Japanese And Other Productivity Techniques In Manufacturing Kaizen, JIT, Kanban and Poka- Yoke

Index Introduction Management- Improvement Function Kaizen JIT Kanban Poka-yoke Bibliography

Introduction Japanese manufacturing techniques generally approach productivity with the goal of reducing unnecessary expenses, waste and time, while increasing production and efficiency. Many of the modern Japanese manufacturing techniques were developed after World War II and peaked in the 1980s. Large companies such as Toyota are credited with pioneering many of the manufacturing techniques used by Japanese companies and these techniques have spread to non-Japanese companies as well, due to their effectiveness

Improvement function - Kaizen “Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success This method became famous by the book of Masaaki Imai which means KAI – Change & ZEN – Good i.e improvement. It means works continuously towards revising the current standards, once they have been mastered, and establishing higher ones. Improvement can be broken down between innovation and Kaizen. Kaizen signifies small improvements as a result of coordinated continuous efforts by all employees.

Improvement function – Kaizen(Contd...) By improving standardized activities and processes, kaizen aims to eliminate waste as in lean manufacturing( Toyota Production System ) Kaizen was first implemented in several Japanese businesses after World War II, influenced in part by American business and quality management teachers who visited the country It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work, and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes.

Key Practices

Customer Orientation Determine the perceptions, needs, and wants of target markets Satisfy them through the design, communication, pricing Quality Control Circle (QCC) Come together to discuss with the management issues related to either quality control or improvement in production methods. Voluntarily meet on a regular basis to identify, analyze and solve their problems. Discipline in the work place Co-operative Labor Manager Relations. TQM Functions on the premise that the quality of the products and processes is the responsibility of everyone who is involved with the creation or consumption of the products or services offered by the organization. Quality Improvement It is a formal approach to the analysis of performance and systematic efforts to improve it. There are numerous models used. Some commonly discussed include: PDSA, Six Sigma, CQI, TQM

Automation and Robotics Autonomation It is ‘automation with a human touch ‘. If there is a problem the machine can not resolve, the production is stopped and the human workers look into the matter and apply countermeasures so that such things do not happen again. Kanban Just-in-time Zero defects It tries to bring defects in production to zero. Total Productive Maintenance the machine operator is thoroughly trained to perform much of the simple maintenance and fault-finding.

Kaizen at Toyota There are two kinds of kaizen activities at Toyota: kaizen made by the supervisory staff and engineers as their functions, that made by workers through the quality circles and suggestion system. Cost of each of the parts and a standard time for their production. A maintenance team An assembly line is divided into about ten segments per function A large conveyer installed on the ground level permit workers to operate Tasks to carry heavy parts also disappeared by installing automatic or semi-automatic equipment.

Features of Kaizen Improvements are based on many small changes Small improvements are less likely to require major capital investment. The ideas come from the talents of the existing workforce Continuous improvement in individual performance

Features of Kaizen( Contd...) It helps encourage workers, thereby improving worker motivation Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work ("muri"), Teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes.

Companies implementing Kaizen

 Jit is a strategy used in inventory management.  With JIT strategy companies aim to decrease waste and inventory costs by receiving goods only when they are needed to produce.  JIT inventory mgmt thus increases efficiency and is used by companies that prefer to keep low inventory levels.  In order for JIT to work corrctly the company must be able to predict demand for the product and how much inventory will be needed at what stages  It has also been described as an approach with the objective of producing  the right part in the right place at the right time..

KEY ELEMENTS OF JIT.  Reduce or eliminate setup times.  Reduce lot sizes.  Reduce lead times.  Preventive maintenence.  Flexible workforce.

ADVANTAGES OF JIT.  Lower stock holding means a reduction in storage space which saves rent and insurance costs  As stock is only obtained when it is needed, working capital is tied up in stock  There is less likelihood of stock perishing,becoming obsolete or out of date.  Avoids the build-up of unsold finished product that can occur with sudden changes in demand  Less time is spent on checking and re-working the product of others as the emphasis is on getting the work right first time

DISADVANTAGES OF JIT.  There is little room for mistakes as minimal stock is kept for re-working faulty product  Production is very reliant on suppliers and if stock is not delivered on time, the whole production schedule can be delayed.  There is no spare finished product available to meet unexpected orders, because all product is made to meet actual orders – however, JIT is a very responsive method of production

Improvement function – Kanban Kanban (literally signboard or billboard) is a scheduling system for lean and just-in-time (JIT) production. According to its creator, Taiichi Ohno, kanban is one means through which JIT is achieved It is a inventory scheduling system that helps determine what to produce, when to produce it, and how much to produce The need to maintain a high rate of improvement led Toyota to devise the kanban system. Kanban became an effective tool to support the running of the production system as a whole.

Improvement function – Kanban(contd...) Basic Principles:- Start with what you do now Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change Respect the current process, roles, responsibilities & titles Leadership at all levels

Improvement function – Kanban(contd...) Kanban cards Three bin System Electronic systems

Poka Yoke Japanese for mistake-proofing Poka - inadvertent mistake Yoke – prevent Developed in the 1960s Either prevents a mistake from being made or makes the mistake obvious at a glance

“ The cause of defects lie in worker errors, and defects are a result of neglecting those errors – mistakes will not turn into defects if worker errors are discovered and eliminated beforehand” - Shingo

Three types of inspection Judgment inspection Informative inspection Source inspection Often Poka Yoke devices ensure the proper operating conditions exist prior to actual production

PokaYoke Device Categories Prevention device - make errors impossible Detection device - Make errors visible to the operator

Characteristics of Good Poka Yoke Devices they are simple and cheap they are part of the process they are placed close to where the mistakes occur