Is it possible to be repetitive and flexible at the same time? Using proven examples and quantifiable evidence, Lean RFS (Repetitive Flexible Supply): Putting the Pieces Together demonstrates that repetitive flexible supply (RfS) is not only possible, but that its implementation can help you reach a new level of improved performance in manufacturin

Is it possible to be repetitive and flexible-at the same time? Using proven examples and quantifiable evidence, Lean RFS (Repetitive Flexible Supply): Putting the Pieces Together demonstrates that repetitive flexible supply (R f S) is not only possible, but that its implementation can help you reach a new level of improved performance in manufacturing and across your entire supply chain. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, this book is unique in that it clearly spells out the theory and practice originally published in the Shingo Prize winner, Breaking Through to Flow , with actual stories of Kimberly-Clark's experience in using them over the years with great success. These stories provide a real feel of how this learning-by-doing journey led to "aha!" moments for those involved. The book also explains why most planning systems in use today will result in a different plan every time, and that these plan changes are actually the cause of the fire fighting that is endemic in most companies.

Presenting an alternate approach to supply chain management, Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials: A Framework for Materials Managers explains why the traditional materials planning environment, typically embodied by an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, is an ineffective support system for a company that wants to adopt Lean practices.

Designed for students, young managers and seasoned practitioners alike, this handbook explains the nuts and bolts of the modern logistics and distribution world in plain language. Illustrated throughout, this second edition includes new chapters on areas previously not covered, such as: intermodal transport; benchmarking; environmental matters; and vehicle and depot security.

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

"On Time-In Full" is an important work. Tim McLean provides an easy to follow practical approach to building a highly performing supply chain" -Drew Locher, Shingo Prize Winning Author and Lean Thinker The most fundamental requirement for a manufacturing or distribution business is to deliver to customers what they want, in the quantity they want, when they want it. It doesn’t matter how good your product is, how much the customer likes your salesperson, how slick your marketing campaign is: If your customers can’t get what they want when they want it, they will get it elsewhere, and your business will be in serious trouble. On Time in Full: Achieving Perfect Delivery with Lean Thinking in Purchasing, Supply Chain and Production Planning is a step-by-step practical guide to designing a Lean Supply Chain that will deliver what your customers need, when they need it, every time. Timothy McLean shares his three decades of Lean supply chain experience -- In simple straightforward language, he explores the reasons why supply chains fail to deliver and what you can do about it. On Time In Full includes practical guidance for tackling the big issues affecting supply chains including: How to understand your extended supply chain with a value stream map The role of forecasting in your supply chain and how to get a meaningful forecast Calculating the right level of inventory for your business Scheduling daily production to meet demand Managing suppliers and your supply chain at home and internationally Selecting and making the best use out of an ERP system Designing an efficient distribution network The book is full of practical case studies and examples as well as references for further study. On Time, In Full is the complete guide to setting up a supply chain that works.

This book is aimed at manufacturing and planning managers who struggle to bring a greater degree of stability and more effective use of assets to their operations, not realizing the degree to which production scheduling affects those objectives. It has been reported that 75% of the problems on the manufacturing floor are caused by activities outside the plant floor. Poor production scheduling strategies and systems are often the biggest contributors to the 75%. The book explains in detail that no scheduling strategy, and especially no transition to a different and better scheduling strategy, will succeed without strong commitment and guidance from senior leadership. Leadership must understand their active role in the transition, that people will feel uncomfortable and even threatened by change, and that they will need to be measured by different standards. Effective scheduling requires that following the schedule and production to plan is more important than trying to maximize each day’s throughput. The book explains the advantages of a structured, regularly repeating schedule: how it can increase throughput, right-size inventory based on cycles and variabilities and therefore make it more usable, and improve customer delivery. It will explain the trade-offs between throughput, inventory, and delivery performance, how those trade-offs are actually decided in production scheduling, and how an appropriate scheduling strategy can make the trade-offs and their ramifications visible. It discusses several popular structured scheduling concepts, their similarities, and differences, to allow the readers to decide which might fit best in their environments. In addition, the authors discuss what makes an appropriate scheduling software system, and why a package designed for structured scheduling offers capabilities well beyond the Excel workbooks used by many companies, and how it offers much more design capability and ease of use than the finite scheduling modules in SAP or Oracle. Finally, the authors offer a proven roadmap for implementation, critical success factors necessary to achieve the full potential, and give examples of operations that have done this well. In addition, a guide for leaders and managers post-implementation is provided to help them fully exploit the advantages of a structured, repeating scheduling strategy.

International standards ensure that organisations operate the right processes to support their objectives. International Standards for Design and Manufacturing is an accessible guide for manufacturing and production managers and students. It guides readers through the standards needed to build operating systems which are robust, integrated and used to drive the continuous improvement of business performance. International Standards for Design and Manufacturing is based on many years of research collaboration between Swansea University and leading manufacturing and production practitioners from key companies from around the world. Each chapter includes an introduction to the standards being discussed, definitions, examples of using the standards in practice, why these standards are important, conclusions, seminar topics and mock exam questions to allow the reader to test their knowledge and understanding.

This book guides process-industry professionals from the implementation of the basic foundations of Continuous Improvement (CI) through to an organization where CI is a “way of life” and a defining feature of the culture of the organization. The readers of this book are seeking solutions to such pressing issues as: • Eliminating accidents and near misses. • Reducing customer complaints. • Improving customer delivery performance. • Elimination of accidents and near misses. • Reducing customer complaints. • Improving customer delivery performance. • Introducing new products. • Improving staff productivity. • Removing costs to meet the budget. • Dealing with absence and poor morale. • Improving staff retention. This book provides them with guidance on how to address issues in these areas in a way that enables improvements to be realized quickly but not at the expense of a long-term goal of a sustainable Continuous Improvement culture. In addition, this book presents the implementation of CI as a cyclical journey with no endpoint. The stages are ordered in a sequence that enables the reader to get started in their area of the company and build up the elements without the need for an overall organizational strategy at the beginning. Continuous Improvement is a vast subject with many takes on principles, approaches, and tools. This book is about how all the fundamentals of these areas fit together and, as such, covers only some of them. However, within the bibliography, I have signposted the books that have guided me during my career and which go into the principles, approaches, and tools further.