Page 265 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

Using the Pr escription—Thr ee Case Studies 243

Line 7 Line 9 Line 3
Operational Improvements
Cycle time—Week 12 (secs) 6.10 6.65 5.20
Cycle time—Week 35 (secs) 5.10 5.09 5.00
Achievable cycle time (secs) ∗∗ 4.40 4.20 4.50
OEE Week 12 79.00% 76.24% 81.17%
OEE Week 35 89.83% 84.31% 88.68%
Achievable OEE ∗∗ 96.00% 96.00% 96.00%
Production Gains (units/month)
Monthly salable units—Week 12 812,930 724,559 1,274,778
Monthly salable units—Week 35 1,032,475 1,034,748 1,423,667
Monthly achievable salable units 1,354,579 1,419,083 1,765,970
Gains—First 24 Weeks (Wk 12—Wk 35) 219,544 310,189 148,889
Additional achievable gains ∗∗ 322,105 384,335 342,303

∗ Based on 6 days per week
∗∗ Achievable without any major capital investments
TABLE 16-5 Gains and Achievable Gains

Now lines 3 and 7 are also ready for quantity control activities. It is time to apply the
Four Strategies to Becoming Lean (described in detail in Chap. 6), modify the plan, and
have some more fun.

So What Is “the Rest of the Story” Behind This Success?
How did they achieve these huge gains despite the plant’s weaknesses?
You have seen the results. To me, these results were not surprising—pleasant for
sure, but not surprising. I was not surprised because, in the first case, we had properly
addressed the three fundamental issues of cultural change. The plant manager pro-
vided excellent leadership, in spite of his inexperience. The staff was and remained
highly motivated throughout. Finally, there was a nucleus of problem solvers to work
with. With those basics in place, there is always a decent chance of success.
Next, the implementation went well as we followed “The Prescription,” as outlined
in Chap. 8. There was a good leader and a sensei, we made an assessment using the
assessment tools from Chap. 19, and utilized the assessment to create our plan. Next,
we deployed the plan and turned it into “worker level” goals. This, coupled with some
JIT training, fueled the effort and the results speak for themselves.
What about the obstacles and plant weaknesses we mentioned earlier, with all this
going against it, just how did the plant achieve all these gains?
The answer to that is simple. Excellent leadership with a good sensei working
together is the key to success. I cannot say enough about the leadership that Kermit
supplied. He showed not only the intelligence and honesty to grasp the situation and
see what could be done, he also showed the courage and character required in these
stressful situations. He is an impressive young man. Couple that with a good plan,