Week #1 & #2: (1/21-31) Lean, Six Sigma, 5S & 6S

[rjagodowski]

Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the Homework assignment.

This week we begin the discussion on LEAN, 5S & Six Sigma. These are three initiatives which many companies are instituting to improve quality and reduce waste within their organization

The concept of LEAN is to minimize waste. Read through the attachment LEAN Brings Results. Make special note of the spaghetti diagram and the dollar amount of WIP (work in progress). Here's the pdf:

LEAN brings results_a.pdf

(429.03 KiB) Downloaded 174 times

The Eight Wastes of LEAN from Wisconline.com

Here's a quote from the Defense Acquisition University:

"Lean Manufacturing is a manufacturing philosophy which shortens the time between the customer order and the product build/shipment by eliminating sources of waste."

Perhaps the best definition of Lean that we have encountered is based upon a story told by Mr. Ohno-who in a discussion with Mr. Cho (the future president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Company, Georgetown KY) about the origins of the TPS (Toyota Production System), indicated that (what we now call Lean) is a manufacturing phenomenon that seeks to "maximize the work effort of a company's number one resource, the People." Lean is therefore "a way of thinking" to adapt to change, eliminate waste, and continuously improve. There are a number of tools and techniques, to be used in concert, to achieve maximizing the effort of the workforce and to operate as a "lean" company."


Here is the Wikipedia description of "Lean".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing


Here's Wikipedia on muda or "waste".

LEAN is a methodology to eliminate waste. The Eight Wastes of a LEAN Production System.

A term often included in discussions of LEAN is Six Sigma. More will be discussed about this, but here is a brief introduction. Six Sigma deals with minimizing process variation.
Here's a brief description of "lean six sigma"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_Six_S ... plified.29

5S Methodology is a workplace organization concept. Originally in Japanese, the English word translation for 5S is: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize & Sustain.

5S Workplaces: When Safety & LEAN meet.

What is 6S LEAN?

Here is a description from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about various Process Improvement methods .


Cellular Manufacturing involves creating production work stations and equipment arranged in a sequence that supports a smooth flow of materials and components. Cellular Manufacturing from Encyclopedia.com.



A few years back I received an e-mail for this webinar (web delivered seminar) 3D Printing Makes Lean Manufacturing Leaner. Below is the text of the e-mail:

This webinar will present an overview of 3D printing and how the technology helps manufacturing operations become leaner by eliminating wasted time, materials, space, and labor. Attendees will learn how 3D printing can reduce design-to-production cycle times through rapid and iterative prototyping, and how the broader spectrum of materials now available makes 3D printing a practical approach to many tooling applications as well as to producing replacement parts on demand. Attendees will also learn how manufacturing operations can take maximum advantage of these enhancements by establishing an in-house 3D printing capability. The presentation will explain how, as the costs of purchasing and using a 3D printing system continue to decline, the return on the investment of setting up an in-house capability has become greater and is realized sooner.

Documents available from this webinar include this whitepaper:

3d_printing_makes_lean_manufacturing_leaner.pdf

(207.72 KiB) Downloaded 165 times

and the pdf of the Powerpoint from the Webinar:

webinar_powerpoint.pdf

(340.88 KiB) Downloaded 170 times

"Six Sigma". The next four links contains interactive tutorials from Wisc-online.

What is Sigma? Why Six?
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/inde ... ID=QLT1404

Six Sigma and the Cost of Quality
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/inde ... ID=QLT1504

Six Sigma DMAIC Steps
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/inde ... ID=QLT1304

Six Sigma Process Performance Analysis
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/inde ... ID=QLT2204


Some additional links:

LEAN/Six Sigma Culture

Pareto Effect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle and http://management.about.com/cs/generalm ... 081202.htm.


For Homework due before next class: Work through each of the Wisc-Online links above on your own in addition to the time we spent in class. Also, do a bit of research and find the definitions of the acronyms "TIMWOODS" and "DOWNTIME" in relation to LEAN concepts. Are all of these concepts similar? When you have completed working through the assigned Wisc-Online links, post a Reply to this topic below stating you have completed the assignment.

Some added reading:
Who is Tim Woods and Why is he killing your business?"
The 8 Deadly Lean Wastes - DOWNTIME

Also think of an "Advanced Topic" or two you might want incorporated in our course this and I'll make a list next week.

[vrwhitcomb0001]

All the links posted are effectively speaking about the same concepts, reducing downtime, eliminating inventory, reducing movement, streamlining production flow and eliminating defects.
Vinny Whitcomb

[erivera0005]

I've completed this assignment which all the links from "wisc-online.com" spoke about the similarities concepts of Six Sigma. It gave great examples of how to reduce downtime, reduce the cost spent on projects with many defects, and explaining well enough how the LEAN brings results to neutralize waste to manufacturers. The DMAIC, " Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control" helped me understand how Six Sigma is a lot more affected than " three-sigma " would.

[wjnieves0001]

i have completed this assignment. The links all discuss how to improve efficiency in various aspects of the manufacturing industry.

[Rmreed0001]

I have completed the assignment. The links discuss different aspects of manufacturing and how they can be improved to get a better product for the customer. It also discusses how to be more efficient in production and how to save money around the edges.

[csrichter0001]

Conner Richter has completed the assigned reading. The two links "Who is Tim Woods and Why is he killing your business?" and "The 8 Deadly Lean Wastes - DOWNTIME" talk about the strategies of using 6 sigma notation in a manufacturing environment. Way that businesses can save money and work more efficiently.

[drblain0001]

I have completed the assignment the links explain how companies are trying to improve manufacturing through lean and six sigma by cutting waste.

[rwcyr]

c/w

[jfrusso0001]

Completed assignment.

[jkrome]

completed

[pbanaru0001]

I have completed the assignment