lean

Lean Six Sigma  – Where Do You Start?

Lean and Six Sigma are the two of today’s most popular business improvement approaches.  Six Sigma drives improvements in quality and reliability by reducing variation using a problem-solving methodology known as “DMAIC” (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control).  Lean is a proven approach to eliminating waste in new product development, manufacturing, and distribution in order to cut lead times and investment, increase flexibility and reduce costs.  Lean involves using as little as possible of the available resources – including time – to deliver value to customers.

When a company-wide Lean and/or Six Sigma program is begun, the first challenge that managers and improvement teams face is knowing exactly where to begin improvement efforts.   Waste elimination is contingent about first being able to identify waste.  You cannot eliminate what you can’t see.  Likewise, it is difficult to pinpoint root causes of variability in an unstable work environment.  In many workplaces, firefighting is common and problem solving is reactive in nature versus proactive.  Trying to implement an improvement program in such an environment is a formidable challenge – where do you start?

This is where an approach called “5S” comes in.  5S is an approach to waste and variability identification and elimination by stabilizing the work environment. Waste is easiest to detect and eliminate in a stable environment, as is pinpointing root causes of variability.  5S is a simple and immensely practical approach to improvement which can achieve great results in a very short period of time.

Many organizations typically begin their Lean journey with the deployment of 5S.  After the 5S has been firmly entrenched, they can move on to more advanced methodologies such as SMED, kanban pull scheduling systems, etc.

The following is a description of each of the 5S steps:

The 5S Steps

1st S       Sort

In the Sort step, necessary items for the workplace are separated from unnecessary items and subsequently removed.  A “red tag” campaign is conducted to evaluate items based on their usefulness and frequency of use.  Unnecessary items crowd the workplace and make it difficult to find and keep important items near the work area.  These items include obsolete equipment, broken tools, obsolete inventory, scrap, old files, etc.  Safety and productivity are improved as a result of the extra floor space created.

2nd S      Set-in-Order

The 2nd S involves installing systems whereby necessary items are always located in logically predetermined locations.  Based on the inventory classification of the red tag campaign, items are placed in locations based on frequency of use.  Frequently used items are placed at or near the workplace while infrequently used items are stored in specified locations.  When items are stored in logical places time is not wasted looking for the appropriate tools or fixtures.  The “gold standard” for the 2nd S is a workplace organized such that needed items can be retrieved within 30 seconds with a minimal number of steps.

3rd S – Shine

The 3rd S consists of the carrying out of regular cleaning activities that ensure that machine downtime is minimized by keeping the factory dirt and dust free and the machines properly maintained. Observers are always amazed when they see how incredibly clean the shop floors are of world-class Japanese manufacturing plants.  Daily cleaning of machines and production areas results in a dust and dirt free factory which reduces breakdowns and maintenance costs while improving safety and quality.

4th S – Standardize 

The goal of the 4th S is to maintain and entrench and the first 3S’s via standardization. This is achieved by the providing of easily understood visual warnings as well as standardized work methods and procedures.  Equipment is marked and labeled so that observation and inspection of equipment can be conducted easily and uniformly.  Anyone on the shop floor, not just the actual operator, should be able to determine when a machine or other piece of equipment is malfunctioning.  As a result, determining the condition and status of equipment becomes accurate and easy and responsiveness increases.  Reaction time to malfunctions is reduced resulting in reduced downtime.  Standardized procedures result in the most efficient use of resources as only the most efficient practices are followed.

5th S – Sustain

The 5th S  involves developing habits to entrench the 5Ss on an individual basis.  5S must become a way of life, and not just another “quick fix” program. The key tool for this entrenchment is a detailed regular appraisal of the workplace called the “5S Audit”.  The audit ensures that the 5S program continues indefinitely and a return to old habits does not occur.

It’s clear that 5S is much more than just a “housekeeping” program.  It is a structured program that results in dramatic changes and equally dramatic results.  Improvements between manufacturing plants where none of the 5S practices are in place, and plants with a full 5S environment, have been noted as:

Quality                                                              90 percent;

Productivity                                                     15-20 percent;

WIP Reduction                                                50-80 percent;

Increase in Space                                           30-40 percent;

Accident Reduction                                       90 percent;

Non-Value Added Time Reduction             25 percent

 

A Wisconsin manufacturer of park benches, ash cans, and bicycle racks achieved significant benefits through their 5S implementation.   Setup times were cut by up to half an hour, and lead times by three to six weeks, without much time and money.  Employees noticed the difference. “Things flow a lot easier now,” according to the plant manager, “I can always find my tools.  I love it.”

For any of the tools in the toolkit for becoming lean – quick changeover, total productive maintenance, mistake-proofing, and so on – 5S significantly helps in both the implementation and sustaining of improvements. By implementing 5S, one steel mill for example, improved floorspace and organization on the shop floor.  This cut its setup time from 12 to 16 hours down to two hours.

But 5S isn’t just for the shop floor.  Traditionally 5S methodology has been used in manufacturing companies, but service organizations such as banks, hotels, courier services, and IT-enabled services are now utilizing this approach. Think about it: in a typical day in the office how much time do you waste searching for information, looking for computer files, and walking back and forth to the printer to retrieve a printout or fax?  Are there mistakes being made because you have inaccurate or outdated information?  The 5S themes of organization, standardization are universally applicable to all work environments. Successful companies such as Parker Hannifin began their Office Lean initiatives by first undertaking 5S programs.

Where should 5S be applied?  The answer is in all industries and all departments – it can and should be applied everywhere.   Successful North American implementations include stamping operations, injection molding plants, steel mills and beverage manufacturers.  And as mentioned above, it’s applicable in all functions of the enterprise, not just on the shop floor.

For companies that have limited operating expenses, 5S gives them a high return on investment and immediate payback.  Before implementing any improvement approach such as Lean/Six Sigma, organizations should implement and institutionalize 5S.  By doing this, the likelihood of your continuous improvement efforts succeeding is greatly increased, as you have obtained buy-in at all levels of the organization.     5S creates the basis for Lean thinking.  By getting the workplace under control, by waste can be more easily identified and eliminated.  Root causes of process variability will also become more visible. Finally, implementing 5S will help you get some significant “quick wins” that will help build momentum for your continuous improvement program.

Posted by r.spector@comcast.net in Lean and Six Sigma

Accelerating Continuous Improvement Initiatives: Applying Lean, Six Sigma and TOC to Program and Project Management

In the last post, I provided a link to an article I wrote some time ago on how to utilize TOC to focus Lean / Six Sigma improvement efforts.   If you haven’t already, I recommend reading that article as it provides a good overview of Lean, Six Sigma, TOC and how they can best work together to maximize value.

The problem of these types of programs not being successful or not achieving their maximum potential value continues today.   In this article, I discuss principles to ensure that your program is successful.  I recognize that some of these principles, such as “Top management must be committed and actively involved” are much easier said than done.   In fact, my most recent thinking is that the issue of top management commitment is at the top of the list as to why these initiatives aren’t nearly as successful as they could be.    In my view, this area needs to be focused upon in more detail in terms of what CI practitioners can practically do to get this commitment and involvement.

In order to address this problem, we need to understand what is the root cause.   From recent discussions with Richard Schonberger, a leading lean advocate, these types of initiatives may not be viewed as “strategic” enough to warrant continued senior management attention and commitment.   From what I’ve seen, there appears to be a lack of understanding of how lean and Six Sigma can be utilized to drive strategic benefits.   One theme that I’ve consistently seen is that of these programs being short term approaches to drive cost reduction.  This is a perception that needs to change if we want to be successful.

I’m currently writing an article that covers this topic in more detail, but I’m interested in your comments.

 

Posted by r.spector@comcast.net in Lean and Six Sigma

Where to focus improvement efforts? Using TOC (Theory of Constraints) with Lean/Six Sigma

In the previous blog post, I wrote about the challenge that arises once companies have decided they need to undertake improvement efforts, they frequently take on more improvement projects than they can handle.  I have seen this over and over again in my career, especially with companies that are starting Six Sigma efforts.    One of the success measures used is the number of certified “belted” practitioners.  In order to get certified, there is usually a requirement to undertake training and achieve results with a project.   As a result, the organization can take on projects that may not drive significant value, but drain the organization’s valuable capacity.

One approach to focus improvement efforts where they drive the most value is the Theory of Constraints.  I was lucky enough to be exposed to TOC when I started my career.   I wrote an article in 2006 that described what is TOC and how it can be used to enhance lean and Six Sigma efforts.    Take a look, and leave any comments you have below.

 

Posted by r.spector@comcast.net in Lean and Six Sigma

Inventory Turns Continued – Has Lean Progress Stagnated?

In the previous blog post, I stated, “What may surprise you even more is that it has become exceedingly difficult to find examples of companies that have demonstrated sustainable progress with lean.”

Hopefully that piqued your interest.   Again, before proceeding, please review the article I listed in the previous post, The Impact of Inventory Turns on Speed, Quality, and Costs to understand why the trend of inventory turns can be used a proxy to measure a company’s level of “leanness.”

Now that that’s been established, let’s look at how some of the companies are doing that are best known for their lean efforts.   If you do a Google search on “Top Lean companies” or similar words, you typically will get names that include the following:

Hewlett Packard
Wal-Mart
Caterpillar Inc.
Intel
Illinois Tool Works
Textron
Parker Hannafin
John Deere
Ford
Toyota

These companies are usually the ones you find listed as examples of what a successful Lean program would look like.   In the article that I wrote on the state of Lean in the pharma industry, I listed HP and Wal-Mart as examples of companies that Pharma could learn from.  Let’s revisit how things were at that time in these two specific cases:

  • HP has successfully applied Lean concepts with a number of case studies you can find online.  In the time period from 2000-2009, HP displayed significant improvement in inventory trends – inventory turns improved at an average rate of 6.9%.  HP’s upward trend translated directly into growth of free cash flow at a rate of 6.9% percent, with interest on the cash compounded over the 10 year period of lessening funds tied up in inventory.
  • At Wal-Mart, from 2000 to 2009, inventory turns improved at an average rate of 2.6% which translates directly into free cash flow improvement of the same rate.    Wal-Mart was able to transform an entire industry via their Lean improvement approach and dictate the requirements to successfully compete.

Now let’s take a look at the trend of inventory turns for HP and Wal-Mart, along with the other companies in the list above, in the period from 2009-2016.   All data was taken from Morningstar.com so blame them not me for any accuracies.

Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns Inventory Turns
Company Name 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Hewlett Packard 12.50 15.26 13.98 13.38 13.97 13.62 12.19 7.15
Wal-Mart 8.79 9.00 9.08 8.70 8.34 8.08 8.11 8.06
Caterpillar Inc. 3.16 3.81 3.61 3.13 2.89 3.20 3.08 3.09
Intel 4.66 4.52 5.16 4.57 4.76 4.80 4.38 4.33
Illinois Tool Works 6.04 7.05 7.06 6.94 6.04 7.15 6.96 7.30
Textron 3.12 3.78 3.98 3.92 3.57 3.31 2.72 2.63
Parker Hannafin 5.95 6.47 7.27 7.08 7.26 7.41 7.23 7.13
John Deere 6.11 6.50 5.93 5.26 5.11 5.45 5.06 5.14
Ford 14.22 18.38 19.18 17.45 17.00 16.21 15.63 14.70
Toyota 11.27 11.58 12.19 11.20 11.17 11.52 10.83 10.77
Average 7.58 8.64 8.74 8.16 8.01 8.08 7.62 7.03

What do you notice in the data above?   Does ANY company show an upward trend in this time period?   Not one of them does.   It’s clear that lean progress has stagnated, and sometimes even regressed at these “lean leaders.”

Why has this happened?  More on that in the next post.   In the interim, please leave comments if you think you have any insights.

 

 

Posted by r.spector@comcast.net in Lean and Six Sigma

Starting with Lean – Inventory Turns

I’m going to start this blog with a post on the topic of “lean.”  The reason why I’m starting here is that I’m currently writing an article on this topic for an upcoming issue of “Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.”  This article will be a sequel to two published articles that I wrote some years ago:

The Impact of Inventory Turns on Speed, Quality, and Costs

How Lean is Pharma?: A 10-Year Progress Report

Before going any further, I recommend reading these two articles to better understand why inventory turns are a reliable indicator to measure a company’s leanness.   The trend of inventory turns over time indicates how well a company is progressing in terms of becoming more Lean and improving its processes.

The upcoming article will be a sequel to the second article listed above, and will look at how much progress the Pharma industry in the years since the article was published in 2010.    The article will review the data and provide some insights as to what is happening and why.   A follow-up article will be published that discussed what can be done about the situation.   It may surprise you to learn that little progress has been made in the pharmaceutical industry.

What may surprise you even more is that it has become exceedingly difficult to find examples of companies that have demonstrated sustainable progress with lean.   More on that in the next post.

 

 

 

Posted by r.spector@comcast.net in Lean and Six Sigma