Low Volume Lean Methodology - ANS ✔✔Start small, keep the scope doable, proceed in small
steps.
Low Volume Lean #1 - ANS ✔✔Manage Visually - start with the right metrics (that the manager
has control over); metrics for quality, productivity, customer service, inventory, safety; good
visuals - clear accountability, easily understood, kept up to date, evidence of regular review;
poor - unclear, info overload, influence on performance unknown, no action, no owner
Low Volume Lean #2 - ANS ✔✔Standardized Work for Managers - managers need audit
schedules; cannot change behavior unless managers change their methods
Low Volume Lean #3 - ANS ✔✔Associating a time with all work - estimating sheets; having
operators track their standard work by process or product type (not products)
Low Volume Lean #4 - ANS ✔✔Utilizing Day by Hour and FIFO Boards - Day-by-hour board: for
shared processes where there is not a reliable forecast (whiteboards, scheduling box); FIFO
boards - work orders route through various processes
Low Volume Lean #5 - ANS ✔✔Making Improvements when short of capacity - Single-Minute
Exchange of Die (SMED), bottleneck analysis, measure Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE),
standardized work (different than high volume), dedicated material handlers, outsourcing (make
vs. buy, capacity relief)
Low Volume Lean #6 - ANS ✔✔Making improvements when you have excess capacity - cross
training, insourcing, flexible machinery
,Low Volume Lean #7 - ANS ✔✔Value stream mapping - (new icon - shared process box), future
state steps - pull where you can, split delivery dates for large orders, setup reduction
Low Volume Lean #8 - ANS ✔✔Becoming aware of your inventory and using pull systems - use
different methods for "runners, repeaters, and strangers" (pull for higher volumes, MRP for
lower volume repeaters and strangers); determining kanban quantities, kanban boards to make
inventory more visual; use mix of push and pull and find the right boundary point
Low Volume Lean Other - ANS ✔✔Making manpower improvements (5S, std work, jidoka),
Improving machine performance and plant layout, office dept kaizen, office process kaizen,
improving product costing
Ideal State of Lean - ANS ✔✔One piece flow
If one piece flow isn't possible... - ANS ✔✔...produce parts just in time using a pull system
What are kanbans? - ANS ✔✔Signaling mechanisms used in pull systems
What is Just In Time? - ANS ✔✔Making and delivering the right material at the right time in the
right quantity
3 elements of Just In Time - ANS ✔✔Takt - making and delivering at the same rate the customer
is consuming
Flow - focusing on keeping the material moving through the value stream
Pull system - making in response to customer demand
Levels of instruction with withdrawing - ANS ✔✔1) Batch - mass production - common starting
point
2) Lot by lot - general purpose equipment like stamping, molding (long setups)
, 3) Kanban container by kanban container - smaller lot sizes
4) Single piece flow (ideal)
Pull - ANS ✔✔Production is initiated by customer (downstream) telling the producer (upstream)
to produce more.
No signal, no production.
Replenishment - ANS ✔✔Customer has consumed product and need to be replenished. Signal is
sent.
Kanban - ANS ✔✔A visual signal requiring...
1) item (description, number)
2) quantity
3) from location
4) to location
Two types of kanban - ANS ✔✔Withdrawal - taking some from the supermarket. Cards for
internal, electronic for external suppliers.
Production - need more, so make more. One card per container.
Pull system - ANS ✔✔1) Customer requests finished good.
2) Release withdrawal kanban to finished goods supermarket.
3) Product removed, withdrawal kanban attached to product.
4) Production kanban taken off product and placed on kanban post.
5) Material handler collects production kanban and delivers to production area.
6) Product made and production card attached.
7) Product in supermarket