Page 283 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

260 Cha pte r S i x tee n

The Five Precursors Score
High levels of stability and quality in both the 1.5
product and the processes
Excellent machine availability 2.0
Talented problem solvers, with a deep 1.5
understanding of variation
Mature continuous improvement philosophy 1.0
Strong proven techniques to standardize 1.5
Total 7.5

TABLE 16-8 The Five Precursors, Summary Evaluation

the absolute lack of flow, and the very low levels of process stability. Luis was extremely
disappointed with the condition of the processes but agreed with the evaluation we had
jointly compiled. As I hoped, it was an eye-opener for him.
Ten Reasons for Failure
“The Ten Reasons Lean Initiatives Fail” was reviewed briefly and we found there were
issues that needed to be addressed later. We did have one issue with outages being
caused by poor raw materials supply on several parts, and during the management
presentation purchasing committed to working on those immediately.

Process Maturity
As for the specific assessment of process maturity, we did not do one. In this case, we
knew that by this point we were going to make major process changes, so we felt it
would be best to complete these changes first. However, after the project was com-
pleted, Luis had this document turned into a plant standard. On subsequent projects,
he later told me, all work stations needed to achieve level 3 status, by all measures,
before start of production.

Educational Evaluation
Luis and I performed an evaluation and, since they had done a great deal of training
earlier, we didn’t really need to do anything at the outset. The entire facility had a rea-
sonable grasp on what Lean was really supposed to be. Their problem was not under-
standing, it was application. However, as we got into the project, we needed to do some
education on quick changeovers, kanban calculations, inventory calculations, and heijunka
board design. When these issues surfaced, we trained only the necessary persons and
trained them just in time.

The Implementation of the Four Strategies at QED Motors

Synchronize the Supply to the Customer, Externally
This step has three processes. First is the takt calculation. Next, we must level produc-
tion, and since we have a make-to-stock system, we need to calculate the cycle, safety,
and buffer stock inventories.