Lean Principles

Primary Initiative to implement Lean in RMG Bangladesh

Common problems faced by most RMG manufacturing Industry in Bangladesh

√ On time shipment delay

√ Short quantity shipment

√ Quality problems

√ Huge leftover production

How to solve those problems?  please comments your ideas on our comments box, share and support our website. Toyota Production system suggests to implement lean tools and techniques to reduce above unnecessary problems. More-over It’s helps to reduce waste as well as costs and increase productivity. Lean manufacturing philosophy refers to reducing waste from different stage of production system without hampering productivity. 

From the definition we get two common matters.

1. Reducing waste

2. Improving production process

First, we all have to know about the principle of lean manufacturing philosophy, then we discuss about the waste reducing as well as production improvements tools and techniques. Lean has five principle.

a) Specify value

b) Value stream mapping

c) Establish flow

d) Implementing pull system

e) Work to perfection

a). Specify Value: A capability provided to a customer at the right time at an appropriate price, as defined in each case by the customer.

 Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer

√ Ask how your current products/services and processes disappoint your customer’s value expectation: 

√ Price?

√ Quality?

√ Reliable delivery?

√ Rapid response to changing needs?

√ Fundamental definition of the product?

√ What are the wastes:

√ Activities that add no value, add cost and time

√ Symptoms; need to find root causes and eliminate them

√ 7 types of waste

b). Map the Value Stream: “Whenever there is a product or service for a customer, there is a value stream. The challenge lies in seeing it.”  

√ Identify all of the steps currently required to move products from order to delivery

√ Challenge every step: 

√ Why is this necessary? 

√ Would the customer think the product is worth less if this step could be left out?

√ Many steps are only necessary because of the way firms are organized and previous decisions about assets and technologies.

Now we should have to understand that what is meant by Value stream? 

Value Stream: All activities, both value added and non-value added, required to bring a product (or provide a capability) from raw material (initialization) into the arm of the customer.

The most common 3 Value Streams are:

i. Raw material to customer

ii. Concept to launch

iii. Order to cash

c). Establish Continuous Flow: Line up all steps that truly create value in a rapid sequence

 Continuous movement of products, services and information through the various transactions from end to end in the process.

 Flow appears impractical and illogical because we have been trained to think in terms of:

√ departments, silos

√ batches, queues

√ efficiencies and backlogs

√ Require that every step in the process be:

√ Capable – right every time (6 Sigma)

√ Available – always able to run (TPM)

√ Adequate – with capacity to avoid bottlenecks and over capitalization (right-sized tools)

d). Implement Pull: Nothing is done downstream until required upstream

√ A system of cascading production and delivery instructions in which nothing is done by the upstream supplier until the downstream customer signals the need.

√ Through lead time compression & correct value specification, let customers get exactly what’s wanted exactly when it’s wanted:

√ At the pull of the customer/next process

√ Using signals (kanbans)

e). Work to Perfection: A continual cycle of process improvements

√ There is always more waste

√ People learn and exercise more creativity

√ Involve employees in the process, training them as you proceed.

√ Continuous improvement leads to innovation

√ Use root cause analysis to solve problems promptly and permanently.

√ Make objectives visible