Page 351 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

338 C o n t i n u o u s I m p r o v e m e n t I m p r o v e / D e s i g n S t a g e 339

The Lean tools to reduce or eliminate non–value added activities, includ­
ing unnecessary movement of personnel or material, are also deployed at
this time.
Cycle times may be improved by reducing movement of personnel or
material, affecting the physical space in which the process takes place:
offices may be redesigned, departments moved or reassigned, even entire
factories moved closer to their customers. Movement analysis is aided by
the use of spaghetti diagrams. Application of the 5S tools creates the condi­
tions necessary to reduce the movement of material and personnel. The out­
comes of space reduction include:
• Decreased distance from “supplier” to “customer.” Both internal and
external suppliers and customers are affected. This relocation
reduces the wastes of unnecessary movement of material and wait
time for material.
• Less departmentalization, more multifunction work cells. Within
company walls, you may reassign individuals so they work within
multifunctional work cells, rather than functional departments.
This improves the flow of the process, so work is not batched up
at each department. The work cell approach, in which each process
step is close in location to its next step, also increases visibility
of problems as the item moves from one step in the process to
the next.
• Reduced overhead costs and reduced need for new facilities. As space is
used more efficiently, overhead costs are reduced, as is the need for
new facilities as new equipment is brought on.

Reducing unnecessary movement incorporates a Lean concept known
as 5S, which comes from the Japanese words used to create organization
and cleanliness in the workplace [Seiri (organization), Sieton (tidiness),
Seiso (purity), Seiketsu (cleanliness), Shitsuke (discipline)]. The traditional
5S have been translated into the following 5S’s, which are perhaps better
definitions for English­speaking organizations (ReVelle, 2000):
• Sort. Eliminate whatever is not needed.
• Straighten. Organize whatever remains.
• Shine. Clean the work area.
• Standardize. Schedule regular cleaning and maintenance.
• Sustain. Make 5S a way of life.

The Lean methods for setup reduction and level loading are useful for
improving lead and cycle times. Analysis of setup times, and categoriza­
tion of activities as internal or external, and as preparation, replacement,

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