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However, two of these product – the Saturn microwave stand and the Gemini TV stand – have part 3079 requires machining on a special lathe. This lathe is run by a machinist who is trained for this piece of equipment. Ed Szewczak is the machinist that operates this particular lathe as well as other machines in the shop. Currently Ed is working a regular 40-hour week but due to the workload for producing part 3079, he has frequently been scheduled to work overtime to complete the necessary parts on time.
Since it has been brought to the attention of Coral Snodgrass, the operations manager that Ed is becoming increasing dissatisfied with the amount of overtime that he is working. It is important that a solution be found since Ed is a valuable long time and reliable employee of Space Age Furniture. It is also difficult to find machinists with his caliber of expertise. Coral must look at the processes to manufacture the parts and how to be more efficient to decrease the amount of overtime that Ed has been …show more content…
The basic concept of a kanban is a hand sized card that moves with the product or material. It signals when product is to be built or when material can be moved. A company disciplined in lean manufacturing methods will not build product or move material without the proper kanbans. In order to implement a system using kanbans, you must first understand the types of kanbans, their functions and most importantly, the rules ("Lean manufacturing," n.d., p. 9).
The most important function of a kanban is that it instructs when to produce or convey parts. In a lean manufacturing environment, no production or parts movement should take place without a kanban. In essence, it is your work order or pick list.
Another key function is visual control; to identify what is in each box. Each box of product (finished goods, raw components or sub-assemblies) should have a kanban attached to it. Seeing a box of parts without a kanban is a clear signal that something is out of place.
The third major function is inventory control. When using a kanban system, it is very easy to control the amount of finished product on hand. The number of kanbans in the system will be determined through levelized production and only that quantity of kanbans will be issued, thus keeping your inventory at the pre-determined level. Regular audits of the system will keep this quantity in check (“Lean manufacturing,” n.d., p.
Since it has been brought to the attention of Coral Snodgrass, the operations manager that Ed is becoming increasing dissatisfied with the amount of overtime that he is working. It is important that a solution be found since Ed is a valuable long time and reliable employee of Space Age Furniture. It is also difficult to find machinists with his caliber of expertise. Coral must look at the processes to manufacture the parts and how to be more efficient to decrease the amount of overtime that Ed has been …show more content…
The basic concept of a kanban is a hand sized card that moves with the product or material. It signals when product is to be built or when material can be moved. A company disciplined in lean manufacturing methods will not build product or move material without the proper kanbans. In order to implement a system using kanbans, you must first understand the types of kanbans, their functions and most importantly, the rules ("Lean manufacturing," n.d., p. 9).
The most important function of a kanban is that it instructs when to produce or convey parts. In a lean manufacturing environment, no production or parts movement should take place without a kanban. In essence, it is your work order or pick list.
Another key function is visual control; to identify what is in each box. Each box of product (finished goods, raw components or sub-assemblies) should have a kanban attached to it. Seeing a box of parts without a kanban is a clear signal that something is out of place.
The third major function is inventory control. When using a kanban system, it is very easy to control the amount of finished product on hand. The number of kanbans in the system will be determined through levelized production and only that quantity of kanbans will be issued, thus keeping your inventory at the pre-determined level. Regular audits of the system will keep this quantity in check (“Lean manufacturing,” n.d., p.