Aug 19 2015
Jidoka (自働化) isn’t just “stop and fix” or “stop and call.” It is a complete approach to automation that includes building in the ability of a machine to stop when it malfunctions but also includes many other things. Sakichi Toyoda’s Type-G loom didn’t just stop when the yarn broke, it also had automatic shuttle change, which reduced the need for human intervention in its normal operations, and was a breakthrough that had eluded everybody else.
Aug 8 2015
Scientific and technical terms are frequently used metaphorically in business, in ways that don’t always make sense. Companies, nowadays, are commonly described as having certain practices, “in their DNA,” and you hear discussions of “changing their DNA.”As is known to anyone who has taken High School biology or watched a recent cop show on TV, the one thing you can’t change is your DNA. We each have our own version, formed at conception and replicated in every cell of our body.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.linkedin.com
See on Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
Jul 29 2015
“[…]Within the context of Lean manufacturing, focused on elimination of waste and continual process improvement, the Internet of Things can lead to huge efficiency gains … some people see it as Lean on steroids. Tools and equipment will automatically collect, share and interact with other data and processes, opening up a whole new realm of achievements attainable under Lean initiatives.[…]”
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.sme.org
Michel Baudin‘s comments:
Even though the article is a marketing pitch, and the Internet of Things (IoT) so far has been focused on systems embedded in finished goods rather than production processes, it is a topic that manufacturing professionals and Lean implementers should pay attention to.
Jul 13 2015
In a rebuttal to John Seddon‘s latest paper, An Exploration into the Failure of Lean, Bob Emiliani asserts that the original purpose of TPS was to reduce cost. He quotes both Taiichi Ohno and Yasuhiro Monden saying so, and chides Seddon for not reading their works carefully enough. In the context of these documents, however, I think the quotes are misleading. Neither Ohno’s and Monden’s books, nor any other Japanese publication about manufacturing systems that I have seen, contain a discussion of what costs actually are.
Jul 10 2015
Reddit has a “subreddit” called “IamA,” where an individual posts information about himself or herself, and all members are allowed to ask questions. I gave it a try last night, posting the summary of my LinkedIn profile. The questions were more like those students ask about career choices and strategies than the more technical ones I receive through this blog or through LinkedIn. On Reddit, you only see usernames, so I don’t know whom I have been responding to.
Aug 25 2015
What’s Wrong With the Rote Application of Lean Tools?
There is more to playing the piano than practicing scales, but you can’t get there unless you do practice scales. Likewise, there is more to Lean than tools, but you need the tools. They are not sufficient, but they are necessary. Unless you learn them, you are depriving yourself of the benefits of clever tricks, methods, and analytical tools developed over 65 years. Each one doesn’t necessarily take long to learn, but would to reinvent, and you don’t have that time.
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By Michel Baudin • Management • 3 • Tags: Lean, Tools of Lean, Toyota, TPS