¿Have you ever thought how far your plant is form being LEAN?
Lean plants are hard to find. When I visit clients or potential clients, I usually discover many more areas for improvement than the ones managers are worried about. This may be due to getting used to how things work or being too busy to be able to work. Sometimes problems are solved in the office instead at the manufacturing floor.Visiting a manufacturing plant and observing the environment is different. Talking to the workforce and managers can probably be more effective. and accurate than just checking control reports to diagnose a business.
It’s also true that many of the items to work on may seem to be in the “not urgent” category. Be careful that soon the “not urgent” turns “urgent”. Later it turns out to be the root cause for other critical issues. Therefore, the recommendation would be to check out your plant seriously if you really would like it to be LEAN and waste free.
How LEAN is your plant based on the RPA tool
The following guide with only 11 questions will help you do a quick assessment to define how LEAN is your plant based on the RPA tool. The RPA tool (Rapid Plant Assessment) was created by Eugene Goodson (Business Review May 2002 issue).
- Customer focus: are ratings for customer satisfaction or product quality displayed?
- Environment: is the facility clean and safe, looking like everything is in its place?
- Visual management: are there labels or codes to identify and locate inventory, tools and processes?
- Scheduling system: does the inventory look like it is balanced across all the steps?
- Process standardization: Are work instructions and product specifications available for all the employees involved?
- Transportation and motion: is material and people moving small amounts for short distances?
- Team work: are there any charts or meetings that show that employees are working together?
- Maintenance: do the equipment and tools show timetables or signs to indicate preventive maintenance?
- Suppliers: is there any evidence of supplier evaluation?
- Commitment to quality: are there any signs showing that the employees care about quality and continuous improvement (aka embrace a culture of quality)?
- Results: are there any charts showing business results and KPI’s to the employees?
And the last but not least question:
- Acid test: Would you buy from this company?
Finding waste
You can do this small questionnaire no matter if your company is big or small. It would be great if you could do it every year. I should be applied so as to ensure sustained improvement through time. You can also compare results across the affiliates and find common causes of waste.
Looking for evident signs is one of the tools to find out your answers. While some checking inventory level, or check white boards and paper piles, there other options. Talking to the employees and looking at them is a way to get right answers. You can ask direct questions like. For example, if there is any sign to help them identify an error or a defective tool. You can also realize with a small talk if they feel frustrated or motivated. You will also know how well they communicate among them, to the managers and what kind of information they receive from the top.
After just one hour of looking and listening (please do not take notes because they will distract your main objective: observe!) you should be good to answer the questions and go home. Check for the NO’s and prepare an action plan right away or organize a brainstorming session to start working on them.
Good luck and be LEAN! If you need help with your business quality set-up, please contact us!
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