Transcript Kaizen Process

TSI Plastics, Inc.
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TSI Plastics has been servicing the Aerospace & Defense
Industries since 1959 as a contract manufacturer of
custom fabricated parts and assemblies. TSI specializes
in precision CNC machining and injection molding of
plastics
for a broad range of industries. Specializing
in non-metallic materials including Acrylic,
Polycarbonate, Nylon, Teflon. TSI helps with both
design and engineering services, material selection, and
production processes.
TSI is AS 9100 certified and pursuing SEA Certification
to continually improve value to the customer.
TSI currently has 15 employees
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A kaizen event is a focused improvement
activity undertaken by a specially selected
team over a short period of time.
An event has three parts:
o Preparation
o The event week
o 30-day closeout and review
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Preparation includes steps 1 -4
Step 1: Select an opportunity for improvement
Step 2: Identify the customers’ requirements
Step 3: Define the problem
Step 4: Collect Data
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Clearly an event has to be focused in a very
specific area, otherwise it is impossible to
achieve significant results in the time
available.
Events should be focused on:
o Areas of significant customer dissatisfaction
o High levels of waste
o Poor flow
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Once the goals and dates have been set, the
champion and team leader can go on to
develop the remainder of the team contract.
This should cover:
o What will the team look at/not look at
o Be clear what is within the scope and what is not
o Is there a separate budget or is it self-financing
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In an event there are two points at which data
must be collected:
1. Prior to the event to help with the scoping and
preparation
2. During the event week to understand the detailed
performance of the current process
Use this data to:
o Help in the setting of the goals
o Brief the team and those affected on the current
situation in the area
o Decide what additional data will be needed by the
team and the tools to use during the event week to
collect it
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The event week therefore covers steps 4 – 9 of
PDCA:
Step 4: Collect Data
Step 5: Analyze for root causes
Step 6: Find Solution(s) – all the actions that could
be taken to dramatically improve performance
Step 7: Develop a plan to implement solution(s) –
this is very quick; the emphasis in on ACTION
Step 8: Implement solution(s) – ACTION – quickly!
Step 9: Monitor results and evaluate against plan –
even within the week it is usually possible to
measur some of the benefits achieved.
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The aims of the Lean module when used in an
event are to:
o Understand the main principles and benefits of Lean Enterprise
o Be familiar with the main tools and techniques and their role in
achieving Lean Enterprise
o Understand the role of events in implementing Lean Enterprise
The Lean module is therefore a vehicle to get across
to the event team what Lean Enterprise is about;
what it involves and why it is important to the
business
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Before launching into the data collection, etc., it is important
to spend some time clarifying what has to be achieved
during the week and
what this will involve.
The briefing should last no more than one and a half hours
and should cover:
o Goals and boundaries
o Overall time plan
o Ground rules
o Safety rules
o Visit to the area
o Review of existing data
o Root causes
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Start on-time
Say what you are thinking
Everyone participates
Make and meet commitments
No phones or pagers
No such thing as a stupid question
Discussions stay in the room until it is over
Have fun!
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In order to keep control over the week, given
the rate of the activity, it is very important to
have regular reviews:
o With the team members to check on progress and
agree next steps
o With the champion to report actions and get
approval where needed.
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Each of these is considered in turn.
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By the end of day 4, the major actions should have been
taken, along with several small steps and a clear plan
developed showing what else
needs to be done to
complete the changes.
The morning of day 5 is spent:
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Preparing and delivering a presentation
Deciding the 30 day closeout actions
Reviewing the event week and team performance
Pulling together a visual display for the event area
The event presentation is made mid-afternoon.
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Purpose
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To report
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What
What
What
What
has been done
has been achieved
else needs to be done to make it stick
has been learned
Audience
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Sponsor (and possibly other members of the management team).
Others working in the event area.
Supporters.
Other guests.
Length
o Aim for 30 minutes maximum
o Be energetic and focused, do not let it drag
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Decreased lead time by 60% which converts into a
$16,000/month cash flow improvement.
Decreased WIP by installing a finished goods
supermarket. This resulted in a cash flow
improvement of $91,000 per year.
Increased productivity by 30% in a assembly work
cell which resulted in a savings of $30,000 per
year.
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