Kaizen

1.0 Introduction This report has been carried out to understand how the company, Nike Inc., has implemented Lean Production in their manufacturing process and to give suggestions for further improvement if possible. 1.1 Lean Production Lean production is one of the many Japanese process of cutting down waste whilst ensuring that the quality of the product does not suffer. It includes Kaizen, cell production, Just In Time (JIT). Kaizen involves continuous improvement. Whilst cell production is when parts of the product is manufactured in separate areas and thereafter assembled. And Just In Time is when the stocks required for production comes as it is required. 1.2 Company Overview Nike Inc. is an American multinational that designs, manufactures and markets worldwide footwear, apparel, equipment,…

I recently lead and facilitate a 2-day Kaizen business process mapping event that focused on a software solution that is being implemented within our PLM (Product Life Cycle Management) system at our Cargo Handling System business unit. This activity is part of our ongoing efforts to develop a rigorous International Trade Compliance (ITC) program that detects, identifies, reports, corrects and prevents ITAR violations. The statistical distribution of AC2s and AC3s of this team falls below the…

Kaizen I 've been seeing this in action since I joined. It allowed us to become what we are today. We believe in taking calculated risks and at the same time continuously accessing and improving. Instead of hard pushing and keeping it rigid, we constantly keep improving for good. We encourage everyone to find the best possible ways to be productive and improving our communication, strategies including ourselves. Kaizen to me is like operating in infinitely beta mode that keeps getting better…

Jidoka iii. Heijunka iv. Kaizen. i. Just in Time: JIT – Just in Time’s objective is to reduce the in-process inventory by manufacturing or producing the production only when it is needed i.e. the activity of production occurs only when the order comes from the customer. The JIT works on the basis of…

1.0 Introduction Toyota’s system of lean production and techniques for eliminating errors such a poka-yoke, which is an exercise formulated to avoid mistakes that can result in defective products, are world-renowned examples of quality assurance. Interestingly, in most cases supply chain quality assurance was established as the major reason for product recall (Roth et al. 2008). Recent product recalls and disorders in supply chains are cautionary indicators that the level of quality management…

4.1 Lean Six Sigma Definition: Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a methodology that improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation. It is a combination between Six Sigma method and the waste reduction philosophy of LEAN engineering. Mentioning about Six Sigma, it has eight kinds of waste that no company wants during their process - it doesn’t add any value to the customers: + Defects: The product isn’t in accordance with customer wishes, inaccurate, late, incomplete Staff…

Theories and Techniques Just in time is usually a management philosophy that originated from Japan, it aims at cutting down the cost through reducing the amount of materials and goods that an organization holds in its stores and warehouses. This technique involve producing and delivering goods just in time to be sold, assembling partly finished goods into finished goods just in time, assembling parts just in time to partly finished goods and assembling materials just in time which are made into…

Opportunities for improvement using Lean Management and Six Sigma principles The lean management principle originally came from the Toyota manufacturing system and it refers to the concept of reducing waste and eliminating defects during the production process. In lean management, firms analyze their operations to point out wastes and areas of inefficiencies before developing solutions to minimize these wastes and promote efficiency. While lean management principles are largely applied in the…

The lean management methodology upon which this book was based began from the lean manufacturing principles developed by Taiichi Ohno for the Toyota company in the mid-1900s. Ohno’s approach to production was anything that did not provide immediate value to the customer was considered a waste of resources and subsequently eliminated. This revolutionized Toyota’s manufacturing procedures and inspired many modern project management styles used today. Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, applied…

Process Description of Heijunka Introduction Heijunka is a tool used in lean manufacturing which focuses on eliminating waste without losing productivity through a manufacturing technique that relies on leveling production. Popularized by Toyota, lean manufacturing is often seen as an alternative and more effective manufacturing process than mass production that is commonly used in America (Friddle n.d.). Whereas mass production relies on production in large batches to obtain the lowest cost…