Toyota Production System methods have rendered remarkable results in high-volume manufacturing plants, but they have not been fully understood and correctly applied in high-mix, low-volume environments. While lean principles do apply, the implementation methods and tools must be adapted and alternate methods embraced in a low-volume environment. This volume is specifically geared for manufacturers that have hundreds to thousands of active part numbers with few or no ongoing forecasted volumes, and for job shops that build only to order. The primary focus is eliminating non-value-added activities and instituting improvements on the most repetitive jobs, a strategy that gives you more time to produce your low-volume work or one-offs. About the author: Greg Lane is a faculty member of the Lean Enterprise Institute and an advisor to the Instituto de Lean Management in Spain. During his time with Toyota, he was one of a handful of candidates selected for a one-year training program conducted by the company’s masters. He became certified as a Toyota Production System (TPS) Key Person and continued his work with Toyota, training others in TPS. He has been highly active in working on implementing lean around the world, supporting large and small companies alike. In 1998, he began to focus his lean endeavors on meeting the specific needs of high-mix, low-volume enterprises. During his time as an independent consultant, Greg purchased and operated his own manufacturing company, which specialized in fast turnaround on high-mix, low-volume parts. Greg used TPS to grow the business and nearly double its sales. Greg and his associates have experience not only at adapting the methods contained in this book, but also in applying other tools that are too numerous to detail here. They can be reached for further support with your lean transformation via email: [email protected]

In the 1950’s, the design and implementation of the Toyota Production System (TPS) within Toyota had begun. In the 1960’s, Group Technology (GT) and Cellular Manufacturing (CM) were used by Serck Audco Valves, a high-mix low-volume (HMLV) manufacturer in the United Kingdom, to guide enterprise-wide transformation. In 1996, the publication of the book Lean Thinking introduced the entire world to Lean. Job Shop Lean integrates Lean with GT and CM by using the five Principles of Lean to guide its implementation: (1) identify value, (2) map the value stream, (3) create flow, (4) establish pull, and (5) seek perfection. Unfortunately, the tools typically used to implement the Principles of Lean are incapable of solving the three Industrial Engineering problems that HMLV manufacturers face when implementing Lean: (1) finding the product families in a product mix with hundreds of different products, (2) designing a flexible factory layout that "fits" hundreds of different product routings, and (3) scheduling a multi-product multi-machine production system subject to finite capacity constraints. Based on the Author’s 20+ years of learning, teaching, researching, and implementing Job Shop Lean since 1999, this book Describes the concepts, tools, software, implementation methodology, and barriers to successful implementation of Lean in HMLV production systems Utilizes Production Flow Analysis instead of Value Stream Mapping to eliminate waste in different levels of any HMLV manufacturing enterprise Solves the three Industrial Engineering problems that were mentioned earlier using software like PFAST (Production Flow Analysis and Simplification Toolkit), Sgetti and Schedlyzer Explains how the one-at-a-time implementation of manufacturing cells constitutes a long-term strategy for Continuous Improvement Explains how product families and manufacturing cells are the basis for implementing flexible automation, machine monitoring, virtual cells, Manufacturing Execution Systems, and other elements of Industry 4.0 Teaches a new method, Value Network Mapping, to visualize large multi-product multi-machine production systems whose Value Streams share many processes Includes real success stories of Job Shop Lean implementation in a variety of production systems such as a forge shop, a machine shop, a fabrication facility and a shipping department Encourages any HMLV manufacturer planning to implement Job Shop Lean to leverage the co-curricular and extracurricular programs of an Industrial Engineering department

The book integrates tehniques from the Toyota Production System (TPS) that apply to high-mix low-volume with the science of Group Technology and Cellular Manufacturing (GT/CM) to replace those parts of theTPS that pertain solely to high-volume, repeatable processes. GT/CM is the technical solution to Lean for high-mix low-volume. Toyota provides the tools to sustain GT/CM, especially the workforce culture and Lean leadership aspects

Lean manufacturing is the single most effective way to increase sales, cut costs, improve margins, and secure the future of a business. The problem is that the principles and philosophies of lean manufacturing are geared strictly to mass production operations and can be ineffective, even detrimental, for smaller job shops and make-to-order businesses. Now, Speed to Market delivers a proven approach for smaller suppliers who want to successfully cut their lead time and trigger profitable growth. Completely updated and expanded, the book explains how to: * Apply the principles of pull, flow, and the elimination of waste to every area of the company, at every stage from quotes to cash* Implement a continuous improvement process while sidestepping the typical implementation pitfalls* Ease scheduling problems* Improve performance and profitability using the book's practical concepts, process analysis tools, and perspective-enhancing techniques and much more

Following in the footsteps of its bestselling predecessor, Kevin J. Duggan, an executive mentor and recognized authority on Lean and Operational Excellence, draws on more than 10 years of experience and learning to provide Creating Mixed Model Value Streams, Second Edition. This second edition takes a step-by-step approach to implementing Lean in c

POLCA (Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization) is a card-based visual control system that manages the flow of jobs through the shop floor: at each operation, it controls which job should be worked on next to meet delivery targets. POLCA ensures that upstream operations use their capacity effectively by working on jobs that are needed downstream, while at the same time preventing excessive work-in-process (WIP) build-ups when bottlenecks appear unexpectedly. POLCA is particularly suited to companies manufacturing high-mix, low-volume and customized products. Such companies struggle with long lead times, late deliveries, and daily expediting to meet delivery dates. ERP systems are not designed to deal with this highly variable environment, and add-on software such as Finite Capacity Scheduling systems can require complex installation. Also, the Kanban system does not work well with low-volume or custom production. POLCA has delivered impressive results in such environments. It does not require any complex software implementation: it can be used without an ERP system or it can seamlessly complement an existing ERP system. This book: Provides a step-by-step roadmap on how to implement POLCA; invaluable for both companies that wish to implement POLCA as well as consultants and academics advising such companies. Explains the concepts in practical and easy-to-understand terms by showing detailed shop-floor examples. Includes more than 100 illustrations for understanding how POLCA works as well as for elaborating on details of the implementation steps. Contains case studies written by company owners and executives documenting their POLCA implementation process and the results achieved in various industries in six countries.

Design for Manufacturability: How to Use Concurrent Engineering to Rapidly Develop Low-Cost, High-Quality Products for Lean Production shows how to use concurrent engineering teams to design products for all aspects of manufacturing with the lowest cost, the highest quality, and the quickest time to stable production. Extending the concepts of desi