took part in the work on the project, evaluating the results of the work and approving the goals of the project itself. Based on our experience, we will consider the main factors that affect the success of the integration of lean manufacturing methods:

Customer orientation. It is necessary to consider each complaint from the client, with the organization of an internal investigation. The measures taken should be focused on the prevention of such shortcomings in the future through the improvement of the process. Another significant aspect should also be taken into account - when visiting the enterprise, each consumer must be sure of reliable cooperation, with timely and high-quality execution of their orders.

Staff involvement. The introduction of a lean manufacturing system is impossible without the involvement of employees. But when attracting employees to participate, you need to respect their initiatives to improve production processes while ensuring comfortable working conditions. The company regularly conducts a survey to obtain data on working conditions, the availability of the necessary documentation, the organization of jobs, etc. Then, the necessary measures are taken to improve all processes with the obligatory involvement of employees. If some initiatives of employees are inexpedient or impracticable, then at the meetings of the team we correctly explain the reasons for the refusal.

visibility. A prerequisite for lean manufacturing is a visual management system. Thanks to it, it is possible to control the progress of production at any time. On the walls of the premises, schemes of objects have recently been placed - so everyone can understand where they are now, with a quick search for the required area. All sites are equipped with stands showing the degree of conformity of the release of goods to our plans and the reasons for delays. It is necessary to understand the initial, and not just the immediate causes of the problems that have arisen. For example, a defect in a welded joint caused a delay in the schedule - however, the real reason may be the poor quality of the parts or the lack of experience of the welder.

Load balancing. Not only planning for a uniform load of production and inventory levels is considered, but also smoothing fluctuations in consumer demand. It is necessary to establish communication with buyers so that they understand that uneven production load leads to negative consequences for them as well.

Measurement of improvements. Employees and shareholders must understand that the changes made have a positive effect on the production and financial performance of the enterprise. It is necessary that the system of employee incentives depend on the activities of the entire team, but at the same time, individual achievements should also be taken into account. For example, thanks to a pilot project to combine product groups and reduce inventory in work in progress, the following effect was achieved:

reduction of production cycles by 2.5-7 times;
working time was used more efficiently up to 85% instead of the previous 50%. Namely, 85% of working time is spent on production;
the volume of products in work in progress has been halved;
reduction of the total distance of movement of the product in the production process by 40%;
reduction of setup time by 50%.

However, the main achievement of lean production at our enterprise is that the production capacity increased by 25% without capital expenditures and expansion of areas.

Lean manufacturing saved Toyota

Any change is a journey, a journey. Only 10% of people know why they went on the road. They agree to do everything to overcome this path. Most do not understand why change is needed. They are just observers. Another 10% are struggling to resist the need to change something. They slow down progress. If you are faced with the need for change, determine which of your assistants are rowers, who are observers, and who are opponents of change. And then help the rowers and ignore the whiners, even if they try to interfere. And, if you have chosen the right path, observers will also help you over time.

The moral of this Japanese parable was followed by the head of an American engineering company. The plant found itself in a crisis (many Russian enterprises are now in a similar situation), it faced a number of problems:

lack of time, emergency mode of production, which does not allow the introduction of new management decisions;
inadequacy of processes: most of the operations did not fit during the cycle, the control processes were not carried out as they should;
unstable operation of the equipment;
lack of clear standards (in relation to personnel, processes, equipment, materials, jobs);
lack of visual management, untimely response to problems;
non-involvement of workers in the decision-making process;
confusing accounting system.

All this led to the fact that the plant produced twenty cars less than planned daily, the equipment constantly broke down, there were quality problems in all workshops. The General Manager was faced with a serious choice: to leave and let the owners close the plant or try to restore it. The production management of the Toyota company was taken as a model. Goals were set:

improve safety, quality, delivery by 20% and reduce costs by 20%;
reduce by 25% the costs caused by the violation of the principles of ergonomics.

The introduction of elements of lean manufacturing was very difficult, but the General Director managed to change the strategy and involve not only senior and middle managers, but also workers and foremen of the teams in the process of change. Here are the main decisions that helped save the plant:

creating an atmosphere of continuous improvement, or the kaizen approach (the translator mentioned the Greek dance sirtaki in the title of the book, which very well conveys the essence of this approach - involvement in the process and the interest of all participants);
allocation of working groups to solve problems;
identifying bottlenecks through daily product analysis and taking into account the current state of production;
implementation of visual management;
organization of continuous training and rotation of employees;
standardization of production processes;
prevention of defects;
cleaning up the workplace and maintaining equipment;
the introduction of the so-called pull production system (production only when an order is received).

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Lean manufacturing identifies 7 types of waste:

Transportation– transportation of finished products and work in progress must be optimized in terms of time and distance. Each move increases the risk of damage, loss, delay, etc. and more importantly, the longer the product moves, the greater the overhead. Transportation does not add value to the product, and the consumer is not willing to pay for it.

Stocks - the more stocks are in warehouses and in production, the more money is "frozen" in these stocks. Inventory does not add value to a product.

Movements - unnecessary movements of operators and equipment increase the loss of time, which again leads to an increase in cost without increasing the value of the product.

Waiting - Products that are in work in progress and are waiting for their turn to be processed add value without increasing value.

Overproduction This type of loss is the most significant of all. Unsold products require production costs, storage costs, accounting costs, etc.

Technology - this type of loss is due to the fact that the production technology does not allow to implement all the requirements of the end user in the product.

Defects - each defect results in additional costs of time and money.

The types of waste that Lean considers are the same as in the Kaizen approach. Sometimes another type of waste is added to the Lean system - these are losses from the wrong placement of staff. This type of waste occurs if the staff performs work that does not correspond to their skills and experience.

Lean Tools

Lean manufacturing is a logical development of many management approaches created in Japanese management. Therefore, the Lean system includes a large number of tools and techniques from these approaches, and often the management approaches themselves. It is quite difficult to list all the tools and techniques. Moreover, the composition of the tools used will depend on the conditions of the specific tasks of a particular enterprise. The main management tools and approaches that are part of the lean manufacturing tools are:

Quality management tools –

The development of any company provides for a gradual exit to a qualitatively new level. To do this, you need to change the usual and established way of managing, but not change randomly, but in accordance with a well-thought-out strategy. Profit will grow when the methods of production are maximally improved, guaranteeing the growth of income, and costs and losses are minimized. This technology, which has been operating on the world market for a long time, is called “lean manufacturing”.

Consider the principles of this technique, the features of its application in domestic business, ways of implementation in production. Let's discuss the obstacles that can stand in the way of an innovative entrepreneur who strives for frugality. Here is a step-by-step algorithm that can help in organizing new forms of management.

"Lean" production: how to understand it

"Lean- a special way of organizing activities, providing for the optimization of all business processes in order to find and eliminate hidden losses and improve production at all its stages.

The term is usually understood in two main meanings:

A set of practical tools and business technologies to achieve the goals.
A system of provisions close to philosophical, which characterizes a special attitude to the organization of activities at all levels - from management to a simple worker.

In various literature, this technology can be referred to as:

BP ("lean manufacturing");
The English equivalent is "lean production";
Lean or Lean technology (tracing paper from the English term);
It can be written in English transcription, for example, "LEAN principles".

In modern management, without the introduction of BP, no company can count on a leading position in its industry and even on any serious competition.

Reasons to implement lean manufacturing

The reason for restructuring activities according to the Lean system can be not only the expressed will of top management. Common sense will tell you that you need to change approaches to management if the organization systematically:

deadlines for fulfilling orders are not met;
the cost of production is prohibitively high;
extended delivery times;
there is a large proportion of defects in the products;
the share of costs in the financial balance is more than acceptable;
productivity is limited - there is work in progress.

In general, it can be said that the introduction of BP will help to solve the accumulated problems systematically, changing the way the organization works and qualitatively changing the situation for the better.

What Lean Technology Can Bring

To whatever extent the technology of "Lean" production enters the life of the company, positive changes are guaranteed. World practice shows that effectively applied tools of this methodology can improve the situation in the following areas of management:

shorten the operating or production cycle;
optimize the organization of space in the office or industrial premises;
reduce the share of work in progress;
significantly improve product quality;
increase labor productivity, output volumes;
reduce the cost of maintaining fixed assets;
ensure greater autonomy of working groups;
make management more efficient.

System improvements are also possible in other production moments.

ATTENTION! The main result from the introduction of BP will not be the number of tools used and not even the financial indicator of income, but a significant increase in the competitiveness of the organization.

Where is it appropriate to apply "Lean" technology

The Lean system can be used in absolutely any area of production, trade, and provision of services.

Initially, it was used in the field of car manufacturing, in giant factories such as Toyota. The effectiveness of the approach forced it to be adapted for other areas of activity. BP is most widely used in the following areas:

logistics (the name "Lean Logistics" has taken root);
IT (here the own name "Lean software development" is also used);
construction technologies (“Lean Construction”);
medicine (“Lean Health Care”);
oil production;
education system;
credit organizations.

Whatever company applies the principles and methods of Lean technology, it will certainly bring positive changes and pull further development. Naturally, it is necessary to make appropriate adjustments to the methods, based on the characteristics of the industry.

Implementation or transformation?

The term "introduction of BP", which is used in domestic practice, is not entirely accurate in relation to this technology.

In the usual sense, to "implement" this or that undertaking means to change the state from the original to the planned one. For example, the efficiency of equipment in production was estimated at 45%, and after the “implementation” it should reach the level of 90%. Managers perceive management technology as a kind of software that can be installed and thereby ensure the planned performance.

With regard to Lean technology, this approach does not work. One can compare the development according to this scheme with the movement not from the beginning to the end point, but with the unfolding of a spiral, which increases positive effects with each circle, for which it is necessary to increase the applied efforts.

IMPORTANT! The transformation must be permanent and systematic, affecting all areas, starting with the way of thinking of each employee. To do this, the technology has provided a simple and understandable toolkit.

Principles of the LEAN system

Since BP is not only a set of tools, but also a way of thinking, it is necessary that the participants in the process are imbued with its basic principles:

The value of the product to the consumer. The manufacturer must understand well what exactly the future buyer appreciates in his products. Then it will be possible to abolish or significantly reduce those activities that do not affect these values in production.
Only necessary actions. It is necessary to understand what procedures in production are really necessary, and to eliminate all possible losses of resources.
Not a process, but a thread. The technology of production should not be a set of procedures, but a continuous flow, where operations logically and immediately follow one another. It is important that each operation adds to the product the values defined in paragraph 1.
What you need, and as much as you need. The release of products must meet the needs and requirements of end users.
There is no limit to perfection. The implementation of the BP system is not completed, it provides for constant work on subsequent improvements in an ever-changing market situation.

Hidden losses

The system of "Lean" production is extremely specific. In order to rebuild production, you first need to put things in order in the existing system, eliminating the most obvious "leaks", that is, minimizing hidden losses, nullifying unhelpful actions. Thus, efficiency will increase and management will improve in other areas. Therefore, it is necessary first of all to determine the main types of possible losses in production. The founders and followers of the Lin system identified several of their varieties:

overproduction- losses due to excessive production of products (increase the influence of other types of losses);
"pending"- losses due to unproductive waiting (for various reasons, for example, downtime, untimely deliveries, setting up bad equipment, inefficient production cycle, etc.);
dynamic- losses caused by unproductive movements and inappropriate movements (search for the necessary tools or documents, performing actions without the need, improper organization of space);
"spare"- losses due to an excessive amount of stocks (parts, documents, raw materials, etc.), since it is necessary to spend resources on storage, search, etc.;
quality- losses due to defective production results (a large number of defects);
technological– losses due to non-compliance of technology with the requirements for the final product;
psychological- losses due to creative burnout of employees.

LEAN tools

To achieve the goals declared by "Lean" production, an extensive system of various management tools is used:

5S concept. This tool is intended for the primary ordering of the main processes that cause hidden losses of various varieties. The application of the method immediately has a positive impact on the quality of products, labor productivity, and the safety of its conditions. The name "5S" reflects the five main stages of minimizing hidden losses, each of which begins with the letter "C":
- sorting;
- self-organization;
- maintenance of the workplace in good condition;
- workplace standardization;
- improvement.
JIT method. The abbreviation stands for "Just-in-Time", "just in time". It is aimed at reducing the terms of the production cycle, which, in turn, will significantly reduce the cost of production, and hence the price of the goods. The essence of the method is that materials and raw materials are provided only when and in the quantity they are needed for production. In the “running short” condition, the working losses will be significantly reduced, compared with a constant overabundance of the source material.
Poka-yoke method. Translation from Japanese expression - "error protection". The point is to eliminate the very possibility of making a mistake. Everyone knows that prevention is always less complicated and costly than correction. Therefore, all the forces of personnel and managers are directed to the creation of procedures or the use of devices to prevent errors.
Kaizen approach. The word can be translated as "improvement without stopping." Its basis is in a gradual transition from stage to stage, each of the subsequent ones provides for a change for the better, albeit a small one. At each stage, an analysis of the current situation is first made, then specific steps are proposed for improvement, which are implemented at the next stage.
Kanban system. Also the Japanese method, which provides for control over the flow of materials and goods. It is based on the use of special work cards to accompany the product throughout its production cycle, each of which is called "kanban". They are of two types:
- selection cards - carry information about product details that must come from other sites or from suppliers;
- order cards - carry information about the movement of products or their parts within the organization (types, quantity), which should come from the previous stage of production.
Andon mode. It provides for the transparency of the process for all participants in the production using visual control, allows you to request help in time or stop the process.
SMED method.(“Single Minute Exchange of Die”, which can be translated as “delay is like death”) allows you to minimize temporary losses at intermediate stages of production.
Quality control can be done using a variety of techniques:
- control sheet;
- control card;
- stratification;
- bar graph;
- scatter chart, Pareto, Ishikawa, etc.
Quality control carried out using a variety of charts, graphs and matrices:
- network chart;
- priority matrix;
- link diagrams, affinity, tree, matrix, etc.
Analysis and quality planning can be performed using various procedures:
- method "5 why";
- "house of quality";
- FMEA analysis, etc.

This is not a complete list of Lean manufacturing tools. Since BP, as already mentioned, is not a set of technologies, but a system, the greatest effect will be brought by the complex application of methods, although each of them individually will have a positive impact on a particular industry.

Braking stereotypes about LEAN technology

The main problems of introducing Lean technology in production are in the heads of management and staff. False beliefs prevent you from accepting new principles for building production and letting them pass through you.

Nevertheless, the principles of LEAN are objective, and therefore stereotypes of thinking should not slow down the introduction of this progressive technology. What hinders the awareness of this system? Consider the main internal objections:

“The enterprise has been working for years, and it still works well, why drastic changes?” The fact is that the market has changed rapidly in the last couple of decades. The old principles of production will not only fail to maintain the level, but will inevitably pull it back.
“All these foreign technologies will not work in our conditions, on our mentality.” Indeed, Lean manufacturing as an approach was developed in Japan, picked up and developed by the Western business world. But this approach is not something purely national, its principles are universal and are based on the system of resource conservation, as old as the world, simply “packed” into more modern tools.
“It won’t take root, they will try and quit.” The system of continuous improvement is not an action, not a one-time introduction, but a complete restructuring of the foundation, a basic change in the culture of work. If you start, the running improvement mechanism will not stop: you quickly get used to the good.
“I am just a cog in the system, what can I do?” These are the thoughts of ordinary workers, ordinary personnel, who think that nothing depends on them. However, the very basis of the Lean system refutes this stereotype, proclaiming the principle: "Every drop can overflow a glass." Thanks to the system, it is easy to answer the question: “What can I do?” and start acting: organize your workplace, improve the work of subordinate equipment, establish the necessary connections, etc.
“We need to change everything, it is difficult and costly.” In this case, only stereotypes need “breaking”. The introduction of LEAN does not require any additional investments, or changes in personnel policy, or immediate restructuring of technological schemes. We are talking about a global change - in the mentality, and it happens very gradually and gradually.