Another is visual management. Think: stop sign. Using signage, graphics, orother visual cues to improve productivity. In another example drawn from his consulting experience, Khaled described a problem at a company that sold radicchios, a cultivated form of leaf chicory. They were sorted into two grades, because the better grade radicchios fetched a better price at markets in Japan. The problem was that many of the radicchios that should have been sorted for sale to markets in Japan instead were being sold to markets in the U.S. The solution was signage located near the worker who did the sorting -- signage showing radicchios that had the quality for the Japanese markets and those that were not good enough. The worker could easily take a moment to compare the visual cues of the signage as he sorted. That simple solution more than doubled the number of radicchios the company sold to markets in Japan.
“That’s what I like about lean,” said Khaled. “Lean is all about simple tools.”
The third example, about collecting data, was not as simple but was equally impactful. Keep track of two types of data when it comes to repairing equipment, he
Lean is all about simple tools
suggested: labor, and what parts or fluids or other materials that are used. Track the data, analyze it, and interpret it.
“You’ll figure out which equipment should I keep buying, and which equipment should I stop buying,” said Khaled. “You’ll see the maintenance costs for both.”
The data also will enable the prediction of parts or component failure. Maybe around 5,000 hours, a compressor breaks down. At 4,500 hours, you examine it for signs of failure. “That comes out of collecting the data and analyzing it and interpreting it.”
He summed up his four points. Be driven by process. Collect some data to help understand a problem better. Work on developing more employee engagement. Use lean to focus on zero waste.
JANUARY 2018