Lean. Introductory course

Annotation: The article discusses the causes of 7 types of losses in production and analyzes possible consequences, which makes it possible not only to avoid losses but also to control the further development of the situation with limited resources, thereby optimizing management. An easy-to-use table for identifying and eliminating/minimizing losses has been developed.

List keywords: , loss reduction, loss identification, optimization of production processes.

Identifying and reducing losses is a priority task for any modern enterprise. Because this is the basis for successful activities.

First introduced (1912-1990), CEO of Toyota - being the most ardent fighter against losses, he established seven types of muda.

- this is one of the Japanese words, meaning loss, waste, that is, any activity that consumes resources but does not create value. These are errors that need to be corrected. This is performing actions that you can completely do without.

The literature considers, first of all, the assessment of loss as a fact of what has already happened and as a method of elimination. Which is certainly important, but does not answer what causes and consequences accompany the 7 types of losses.

The goal of lean manufacturing is prevention. It is necessary not only to eliminate, but also to prevent further occurrence and/or development of losses.

The task of management is to optimize the process. By considering the consequences of losses, management, with limited resources, can decide where to focus their efforts first.

Types of losses, causes and consequences Overproduction

– the most dangerous of losses, as it entails other types of losses. But the easiest way to exclude and identify this type is to follow the motto: “Don’t produce too much!” It is necessary to produce only what is ordered.

The reasons for overproduction may be large batches - which in turn may be a consequence of the impossibility of quick changeover. Also, anticipatory production can also cause overproduction. Excessive equipment and unstable quality are also causes of overproduction.

The amount of unclaimed products and supplies in warehouses and intermediate operations is the cost of the “Overproduction” loss. Determined during the month, quarter, year.

A pull supply system, as well as leveling the load on production lines, helps to avoid overproduction.

Reason excess stocks is a long readjustment, which in turn is associated with the production of products in large quantities. As well as the imperfection of the production planning and supply of materials system.

To store inventory, we require additional space, warehouses, additional work force. Also, these reserves will need to be searched for later, which means spending time and energy again. All these efforts are unnecessary costs, and the inventories themselves are the frozen capital of the enterprise.

As with overproduction, improving the planning system helps reduce inventory. At the core production flows There should be a pull system with, if possible, small batches, which is facilitated by the leveling of production.

The next type of loss is transportation - is a consequence of irrational placement of equipment and large distances between production sites. A value stream map can help identify inefficiencies in the production flow organization. By displaying material flows and their direction, we see the distance that a workpiece or material travels before it becomes finished product. Increased transportation costs lead to higher prices for products.

Optimizing the location of equipment, storage facilities, and the direction of material flows in general helps reduce the number of transportations.

A loss " Movements» is associated with the movement of workers during a work shift. Contributes to a decrease in labor productivity, increased personnel fatigue and an increase in injuries. Timing the worker’s movements—the Spaghetti diagram—helps identify this hidden loss. But it is also important to understand the personal role of the worker himself in optimizing his working day and his actions. To eliminate unnecessary movements of a worker, it is first necessary to improve his skills. Carry out optimization together with him production process, and organize workplaces effectively. Personal engagement of staff can be increased by implementing the Kaizen movement - making small improvements on your own.

Of all types of losses, comparatively less damage comes from “ Expectation" This is the time that equipment or personnel spends inactive, that is, without creating value. When optimizing production flows, it is necessary, if not to exclude all other losses, then at least to strive to translate them into expectation. The timing of the work of personnel and equipment allows you to determine the waiting time. The total number of downtimes per shift, month and year will give us the waiting time. To reduce the amount of staff waiting time, during downtime it is recommended to direct them to cleaning, implementation of 5S, TPM, SMED, Kaizen systems.

Optimizing the location of equipment and reducing changeover time can reduce waiting time.

It can also increase production costs overprocessing. It arises as a result of the lack of a standard among the worker and the imperfection of technology. Before placing an order, you need to clearly understand what properties of the product are important to the consumer. This understanding must be reflected in the worker's standard. For example, in a standard operating chart, where all the steps and actions of the operator will be clearly stated.

Defects in manufacturing entail additional costs for rework, control, and organizing a place to eliminate defects. They arise as a result of technology violations, low qualifications of workers, inappropriate tools, equipment, and materials. The cost of defects is determined by the cost of defective products and the cost of rework. Implementation of quality loop systems and TPM help reduce defects. Also important here is the personal interest of workers to produce quality products.

To analyze production losses, it will be useful to consider the table (Table 1. Causes and consequences of 7 types of production losses), which will simultaneously present the causes and consequences of all types of losses, as well as ways to identify, count and eliminate them. The importance of this table lies in the fact that it helps determine the priorities of management actions in the fight against hidden production losses. Having a list of problems, it is important for management to correctly understand the direction and sequence of actions. Only by building a clear program can you achieve sustainable results.

Table 1. Causes and consequences of 7 types of industrial losses

Losses	Causes	Consequences	How to calculate losses?	How to fix it?
Reproduced farming	large parties; impossibility of quick changeover; anticipatory production; redundant equipment, inconsistent quality.	premature consumption of raw materials; procurement of materials; excess inventory, loss of quality.	The amount of unclaimed products and supplies in warehouses and intermediate operations. Over the course of a month, a quarter, a year.	pull supply system; leveling the load on production lines.
Excessive new stocks	long readjustment; production of products in large quantities; imperfection of the production planning and supply of materials system.	increase in area; additional labor; the need to search; possibility of damage; the need for additional pallets.	Determine how many materials are in the warehouse that are not needed in the next week (month - depending on the supply cycle)	pull production system; production leveling; batch size reduction; improvement of the planning system.
Transport calibration	irrational placement of equipment; large distance between production sites; inefficiently organized production flow; remoteness of storage facilities.	increased travel costs; additional search costs; damage to products during transportation.	The cost of moving workpieces from one operation to another, and in the warehouse. Possible defect due to improper transportation. Value stream map.	optimization of production sites; optimization of warehouse locations.
Move- nia	irrational organization of the workspace; irrational arrangement of equipment and containers; inconsistency of operations; lack of standardized processes.	decreased labor productivity; staff fatigue; increase in injuries and occupational diseases.	Timing of worker movements, determining time and distance. Spaghetti diagram.	optimization of the production process; staff development; optimization of equipment distribution; efficiently organized workplaces.
Expectation	imbalance of production processes; imperfect planning; production of products in large quantities.	increase in time to manufacture a unit of product; decreased productivity; staff demotivation.	Timing of work of personnel and equipment. Total downtime per shift, month, year.	alignment of production processes; optimization of equipment location; reduction of changeover time.
Overprocessing	lack of standard; lack of understanding of what the consumer wants; imperfection of technology.	increase in production costs; increase in production time.	Find out from the customer which properties of the product he considers necessary, and which are secondary, or not needed at all. Over-processing costs.	standardization; careful study of consumer requirements.
Defects rework	violation of technology; low qualification of the employee; inappropriate tools, equipment, materials.	additional costs arise: for revision, for control; to organize a place to eliminate defects	The quantity of defects is its cost, or the cost of rework.	organizing the process of ensuring the release of quality products; implementation of a system for efficient operation of equipment.

Lean manufacturing, also called Lean Manufacturing, or LIN, is one of the best solutions for organizations that seek to increase productivity levels and minimize costs. The Lean Manufacturing concept allows an enterprise to operate effectively even in conditions of serious competition.

Losses in lean manufacturing interfere with the achievement of the main goals of the LIN system. As well as the implementation of the main principles of the concept. Knowing the types of losses, understanding their sources and ways to eliminate them allows manufacturers to bring the production organization system closer to ideal conditions. Or almost perfect.

Basic principles of lean manufacturing

The LIN concept adheres to certain principles, the implementation of which ensures the improvement of the quality of the final product and the reduction of losses. The principles of lean manufacturing include:

Determination of the final value of the finished product.
Understanding the streams that create value.
Ensuring consistency
Product pulling by the consumer.
Continuous improvement.

Lean Manufacturing Tools and Techniques

Methods and tools of the Lean Management concept are presented in the table.

Tools and Techniques	Action upon application
5S	Optimal organization of employee work places
"Andon"	Quickly informing about a problem that has arisen in the production process for further stopping and eliminating it
Kaizen ("Continuous Improvement")	Combining the efforts of the organization's employees to achieve a synergistic effect in achieving common goals
("Right on time")	Materials management tool to optimize cash flow
Kanban ("Pull Manufacturing")	Regulation of flows of raw materials and finished products
SMED (Quick Changeover)	Increase time beneficial use production capacity due to the rapid readjustment of equipment for small batches of products
TPM (Total Equipment Maintenance)	All company employees are involved in equipment maintenance. The goal is to increase the efficiency and service life of facilities

Types of production losses

Losses in any enterprise, both producing products and providing services, are an integral part of the work process and require minimization or complete elimination. Types of waste in lean manufacturing include:

losses from overproduction;
losses due to excess inventory;
losses during transportation of raw materials, semi-finished products and final products;
losses due to unnecessary movements and manipulations of employees;
losses due to waiting and downtime;
losses due to defective products;
losses from excessive processing;
losses due to unrealized creative potential of employees.

Overproduction

One of the most important types of losses in lean manufacturing is the overproduction of products and services. It refers to the production of such a quantity of products or the provision of such a number of services that exceed the customer’s requirements. It is overproduction that provokes the emergence of other types of losses: waiting, transportation, excess inventories, etc.

Overproduction losses at enterprises that manufacture any type of product can be represented by the accumulation of unfinished products, as well as the production of units that are not required by the customer.

Overproduction in office work can be represented by the following examples:

drawing up documents, reports, presentations and their copies that do not affect the company’s activities and are unnecessary in the work process;
processing of unnecessary information that does not play an important role in the work of the company.

To reduce overproduction losses at an enterprise (organization), it is advisable to manufacture products (provide services) in small batches that satisfy the demand of the customer (client), or to produce a number of units of products in accordance with a specific order. The elimination of losses will also be facilitated by the introduction and operation of a quick changeover system - SMED.

Excess inventory

Excess production inventories include:

raw materials purchased but not required in production;
products in process, intermediate units;
an oversupply of finished products that exceeds consumer demand and the number of products required by the customer.

Excess inventory is considered one of the worst types of waste. Excess raw materials and finished products require storage. Also entailing other production power losses, additional resources are used to move raw materials and semi-finished products during the production process.

As a way to improve and eliminate the loss of excess inventory, it is proposed to supply materials, semi-finished products and finished product units in certain sizes exactly when the production process requires it - the use of the Just-In-Time system.

Transportation

If not properly organized, the system for transporting materials and products during the production process can lead to many negative consequences. They are associated with excessive consumption of transportation capacity, fuel and electricity, losses are complemented by irrational use of working time and the possibility of damage to products in the warehouse.

However, provided there is no negative influence on the quality of elements of the production process, losses due to transportation are taken into account last.

Measures to combat losses arising during transportation include re-planning, following rational trajectories, and optimizing the production process.

Movements

Losses due to unnecessary movements are directly related to the actions of workers engaged in production. Employee actions that do not benefit the work process, according to the principles of lean manufacturing, must be minimized.

Losses due to unnecessary movements occur both in production and in office work. Examples of such irrational movements can be:

lengthy search for documents or data due to their irrational location;
freeing the workplace from unnecessary documents, folders, and office supplies;
irrational placement of office equipment around the office perimeter, which forces employees to make unnecessary movements.

Measures aimed at improving the production process and minimizing travel losses include improving regulations for performing a particular type of activity, training employees in efficient work methods, regulating labor discipline, as well as optimizing the production process or provision of services.

Expectation

During the production process, waiting means idle production facilities and loss of time for workers. The wait can be caused by many factors, including insufficient quantities of raw materials, equipment malfunctions, imperfections in the technological process, etc.

In production, equipment may be idle, awaiting adjustment or repair, as well as workers waiting for components and elements necessary to continue working.

Company employees working in office premises may experience waiting costs due to colleagues being late for work. important events and meetings, untimely provision of data, problems with office equipment.

In order to reduce waiting losses and their impact on the work of an enterprise or organization, it is recommended to use a flexible planning system and stop the production process in the absence of orders.

Overprocessing

Losses from excessive processing of products are the most difficult to determine among all types of losses. Overprocessing refers to operations in a process that waste a significant amount of resources without adding value to the final product. Excessive processing causes waste of time and capacity, as well as wasted energy due to excessive consumption.

Losses from excessive processing occur both in enterprises that manufacture products and in organizations and their parts not engaged in production activities. In manufacturing, examples of unnecessary processing of products include: big number product checks and item availability finished products, which could be done without (for example, several packaging layers).

In office work environments, overprocessing can be expressed by:

duplication of data in similar documents;
a large number of approvals of one document;
numerous checks, reconciliations and inspections.

Overprocessing may result from compliance with industry standards. In this case, minimizing losses is an extremely difficult task. If this type losses are caused by a lack of understanding of the customer's requirements for products, it is quite possible to reduce the impact of unnecessary processing on the final results of operations. Options such as outsourcing and purchasing raw materials that do not require processing can be considered as ways to improve the situation.

Defects

Losses due to the elimination of defects are often typical for organizations that strive to comply with the production plan. Refinement of products that do not meet customer requirements due to defects entails the expenditure of more time and resources. Economic losses become a serious consequence.

Measures to eliminate defects in production can include optimizing the production process, eliminating the possibility of defects and taking measures to motivate employees to work without errors.

Unrealized employee potential

Jeffrey Liker came up with the idea of accounting for another type of loss, presented in the book “The Tao of Toyota.” Loss of creative potential implies inattention on the part of the company to the ideas and suggestions of employees for improving work.

Examples of losses of human potential include:

performance by a highly qualified employee of work that does not correspond to his abilities and skills;
negative attitude towards proactive employees in the organization;
imperfection or absence of a system through which employees can express their ideas or make suggestions.

The philosophy of organizing industrial relations, now known as Lean, lies the experience of the leader of the global automotive industry - Toyota. In the production workshops of this company, the basic principles of the production system, which now enjoys authority throughout the world, were formulated and tested. It was the Toyota production system (TPS), enriched with the experience of numerous companies and repeatedly confirmed by phenomenal practical results, that formed the basis lean manufacturing. The article discusses general principles organizations lean manufacturing, basic concepts and tools. The article can be used as an explanation (for this purpose, the chapter titles completely repeat the headings of the presentation sheets), as well as as independent material.

Production formula

The transition from conventional production to lean production marks a complete revision of the foundations of the organization of both industrial relations within the enterprise and relations with suppliers and consumers. It is no secret that for manufacturers (hereinafter, manufacturers also mean service providers), the main task of enterprise management is the task of maximizing profits. Favorable conditions of the recent past - high consumer demand with an insufficient supply of goods and services, contributed to the fact that the price of a product was set based on the enterprise’s costs of production by adding often unjustified “mark-ups”.

However, over time, the market situation has changed. The market for goods and services is gradually entering saturation mode. Offers from various manufacturers stimulate competition between domestic and foreign suppliers. A situation in which supply exceeds demand leads to a forced fall in the market price of goods and services, and, as a consequence, to a fall in the profit of the enterprise. The only way in such conditions to avoid a drop in profits is to reduce production costs, since prices for raw materials and resources are also determined by the market situation.

Basic Concepts

The opportunity to reduce production costs is not always obvious to manufacturers. The enterprise is operating. The consumption standards for raw materials and materials are met, productivity increases. How can we talk about reducing costs here? Let the government better support domestic producers and once again change import-export duties... However, it is increasingly difficult to put pressure on the government’s pity in connection with integration into a single economic community. And here our domestic competitors are pressing in. What to do?

There is only one thing left to do - to return to the analysis of the structure of production costs. First of all, expenses should be classified into those that are really necessary and those that can be eliminated. To do this, let's try to imagine what the consumer pays his money for when buying a manufactured product. In lean manufacturing terms, the ability of a product to meet consumer expectations is called value. The consumer is willing to pay only if the characteristics of the product meet his expectations (for functionality, quality, lead time, price, etc.). If during the production process any activity is carried out for which the consumer does not intend to pay, i.e. Non-value adding activities are called loss. In Japanese, this term has a very sonorous name - Muda.

Eight Types of Loss

Lean identifies eight types of losses.

1. Losses of overproduction (excessive production of products).

2. Transportation losses (excessive movement of raw materials, products, materials).

3. Waiting losses (in work time not implemented production activity).

4. Losses due to inventories (excessive amounts of raw materials, materials, semi-finished products).

5. Losses due to the production of products with defects (defects).

6. Waste of unnecessary processing (processing that does not add value or adds unnecessary functionality).

7. Losses due to unnecessary movements (not directly related to production activities).

8. Loss of creative potential (incomplete use of human resource capabilities).

In subsequent chapters, these losses will be discussed in more detail.

Loss 1: Overproduction

One of the most obvious ways to increase profits is to increase enterprise productivity. However, in the pursuit of productivity, top managers often forget that the amount of a product that consumers are willing to buy is determined by market demand. Suddenly, a moment comes when a product that was so in short supply just yesterday accumulates in the warehouse (for some reason, such a moment always comes suddenly, regardless of whether we are talking about seasonal fluctuations in demand or changes in market conditions :)). Sales managers are forced to bend over backwards to sell stale or damaged goods. What a profit! Costs would be compensated or worse - to minimize losses! The strangest thing in all this is that this state of affairs is considered normal - the consumer, you can’t guess him! And it is considered normal to incur certain losses due to changes in demand (but on the wave of demand they made a big profit).

Is it possible to exclude such losses altogether? Can. And the solution to the problem is by no means as utopian as it might seem at first glance. What do you need:

Produce only on time and only what the client wants (in fact, work only “to order”);

Produce goods in small batches that are guaranteed to be sold (if demand falls, quickly switch to another type of product);

To reduce losses during equipment changeovers, reduce changeover time to a minimum, making production in small batches profitable.

All this means that the time has come to forget about the profitability of large-scale production. Today's clients are demanding. They need variety. What, not profitable? Is it profitable to suffer losses due to storing illiquid assets, due to excessive consumption of raw materials, or due to problems with clients?

Loss 2: Transportation

Any more or less complex production is a sequence of operations to transform raw materials or semi-finished products into the final product. But all these materials need to be moved between operations. Procedures for moving valuables are present even in conveyor production. After all, you need to bring raw materials to the conveyor or take finished products to the warehouse. Of course, transportation is an integral part of production, but unfortunately it does not create value at all, although it requires costs for fuel or electricity, for maintaining a transport fleet, for organizing transport infrastructure (roads, garages, overpasses, etc.). In addition, transportation is time consuming and risks damaging the product.

In order to reduce transportation losses, you should create a route map Vehicle and conduct a thorough analysis of the feasibility of a particular move. After this, you should try to eliminate unnecessary transportation through redevelopment, redistribution of responsibility (so that you don’t have to travel through two workshops for the controller’s signature), eliminating remote stocks (stocks should be gotten rid of altogether, but if they are, let them be at hand), etc. P. In addition, a system will not interfere in the matter of transportation: each movement of valuables must be justified by the appropriate regulatory document, and there is no amateur activity.

Loss 3: Waiting

Losses associated with waiting for the start of processing of material (parts, semi-finished products) indicate that the planning process and the production process are not coordinated with each other. This state of affairs is not uncommon for domestic enterprises. The planning process itself is quite complex, as it requires analysis large quantity factors. Such factors include: the structure of consumer orders, the state of the market for raw materials, equipment performance, shift schedule, etc. Truly optimal planning requires serious mathematical training and refined interaction between sales, purchasing and production services. It is perhaps rare for any enterprise to be engaged in planning by a scientist who is able to systematize all the factors and find the best solution to the problem. As a rule, the planning process is pseudo-optimal in nature and is based on the subjective approach of people with some experience in production. A priori, we can assume that there is always an opportunity to improve the planning process.

In addition to suboptimal planning for losses associated with waiting significant influence has an uneven throughput of the equipment. In this case, a backlog of products awaiting processing may occur in front of the lowest throughput operation. The productivity of such operations should be improved. If this is not possible, flexible scheduling of equipment or redistribution of personnel between operations should be considered.

Loss 4: Inventory

There are probably few people who cannot answer the question - why are stocks bad? Inventories are frozen money, i.e. money taken out of circulation and losing its value. But for some reason, the presence of inventories in production is considered quite common, and most importantly, acceptable! After all, thanks to reserves, it is possible to compensate for surges in consumer demand. Inventories allow the company to produce products during interruptions in the supply of raw materials. Finally, inventories help smooth out production flow. So is it possible to do without supplies if they are so useful? To answer this question, we need to look at the inventory problem from a different point of view. Supplies seem to be needed, but:

As already mentioned, inventories are frozen working capital;

Inventory needs maintenance (warehouse space, personnel, logistics, etc.);

And most importantly, inventories hide production problems: poor planning, strained relationships with suppliers, uneven production flow, etc.

In fact, inventories hide losses of other types, creating the impression of a prosperous production environment.

Loss 5: Defects

The release of products that do not meet consumer requirements entails obvious costs of raw materials, working time, labor, processing costs and disposal of defects. A traditional measure to reduce losses associated with the release of defective products is the organization of various control departments and services. It is believed that such units must take timely measures to prevent the release of defects. Moreover, sometimes all responsibility for the marriage falls on the relevant services! But the fact that quality control services do not have the required leverage over production units is usually not taken into account. It turns out that asking regulatory authorities is the same as treating the symptoms of a disease, and not its causes.

It is advisable to begin eliminating losses due to defective production by analyzing the effectiveness of the functioning of control units. This is not about finding out whether inspectors miss defects or not (this, of course, is also important). The main thing is to understand how much control services contribute to eliminating the causes of defective products. In any case, control is usually carried out only after the product has been manufactured. Consequently, inspectors do not have the opportunity to quickly influence the quality. The only way out of this situation is to integrate quality management procedures into the production process.

Loss 6: Overprocessing

As already mentioned, the consumer is willing to pay only for those properties of the product that are valuable to him. If a consumer needs, for example, a TV, then he expects to receive a product of appropriate quality, endowed with appropriate consumer properties for a certain price. Therefore, if you build, say, a holder for ski poles into a TV, while doubling the price, then it is not a fact that the TV will find its consumer. That's because the extra functionality doesn't add value to the TV. Another example. If the consumer expects that the TV case should be black (white, silver, etc.), but you only have green plastic and after making the case you repaint it in the desired color - this is also a waste of unnecessary processing. After all, this requires time, people, equipment, paint, but the body, which really has value for the consumer, has already been manufactured. The losses of unnecessary processing should also include the maintenance of automatic equipment. For example, parts move along a conveyor that regularly stops due to their misalignment. A special worker monitors the conveyor and corrects skewed parts. The labor of such a worker is also unnecessary processing.

Loss 7: Movement

Unnecessary movements that lead to losses could be called more simply - vanity, thereby emphasizing their unreasonableness and chaos. From the outside, such movements may seem like a lot of activity, but upon closer inspection you will notice that, like the losses discussed earlier, they do not contribute to the creation of value for the consumer. The source of this type of loss is usually one - poor organization of work. This may include the absence necessary instructions, poor staff training or low labor discipline. This type of loss is distinguished by the fact that they can be detected quite easily, and having found it, quite obvious measures can be taken to eliminate them. Lean offers a number of tools for these purposes: standard operating procedures, workplace organization system (5S).

Loss 8: Lost Creativity

Do you know the state when you feel the strength to do more, when you have the will, knowledge, creative impulse, but circumstances do not allow you to express yourself properly? In this case, the circumstances that prevent an employee from expressing himself fully mean: the unreasonable will of his superiors, the lack of time and funds to implement ideas, and the tense situation in the work team. All this leads to the fact that a person feels like only an appendage of the production system, a part that can be easily replaced by another. In such a situation, the employee formally performs his duties to the required minimum and hurries to leave the enterprise that is alien to him. Meanwhile, all people are prone to creativity to one degree or another, even if the need to create is generated by the desire to avoid unnecessary work or reduce the burden of routine activities. In addition, who else but an employee, that is, a person directly related to the creation of value, can, by observing the same activity every day, notice shortcomings and ways to improve. That is why one of the most important tasks that needs to be solved during implementation lean manufacturing consists in the overall involvement of personnel in continuous improvement activities - Kaizen (Kaizen) in order to fully utilize the potential of each employee.

Loss Elimination Approach

So, the main types of losses have been identified. How to determine their presence in production and come close to eliminating them? The approach proposed within the concept lean manufacturing, is based on a mandatory, comprehensive and detailed understanding of the mechanism for creating consumer value of manufactured products. To this end, the first step should be to draw up a detailed description of the entire production process. If production is complex, then the entire process can be divided into subprocesses, which are described and analyzed separately. To describe production processes, a visual schematic representation called a value stream map is used. The complete sequence of actions to eliminate losses includes the following steps.

1. Development of process value stream creation maps.

2. Development of checklists to help identify causes of losses at each stage of the process.

3. Collection of statistical information about the time of value creation and time of losses, as well as any other information indicating the presence of losses, using developed checklists.

4. Construction future map value stream (no losses).

5. Analysis of the causes of losses and elimination of procedures that do not create value.

6. Standardization of work procedures and use in other processes.

The process can then be repeated. In addition, targeted efforts can be made to eliminate certain types of waste using appropriate lean manufacturing tools (more on this later).

Value stream map

A value stream map is a detailed description of the process of a manufacturing activity. When drawing up a map, you should not miss even small and seemingly insignificant details. If the movement of material assets is controlled by a document flow system, then the types and trajectories of executed documents should be displayed on the map. Often, it is the irrationality of document flow that causes loss of time or accumulation of inventory. For clarity, it is necessary to highlight on the map in a special way the places where any of the losses listed above may occur (warehouses, transportation, queues, etc.). More details about the process of developing value stream maps can be found in the available literature, for example, in the book by Mike Rother and John Shook.

Checklists

Control sheets serve as primary documentary evidence reflecting the results of monitoring the performance of a particular production operation. Filling out checklists should be assigned to independent observers in order to eliminate the subjective component of observations. Moreover, at the most critical points, supervision should be assigned to several independent supervisors. This will allow us to obtain a consistent statistical sample of observation results. During the observation process, controllers must make notes characterizing the specifics of a particular operation, as well as notes indicating the possible presence of one of the types of losses. Based on the analysis of checklists, a decision is made about the presence or absence of losses in the operation and a value stream map is drawn up, taking into account the desired flow state. After this, a complex and lengthy process of eliminating detected losses begins using certain tools. lean manufacturing.

Lean Manufacturing Tools

So, the value stream is described, losses are identified, and the desired state is described. What's next? Next comes the hard part. If up to this point you could solve problems relying only on a narrow circle of fairly conscious people around you, then in order to begin a direct fight against losses, you will need to use the resources of the entire workforce of the enterprise. Here I would like to emphasize that Lean You can’t just take it and implement it like new equipment. First of all, it is necessary to teach people to think in new ways. It is necessary to convey to the consciousness of all personnel the importance of analyzing their environment and their own activities from the position of searching for rational beginnings and losses. This is a separate and very complex task, the solution of which largely depends on how ready the enterprise management is for this.

To eliminate losses, as well as to prevent their occurrence within lean manufacturing many techniques have been developed rational organization production activities. It is not possible to discuss all methods within the framework of this article. Let us dwell only on the most important ones, the use of which is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the implementation program lean manufacturing.

Continuous improvement - Kaizen

The concept of Kaizen comes from Japan. It is formed by two words: Kai (change) and Zen (for the better). Continuous change in small steps that do not require significant investments - this is the meaning that the concept of Kaizen encapsulates. In order to demonstrate the features of the Kaizen path, it is usually contrasted with innovative development.

Innovation
Major changes.	Minor changes.
Once every 5...10 years.	Every day.
Made by managers.	Made by workers.
Requires high costs.	There are minimal or no costs required.
The effect is achieved in the future.	The improvements are noticeable immediately.
The main focus is on the means of production (equipment).	The focus is on industrial relations (processes).

Organization of workplaces - 5S

The 5S workplace organization methodology is a very easy to understand but very effective tool for improving the work environment. In a busy schedule of production activities, workers stop paying attention to such “little things” as disorder, dirt, unnecessary things, etc. Meanwhile, this does not add any efficiency to the actions of personnel or safety to the production itself. The 5S system defines five clear rules for bringing order to the workplace: sort, keep order, keep clean, standardize, improve. Compliance with these rules significantly improves the quality of work, the level of production culture and leads to a reduction in losses due to disorderly movements.

Standard Operating Procedures

At the everyday level, in our social circle, we very often reach such a level of mutual understanding that with the help of several interjections we can convey the meaning to our interlocutor. An outsider who finds himself in such a social circle will understand absolutely nothing. It also happens that the interlocutors themselves, entangled in the intricacies of their communication dialect, cease to understand each other. The commonality of interests of the work collective also leads to the emergence of a kind of specific language of communication. However, if at the everyday level mistakes are unlikely to lead to serious consequences, then in production misunderstandings lead to significant losses of various kinds.

To obtain stable results, any production activity must be carried out strictly in the prescribed manner. This procedure must be regulated in a form that would eliminate errors in performing any work procedures and be understandable to beginners. A document that describes how to perform a particular operation in a clear and accessible form is called a standard operating procedure (SOP). Ideally, employees should create their own SOPs. If this is not possible, then at least they should be involved in the development process, at least at the testing stage. In this way, the full consistency of the document will be guaranteed.

Total Productive Equipment Maintenance

The condition of production equipment is one of the main factors in achieving planned production indicators: quality, performance, safety. In the best case, the equipment should operate smoothly without breakdowns or accidents. Is this possible? It is quite possible if you approach the problem of its maintenance competently.

In a normal situation, the operation of equipment is carried out by technological (operational) personnel, and preventive maintenance and repairs are carried out by repair services. The tasks facing these services are different. For the former, this means meeting production targets; for the latter, it means maintaining equipment in good condition and timely repairs. This difference in the goals of the services leads to the fact that operators are not interested in the problems of repair services, and repairmen are not interested in the problems production units. Naturally, the performance of the equipment suffers.

In order to inextricably link equipment care and the production process, the approach to equipment maintenance must be completely reconsidered. One of the tools allows you to do this lean manufacturing, which is called Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). The TPM methodology is based on the postulate that work and maintenance are inseparable. This means that all maintenance work that does not require special skills must be carried out directly by the operators of the production equipment. All maintenance procedures must be standardized. During repairs, equipment must be completely restored and modernized to prevent recurrence of accidents. Problems must be recorded and analyzed to plan maintenance activities.

TPM is discussed in more detail in the article "Total Productive Maintenance - TPM" and in.

Right on time

One of the losses considered was previously called waiting. Waiting waste occurs when parts come out of a previous operation but cannot be processed in the next one. If the previous operation continues to produce parts, then another loss is formed - stock. If inventory increases too quickly, it becomes necessary to transport it to the warehouse (another waste). As you can see, it is very important to submit parts for subsequent operation only when the need arises. This method of working is called just-in-time (JIT). In fact, JIT is work to order for the next operation. Like any “to-order” work, JIT requires clear planning to achieve flexible equipment loading. The main factor for successful planning is to reduce the volume of batches processed and transferred to the next operation and the use of production flow control methods. One of the tools for monitoring the throughput of production operations is Kanban cards.

Kanban

Kanban is a card or label that communicates the characteristics or condition of units of product being processed. Kanban can be used to determine the number of items in a batch, to determine the need to take a batch for processing, to determine the order in which batches are processed, etc. Typically, Kanban cards have a bright, attention-grabbing design. For example, batches that must be processed first are provided with red cards. Less urgent shipments are green. The use of cards helps eliminate waste due to unnecessary movements, work just in time and improve the overall production culture.

Fast changeover

Traditionally, it is believed that batch production is profitable only for large volumes of processed batches. However, large batch sizes lead, in turn, to waiting losses, increased inventories and unnecessary product movements. Competition in conditions market economy led to the fact that enterprises should focus not on the volume of products produced, but on their range. A wide assortment is only possible if goods are produced in small batches with frequent equipment changeovers for a different product range.

Changeovers are a waste of time. Therefore, it is very important to reduce the time of one changeover to the minimum possible value. In order to do this, you should use a technique to reduce changeover time. Within this methodology, all changeover operations are classified, after which the operation time is reduced to the minimum possible. This is achieved by standardizing the changeover process, improving equipment, and performing part of the changeover procedures before stopping or after starting the process (for example, tooling can be transported during operation without any damage to quality and productivity).

Built-in quality

For achievement high level product quality, the vast majority of enterprises have in their organizational structure divisions responsible for quality control of manufactured products (here are the technical control departments known from Soviet times - Quality Control Department and modern quality management departments - OUK and similar organizational units). Products that have not passed inspection by such departments are subject to rejection, disposal, rework, grade reduction, markdown, etc. As a result of the listed procedures, either reworking losses occur (additional processing, processing and storage of defects) or the consumer value of the products decreases. This happens because already released products are subject to control.

To reduce these losses, it is advisable to move quality control to earlier stages. The best solution will carry out quality control directly during production operations. The technique of combining production operations and quality control operations is called built-in quality. The methodology is based on standard procedures that allow checking the conformity of the quality of manufactured products and regulating the procedure for action in case of detection of non-conformity. Marriage should not be carried out - this is a kind of law that must be learned by all workers. If this requires stopping the conveyor, then this must be done. A restart can only be carried out after the causes of inconsistencies have been eliminated. Another direction to reduce the likelihood of defects is the modernization of production equipment, or rather the integration into it of mechanisms for the timely detection of unsuitable products.

What is needed for success

Lean it is not just a set of concepts, tools and rules. This is, first of all, a philosophy that changes established views on the organization of industrial relations, a philosophy that affects all layers in the organizational structure of an enterprise, a philosophy that requires the presence of its oracles and followers in the enterprise. Basics lean manufacturing are simple, and their implementation does not require serious financial investments, however, the ease with which one can take the path of this philosophy is adjacent to the colossal difficulty of staying on this path.

Two main components determine most of the success of the implementation of the philosophy lean manufacturing. First of all, the enterprise needs leaders who are able to “ignite” their subordinates with new ideas, instill in them confidence in the need for change and, together with them, step by step, endure all the difficulties associated with solving long-standing problems. And secondly, a system of motivation and involvement of enterprise personnel in the common cause of implementing new approaches that is understandable to everyone. Speaking mathematical language, these two components are necessary condition for successful implementation lean manufacturing. Everything else (tools, techniques) is technical side question that complements necessary condition until sufficient.

Literature

1. Rother Mike, Shook John Learn to see business processes. The practice of constructing value stream maps / Transl. from English, 2nd ed. - M.: Alpina Business Books: CBSD, Center for the Development of Business Skills, 2006. - 144 p.

Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), CEO of Toyota, once established 8 types of muda. It is quite possible that there are other types of muda, but the key 8 are worthy of special attention:

1. Overproduction (excess production);
2. Transportation;
3. Waiting;
4. Inventories;
5. Defects;
6. Overprocessing;
7. Movement;
8. Loss of creative potential;

Overproduction is considered one of the most terrible types of losses, because other types of losses depend on it.

In order to eliminate this type of loss, you just need to avoid producing unnecessary things. It is necessary to produce only what was ordered by the buyer.

In addition, large batches may cause overproduction, which may result in a lack of rapid changeover capabilities. Anticipatory production can also become one of the reasons for overproduction.

Excessive equipment, non-standardized and unsystematized quality can also be reasons for overproduction.

Overproduction causes certain consequences - raw materials are consumed prematurely, resulting from the purchase of materials, which leads to an increase in inventories to excess levels, and loss of quality.

Overproduction can be avoided using a pull supply system, as well as by leveling the load on production lines.

Long readjustment - as a consequence of producing products in large quantities, can also be the cause of excess inventories. In addition, the production planning and material supply system may also be imperfect.

There is a need for additional space, warehouses, labor, because... reserves are being built up.

All these excess inventories hang like a dead weight in the enterprise budget system.

Sources of losses:

· special warehouses for materials and products for
· ensuring timely deliveries that hide production problems and do not add value to the customer;
· materials and semi-finished products paid for by the company, but at the delivery stage.

Areas of improvement:

· analysis of the demand for products with a long shelf life;
· analysis of the timeliness of price changes for illiquid inventories, analysis of complaints for illiquid inventories;
· balancing production and sales;
· analysis of inventory dynamics and reduction of inventories of materials and raw materials between operations.

A value stream map can help identify inefficiencies in the production flow organization. By displaying material flows and their direction, we see the distance that a workpiece or material travels before it becomes a finished product. Increased transportation costs lead to higher prices for products.

Optimizing the location of equipment, storage facilities, and the direction of material flows in general helps reduce the number of transportations.

“Movement” refers to the movements of working personnel during a shift. These movements can lead to an increase in injuries, a decrease in staff productivity, and the accumulation of fatigue.

It is worth noting that the personal role of the worker is very important in the process of optimizing his work shift and the actions he performs. By solving the problems of optimizing the production process, one can consider advanced training and effective organization workplace. This personal involvement of workers can be carried out within the framework of Kaizen - a movement - constant small improvements that occur gradually and on their own.

By comparing all types of losses, you can identify the loss with the least damage - “Waiting”.

This is the time during which no useful action is carried out, no value creation occurs.

Expectation - unique look losses, to the stage of which it is necessary to transfer all other losses that cannot be eliminated. To measure expectation, it is necessary to calculate the total number of equipment and personnel downtime per shift, month, quarter, year. This can be done by timing the work of personnel and equipment.

Ways to improve:

· production planning based on orders;
· suspension of the production process in the absence of specific orders;
· creating a flexible schedule for both workers and equipment;
· implementation of 5S (workplace organization system);
· implementation of TPM (a system of total equipment maintenance, with the involvement of all personnel in it);
· implementation of SMED (quick changeover);
· implementation of Kaizen (small step changes on an ongoing basis);

All of the above measures help reduce waiting times.

In addition, excessive processing of products, the reason for which is the lack of a certain standard of production by the worker, also contributes to an increase in costs.

Before starting to fulfill an order, the employee must have a clear understanding of what he is producing, what actions add value to the product, and what final properties this product should have. This all needs to be standardized.

Another type of loss - defects in manufacturing - may entail costs for adjustments and modifications, corrections, further control, and reorganization of the workplace to eliminate these defects. These losses arise due to technology violations, low qualifications of workers, incorrectly selected equipment or materials. The cost of defects can be calculated by summing up the total amount of defective items and rework costs. As elsewhere, the interest and involvement of each employee to produce high-quality goods is very important here.

And the last type of loss is loss of creative potential.

Sources of losses:

· incorrect attitude towards employees, focused on their fulfillment only mechanical work;
· uncomfortable working conditions and, as a result, a desire to leave as quickly as possible workplace;
· undeveloped system of incentives, rewards for successful work, motivation;

Areas of improvement:

· availability of explanations of the goals and objectives of the enterprise for each employee;
· involvement of each employee in a system of continuous stepwise improvements (Kaizen);
· creation of more comfortable working conditions;
· Creation new system employee motivation or high-quality improvement of the old one;
· maintaining open contact between personnel and the management team of the enterprise.

From the point of view of lean manufacturing, the entire functionality of the enterprise is divided into processes that accumulate costs, losses that do not add value to the end consumer, and processes that add this value to the product for the consumer. The main goal of lean manufacturing is to reduce these aforementioned processes that do not create value for the consumer.

Lean Manufacturing Tools:

· Continuous improvement - Kaizen;
· Organization of workplaces - 5S;
· Standard operating procedures;
· Total productive service;
· equipment (Total Productive Maintenance -TPM);
· Just-In-Time - JIT;
· Maps of the movement of material assets;
· Kanban;
· Fast changeover;
· Built-in quality.

The use of these tools clearly increases the competitiveness of the organization, creating value for the consumer. Value creation is marked by the creation of a value stream.

A value stream is a compilation of all actions, processes, etc. that are performed in order for a product to go through three stages of management: solving problems from the development of the product itself to its release, managing information flows from accepting an order to planning the delivery schedule of goods, transformation of a product in a physical sense (from raw materials to a finished product).

The next step in putting lean manufacturing concepts into practice is to identify the entire value stream for each product. It is rarely included in the process, but almost always shows the muda value.

Identifying and reducing losses is a priority task of any modern enterprise. Because this is the basis for successful activities.

The concept of waste was first introduced by Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), the chief executive of Toyota - being the most ardent fighter against losses, he established seven types of muda. Muda is a Japanese word that means loss, waste, that is, any activity that consumes resources but does not create value. These are errors that need to be corrected. This is performing actions that you can completely do without.

The goal of lean manufacturing is to prevent waste. It is necessary not only to eliminate, but also to prevent further occurrence and/or development of losses.

The goal of lean manufacturing is prevention. It is necessary not only to eliminate, but also to prevent further occurrence and/or development of losses.

The task of management is to optimize the process. By considering the consequences of losses, management, with limited resources, can decide where to focus their efforts first.

Overproduction is the most dangerous of losses, as it entails other types of losses. But the easiest way to exclude and identify this type is to follow the motto: “Don’t produce too much!” It is necessary to produce only what is ordered.

The consequences that arise from overproduction are premature consumption of raw materials, and as a result, the purchase of materials, which leads to excess inventories, and loss of quality.

The amount of unclaimed products and supplies in warehouses and intermediate operations is the cost of the “Overproduction” loss. Determined during the month, quarter, year.

A pull supply system, as well as leveling the load on production lines, helps to avoid overproduction.

The reason for excess inventories is long readjustment, which in turn is associated with the production of products in large quantities. As well as the imperfection of the production planning and supply of materials system.

To store supplies, we need additional space, warehouses, and additional labor. Also, these reserves will need to be searched for later, which means spending time and energy again. All these efforts are unnecessary costs, and the inventories themselves are the frozen capital of the enterprise.

As with overproduction, improving the planning system helps reduce inventory. Production flows should be based on a pull system with small batches whenever possible, which helps to level production.

The next type of loss - transportation - is a consequence of irrational placement of equipment and large distances between production sites. A value stream map can help identify inefficiencies in the production flow organization. By displaying material flows and their direction, we see the distance that a workpiece or material travels before it becomes a finished product. Increased transportation costs lead to higher prices for products.

Optimizing the location of equipment, storage facilities, and the direction of material flows in general helps reduce the number of transportations.

Loss of “Movement” is associated with the movement of workers during a work shift. Contributes to a decrease in labor productivity, increased personnel fatigue and an increase in injuries. Timing the worker's movements - the Spaghetti diagram - helps to identify this hidden loss. But it is also important to understand the personal role of the worker himself in optimizing his working day and his actions. To eliminate unnecessary movements of a worker, it is first necessary to improve his skills. Together with him, optimize the production process and effectively organize workplaces. Personal engagement of staff can be increased by implementing the Kaizen movement - making small improvements on your own.

Of all types of losses, “Waiting” brings comparatively less damage. This is the time that equipment or personnel spends inactive, that is, without creating value. When optimizing production flows, it is necessary, if not to exclude all other losses, then at least to strive to translate them into expectation. The timing of the work of personnel and equipment allows you to determine the waiting time. The total number of downtimes per shift, month and year will give us the waiting time. To reduce the amount of staff waiting time, during downtime it is recommended to direct them to cleaning, implementation of 5S, TPM, SMED, Kaizen systems.

Optimizing the location of equipment and reducing changeover time can reduce waiting time.

Excessive processing can also increase production costs. It arises as a result of the lack of a standard among the worker and the imperfection of technology. Before placing an order, you need to clearly understand what properties of the product are important to the consumer. This understanding must be reflected in the worker's standard. For example, in a standard operating chart, where all the steps and actions of the operator will be clearly stated.

Defects in manufacturing entail additional costs for rework, control, and organizing a place to eliminate defects. They arise as a result of technology violations, low qualifications of workers, inappropriate tools, equipment, and materials. The cost of defects is determined by the cost of defective products and the cost of rework. Implementation of quality loop systems and TPM help reduce defects. Also important here is the personal interest of workers to produce quality products.

Table 1. Causes and consequences of 7 types of industrial losses

How to fix it?

Reproduced

large parties;

impossibility of quick changeover;

anticipatory production;

redundant equipment, inconsistent quality.

premature consumption of raw materials;

procurement of materials;

excess inventory, loss of quality.

The amount of unclaimed products and supplies in warehouses and intermediate operations. Over the course of a month, a quarter, a year.

pull supply system;

leveling the load on production lines.

long readjustment;

production of products in large quantities;

imperfection of the production planning and supply of materials system.

increase in area;

additional labor;

the need to search;

possibility of damage;

the need for additional pallets.

Determine how many materials are in the warehouse that are not needed in the next week (month - depending on the supply cycle)

pull production system;

production leveling;

batch size reduction;

improvement of the planning system.

Transport

irrational placement of equipment;

large distance between production sites;

inefficiently organized production flow;

remoteness of storage facilities.

increased travel costs;

additional search costs;

damage to products during transportation.

The cost of moving workpieces from one operation to another, and in the warehouse. Possible defect due to improper transportation. Value stream map.

optimization of production sites;

optimization of warehouse locations.

Move-

irrational organization of the workspace;

irrational arrangement of equipment and containers;

inconsistency of operations;

lack of standardized processes.

decreased labor productivity;

staff fatigue;

increase in injuries and occupational diseases.

Timing of worker movements, determining time and distance. Spaghetti diagram.

optimization of the production process;

staff development;

optimization of equipment distribution;

efficiently organized workplaces.

Expectation

imbalance of production processes;

imperfect planning;

production of products in large quantities.

increase in time to manufacture a unit of product;

decreased productivity;

staff demotivation.

Timing of work of personnel and equipment. Total downtime per shift, month, year.

alignment of production processes;

optimization of equipment location;

reduction of changeover time.

Overprocessing

lack of standard;

lack of understanding of what the consumer wants;

imperfection of technology.

increase in production costs;

increase in production time.

Find out from the customer which properties of the product he considers necessary, and which are secondary, or not needed at all. Over-processing costs.

standardization;

careful study of consumer requirements.

Defects rework

violation of technology;

low qualification of the employee;

inappropriate tools, equipment, materials.

additional costs arise: for revision, for control; to organize a place to eliminate defects

The quantity of defects is its cost, or the cost of rework.

organizing the process of ensuring the release of quality products;

implementation of a system for efficient operation of equipment.