Process Data Measurement

We see a lot of automated shop floor and process data capture going on, especially with larger companies. For example, OEE (Overall Equipment Effectivess) measurement is often reported in great detail and with great certainty ("Our factory OEE increased by 0.7% last month!").

Usually when Kaizen teams start to look at the data, they see that reported data through automated collection systems is at best unreliable and at worst downright misleading. The best way to understand line performance is to see and understand it for yourself and to collect data to support what you are seeing. Once you understand what you need, you can then turn again to automated systems to support you.

Time and again, challenging a team to turn away from 'analysis paralysis' and focussing on the key 'real' data leads to big jumps first in understanding and then to real progress in problem solving and problem resolution.

'Enjoyable' visit to A&E?

One of the contributors had the misfortune to take our partner to the A&E department at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport the other day, with a twisted ankle.

The NHS is full of waste, has slow processes and is full of demoralised staff, according to the generally received view. In fact, a pay as you go A&E department has opened locally, run by Casualty Plus, which is an indication that requirements are not being met by the public sector.. Expectations were low and indeed a great deal of reading literature was taken as it was likely to be a long night..

We walked (OK, one of us limped) in. We were greeted by an LED display telling us how long the wait was. We were booked in electronically at reception and were told to wait for the nurse. We waited less than five minutes and an assessment was carried out to determine the severity of the injury - presumably to decide if emergency treatment was required. The injury was judged less serious.

We were directed to the X-ray department, the directions for which were clearly marked on the floor. We waited a short time. The X-ray was taken and transmitted electronically to a central server. We were given a bar coded card which we dropped in a container and asked to wait again. We waited probably ten minutes and then were seen by a nurse who looked at the X-ray and checked with a doctor before seeing us. The nurse's only frustration was that the X-rays were taking some time to come through to the server and was hoping ways could be found to improve this.

Happily, there was no break although the sprain was bad and getting worse. In the consulting room, most if not all medical supplies were marked clearly and the nurse quickly found the correct bandage and gave advice on pain relief and how much to walk/rest.

We left the A&E department, hardly having had time for a coffee. The cycle time from start to finish was 75% of the time which was displayed on the LED display.

I noticed customer satisfaction graphs displayed, rating most key aspects of the service and it seems our experience was not unusual.

Examples of 5S workplace organisation, flow, Kanban, visual management, workflow, Kaizen.........

We hope you never need to go to Stockport A&E but if you ever do look out for the lean processes in evidence...

Delegate Power

At a recent Kaizen event, a delegate introduced a saying which everyone in the team liked:

"When the winds of change blow, some build walls, some build windmills"

Although this slogan is not new, it was certainly new to the company I was working with and new to the team. They thought it was so good that they put the slogan on their lean training room and really helped to personalise their journey. Stories are so important in terms of changing culture and this will no doubt be an important step to help them along the way.....

Don't Forget 5S!!

5S can often still be dismissed as just getting the workplace clean - often by senior management who are not close enough to the muda to understand its impact. Even lean implementers can get complacent about it's importance - we assume it is at the base of everything we do but sometimes forget its real worth in removing blockers and helping the product to flow.

On a recent implementation, a large percentage of the kaizen activity was focussed on workplace organisation of a process which was changed over frequently. The area was full of unused equipment (one item had been there for months and was cleaned every week but not used). The workforce accepted as given that it took ages to find all the change parts to be able to change the line over.

The team really focussed on sorting the major items and designing new storage cabinets, labelled and organised. The team were also able to involve operators in the area in the 5S activity. The whole morale of the line lifted as the operators could actually find what they wanted.

The upshot was improved performance through reduced changeover time. Nothing more advanced was done that a good systematic approach to 5S.

It reminds us all we shouldn't forget the basics.