With the help of contemporary technology, the standardisation of work in Lean Manufacturing allows the creation of safe, simple, and efficient processes for the production of finished goods.
Lean Manufacturing is based on the idea of standardising work. There are three things you’ll need for this:
Take a breather:
Customer demand dictates the rate at which components or goods must be manufactured.
The following is the order in which the tasks are completed:
The sequence in which operators must accomplish the tasks within Takt time.
The following is the standard stock:
The bare minimum of components and raw materials required to operate the business.
The advantages of standardised work
Reduces the chance of error.
Standardized work eliminates variance in output by standardising the most effective method to accomplish activities. It’s easier to plan ahead of time when everything is more consistent, from the level of quality to the amount of inventory needed to the timeline for delivery.
To the benefit of your employees
Shop floor workers may believe that standardising their highly varied labour is impossible or that doing so would make their jobs monotonous. For creative work to flourish, it is necessary to enforce a strict standardisation of work processes.
Operators benefit from a more organised workflow thanks to standards-based work. Operators are relieved of the burden of doing duties incorrectly because of this. Finally, since it defines the right method to do all operations, standardised work makes training considerably simpler. As a result, it assures that new workers get the same training as their peers.
Continuous development is improved.
One of the other Lean principles is Kaizen, which is the idea of continual improvement. Kaizen is built on a foundation of standardisation. Only by standardising and documenting current practises can improvements be fairly evaluated. There is no end to the process of enhancing standardised work; it is a never-ending cycle of improvement.
The eight wastes of Lean Manufacturing are more difficult to see when operators conduct their duties differently. For example, when procedures are consistent, it is simpler to identify areas for improvement. You can read about this scale-up here.
How to submit an application for standard work
Take a look at the present state of your business and gather information.
Begin by creating your work schedule and takt time. Modern manufacturing may gather data and measure Takt time automatically with IoT linked products and cloud computing. Cycle time and step time are reported consistently for each operator. Real-time insight into manufacturing processes enables manufacturers to see precisely how activities are being carried out at any given moment.
Observe the differences and concerns.
The most effective use of materials, machinery, and personnel is not always the simplest or most obvious approach to accomplish a job. Take a look at the information you’ve gathered and look for patterns. Workers who execute similar activities but have vastly different results are possible. Is Takt time being exceeded by certain operators? Is it possible to combine some of the things I have to do? There must be a problem with safety or quality somewhere.
Run your business in the most effective manner possible.
This is where Lean technologies come in handy for streamlining your work processes. Value stream mapping or poka-yoke, for example, may help you discover non-value-adding phases in your processes and can help make them mistake-proof. Aim on approaches that can be used by everyone, and that aren’t too complicated.
Keep meticulous records of all activities.
This may be done in a variety of ways. Digital work instructions are a straightforward method to do this. You may use a manufacturing software to produce digital work instructions. They provide operators with step-by-step instructions using a variety of media and interactivity.