Ideas on Implementing Lean and 5S Methods

[c7scayman]

Hello, I am a Process Engineer at a manufacturing plant.

We have just started an Operations Excellence Group. I want to impress my employer since I am working as a contractor now. I want to get hired permanentally. I have done a lot in the past 6 months that I worked here.

All in all, here is what was implemented since I started working here:
-Minimizing Inventory
-Minimize travel/walk time. (some involved redesigning flow line)
-5S Cleanliness Checklists
-Red Tagging to dispose of obsolete and unneeded tools, items, products.
-Shadow Peg Boards
-Continuous Safety Improvement
-Color Coordination
-Minimizing Queue time in various flow lines
-Value Stream Mapping to improve throughput times.
-Design of tooling fixtures to make it easier, faster, more ergonomic to assemble products.

Now I am having a brain freeze. I cannot think of any more ideas.

FYI, Converting the plant to solar power to save on utilities is out of the question. Our building is leased and the building owner is not interested since the payback period for solar power is 20 years.

Does anyone here have additional ideas? I will keep looking through this forum for more info.

Thanks.

 

[c7scayman]

I would like to add:

Our OTD(On Time Delivery) is almost always 100% accross all areas. Due to the recent Hurricane Sandy and Inventory Day, we were closed for a couple of days so we were late on a few deliveries for the past month. But we do have the best OTD out of all of our competition.

Our FPY(First Pass Yield) is usually between 95 and 100% accross all flow lines. We already know the problems for the few failures that did occur.

We are meeting our throughput goals in most areas. I am conducting Value stream mapping to improve throughput in other areas.

PM(Preventative maintenance) is up and running. The material handling equipment and test equipment is maintained often so we never get any problems with failures there.

I feel like I worked myself out of the job, but I also feel like there is so much room for improvement that I am missing.

 

[amit_rd]

I recommend the following:

Do it as a project and to involve the management, get a vision statement endorsed by the head of plant/business.

One this is done you will know where to go. Then you may start with assessment of as is situation and the delta from "where to go" can be converted to a project plan.

Regular monitoring and presentation of success shall give you good visibility to the management.

 

[Duy Efeso]

I would suggest the folowing ideas:

1. Defect reduction
2. Viusal factory

it my keep you and teams busy overthere

Regards

Duy

 

[gpainter]

Plant layout
5 S system
Visual
Teams
Batch reduction
Standardized work
Quick changeover
Quality at source
TPM
Cellular flow
Kanban
CI

 

[lokeky1]

Did you map out the current state VSM?

And did all the improvements that you have achieved enabled you to move closer the future state VSM?

 

[qpled]

A couple of possibilities:

1) ROI: Have you been able to show upper management the money they have saved and/or the money they have made due to the improvements made by your group?

2) Risk Management: Has your group done any brainstorming with reps from all departments in the plant to figure out "what to do if xxx happens"?

I do not think you will have any problem getting lots of ideas from this forum