Stoppages of automated equipment lines adversely affect productivity, cost, and lead time. Such losses make decreasing the number of stoppages a crucial element of TPM. Kikuo Suehiro has helped companies such as Hitachi achieve unprecedented reduction in the number of minor stoppages. In this explicitly detailed book, he presents a scientific approach to determining the causes of stoppages and the actions that can be taken to diminish their occurrence.

Shingo, whose work at Toyota provided the foundation for JIT, teaches how to implement non-stock production in your JIT manufacturing operations. The culmination of his extensive writings on efficient production management and continuous improvement, this book is an essential companion volume to his other landmark books on key elements of JIT, including SMED and poka-yoke. It includes: Fundamental flaws in European and American production philosophies. Basic concepts for improving production systems. The "scientific thinking mechanism" -- a new approach to improvement. Implementing a production method in an age of authorized stock production. Development of production functions in the age of non-stock production. Significance of the different production systems.

How do companies in high labor cost countries manage to remain competitive? In western manufacturing, the more manual a process, the more severe the competitive handicap of high wages. Full automation would make labor costs irrelevant but remain impractical in most industries. Most successful manufacturing processes in advanced economies are neither fully manual nor fully automatic -- they involve interactions between small numbers of highly skilled people and machines that account for the bulk of the manufacturing costs and thereby remain competitive. In Working with Machines: The Nuts and Bolts of Lean Operations With Jidoka, author Michel Baudin explains how performance differences that can be observed from one factory to the next are due to the way people use the machines -- from the human interfaces of individual machines to the linking of machines into cells, the management of monuments and common services, automation, maintenance, and production control.

Unique coverage of manufacturing management techniques--complete with cases and real-world examples. Improving Production with Lean Thinking picks up where other references on production processes leave off. It is increasingly important to integrate and systematize lean thinking throughout production/manufacturing and the supply chain because the market is becoming more competitive, products are becoming more complex, and product life is getting shorter and shorter. With a practical focus, this book encompasses the science and analytical background for improving manufacturing, control, and design. It covers specific methodologies and tools for: * Material flow and facilities layout, including a six step layout design process * The design of cellular layouts * Analyzing and improving equipment efficiency, including Poka-Yoke, motion study, maintenance, SMED, and more * Environmental improvements, including 5S implementation With real-life case studies of successful European and American approaches to lean manufacturing, this reference is ideal for engineers, managers, and researchers in manufacturing and production facilities as well as students. It bridges the gap between production/manufacturing and supply chain techniques and provides a detailed roadmap to improved factory performance.

Foreword. . . Foreword. . Ch. 1. The journey begins. 5. Ch. 2. Introducing Dr. Shigeo Shingo. 15. Ch. 3. Taichi Ohno. 27. Ch. 4. Defining waste. 39. Ch. 5. Dr. Shingo asking five whys at Granville Phillips. 45. Ch. 6. My first trip to Japan : a thriller. 49. Ch. 7. Discovering Shingo : a magic moment. 63. Ch. 8. The lobster feast and the first changeover by Dr. Shingo. 71. Ch. 9. The study mission process. 85. Ch. 10. SMED - quick changeovers - the heart of JIT. 93. Ch. 11. My mental transformation : there are 'gems' scattered all over Japan. 103. Ch. 12. Developing an understanding of Japan. 121. Ch. 13. Factory tours : a feast for the eyes. 127. Ch. 14. The Gemba walk. 137. Ch. 15. 5 S. 143. Ch. 16. Discovering books in Japan. 147. Ch. 17. Fire the quality manager!. 155. Ch. 18. The best factory in the world. 161. Ch. 19. Getting to know Dr. Shingo. 171. Ch. 20. The birth of the Kaizen Blitz. 177. Ch. 21. Finding books and meeting Kazuhiro Uchiyama. 187. Ch. 22. Shingo to teacher. 193. Ch. 23. Never take no for an answer. 197. Ch. 24. Introduction to TPM - another billion dollar idea. 201. Ch. 25. Shigehiro Nakamura. 213. Ch. 26. Kaoru Ishikawa. 227. Ch. 27. Iwao Kobayashi - 20 keys. 231. Ch. 28. Union of Japanese scientists and engineers (JUSE). 235. Ch. 29. Dr. W. Edwards deming. 237. Ch. 30. The impact of Dr. Joseph Juran. 251. Ch. 31. Life time employment system. 253. Ch. 32. Quick and easy Kaizen. 257. Ch. 33. A gallery of great geniuses. 277. Ch. 34. Professor Louis E. Davis and socio-technical systems. 295. Ch. 35. Failure to change is a vice!. 301. Ch. 36. Summary. 305. Ch. 37. Gary Convis - President Toyota (TMMK). 307. Ch. 38. Gary Smuda - technicolor corporation. 319. Ch. 39. Professor Doc - Robert Hall. 329. Ch. 40. Don Dewar - President QCI International. 341. Ch. 41. Richard Schonberger. 345. Ch. 42. Vision statements. 355. . Lean terms. 361.

The Lean Expert: Educating and Elevating Lean Practitioners Throughout Your Organization outlines a method that can help organizations engage associates and empower them to achieve "expert status" in the nine core principles of Lean. By implementing the Lean Discipline Expert process detailed in the book, companies will demonstrate to their associates that they believe they are the organization’s greatest assets, while empowering them to make lasting improvements to the organization. The book provides a robust and proven process for creating a Lean culture. It outlines a method, with defined steps, for the development of Lean Discipline Resource People that will help associates achieve "expert status" in the core Lean principles of 5S–Visual Management, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Total Productive Maintenance, Quick Changeover, Error Proofing, Process Problem Solving, Material Management, and Continuous Improvement. You will be able develop Lean strategies, create a Master Schedule, initiate activities for supporting goals and objectives, and complete a Train-the-Trainer class as well as achieve facilitation skills to teach, communicate, guide, and lead Lean overview training as well as comprehensive subject-matter training. In addition, you will understand how the Lean Discipline Expert process can help to support associate involvement at all levels and learn where and how the nine principles overlap and interact. By engaging and empowering various levels of associates throughout the organization, you will provide strength and ownership for your business and, most importantly, your associates. The book includes access to additional resources on the book’s page at www.crcpress.com. It includes a tracking mechanism for monitoring candidate progress, facilitation feedback forms, LDE checklists, and certificates of accomplishment you can use to acknowledge associates that achieve Lean Discipline Expert status.

This Introduction to Manufacturing focuses students on the issues that matter to practicing industrial engineers and managers. It offers a systems perspective on designing, managing, and improving manufacturing operations. On each topic, it covers the key issues, with pointers on where to dig deeper. Unlike the many textbooks on operations management, supply chain management, and process technology, this book weaves together these threads as they interact in manufacturing. It has five parts: Getting to Know Manufacturing: Fundamental concepts of manufacturing as an economic activity, from manufacturing strategy to forecasting market demand Engineering the Factory: Physical design of factories and processes, the necessary infrastructure and technology for manufacturing Making Information Flow: The "central nervous system" that triggers and responds to events occurring in production Making Materials Flow: The logistics of manufacturing, from materials handling inside the factory via warehousing to supply chain management Enhancing Performance: Managing manufacturing performance and methods to maintain and improve it, both in times of normal operations and emergencies Supported with rich illustrations and teaching aids, Introduction to Manufacturing is essential reading for industrial engineering and management students – of all ages and backgrounds – engaged in the vital task of making the things we all use.

Papers presented at the International Conference on Powder Metallurgy for Automotive and Engineering Industry, held at Mumbai during 3-6 February 2005.

Lean manufacturing cannot happen in a factory that lacks dependable, effective equipment. Breakdowns and processing defects translate into excess work-in-process and finished inventory, kept on hand ""just in case."" Recurring minor stoppages force employees to watch automated equipment that should run by itself. TPM gives a framework for addressing such problems, but many companies implement TPM at a superficial level, and the resulting productivity gains fall short of their potential. If your TPM implementation has resulted in posters and logos rather than a rise of productivity, how are you addressing this halt of progress? In TPM for the Lean Factory, authors Sekine and Arai teach you to identify and attack the key equipment-related problems and misunderstandings that make plants miss their lean manufacturing goals. Written for companies with a basic TPM framework already in place, you'll learn three powerful approaches for cutting this waste: The new 5Ss: focusing on standard locations and labeling through the first 2Ss Instant maintenance: mastering quick repairs of minor equipment failures Improved setup operations: organizing the preparation to save time and prevent errors Chapters on cell design, product and process quality factor testing, and daily equipment inspection give you additional weapons for fighting waste and low productivity. For practical application, an implementation overview summarizes the steps for each topic, keyed to a set of 50 adaptable worksheets and examples. A practical and supportive resource, TPM for the Lean Factory extends a fresh vision and focus to help you get top results from your TPM efforts.