30 learnings from my LEAN journey

Fluctuations cause problems for all production systems. During the shift, we produce different products or product variances. Processes will take longer than planned or will be faster. We can have different quality issues or breakdowns. Parts may arrive early or late. Essentially, the material does not flow at a consistent speed but often moves in waves - sometimes faster and sometimes slower. Fluctuations create disturbances in the production process therefore a  major part of lean manufacturing is r educing fluctuations. To eliminate the impact of fluctuations - inventory is our friend. The buffer inventory goes up and down like waves and decouples the fluctuations. This allows our machines and operators to work at a constant speed . Consequently, we can provide our internal customers with material despite e.g., a fluctuating demand.  If we cut our inventory, our ability to decouple these fluctuations decreases. Inventory is one of the 7 wastes in production that...

Question 1/2: How do you know you are solving the right problem? Many managers require people to come with solutions and not with problems. I find it problematic when solving problems in production. People might be solving problems that are not important. Issues that are not crucial now – or not crucial at all. The first step in problem-solving is to be sure you solve the right problem. To optimize production efficiency, we need to thoroughly analyze and improve processes before attempting to improve operations . That is the leading principle in deciding whether we have the right problem on the table. The best way to understand whether we deal with the right problem is to know how the current issue impacts the production system. Synthesis precedes Analysis. Synthesis focuses on the function of a particular process, it reveals why things operate as they do with regards to the production system itself. When discussing the problem, the reasonable question is: How does this situation fit t...