The production process of a modern enterprise is complex mechanism the transformation of semi-finished products, raw materials, materials and other objects of labor into finished products that satisfy the needs of society. The main task of the production system in this case is the continuous improvement of the "value stream" for the consumer, which is based on a rational combination in time and space of all the main, auxiliary and service industries. This allows you to produce products with minimal labor costs and economic indicators and production results depend on this. economic activity enterprises, including the cost of production, profit and profitability of production, the amount of work in progress and the amount of working capital.

At the same time, at many enterprises, one of the main issues is the issue of the efficiency of production processes in terms of the duration production cycle. There is a need to spend a lot of effort on coordinating all auxiliary and service industries to ensure the uninterrupted supply of raw materials and electricity to the main production, as well as timely maintenance of equipment, warehousing, and transportation. The situation with the failure of equipment on one technological stage leads to the possibility of stopping the entire shop. Hence, the organization of an uninterrupted efficient production cycle at the enterprise is of particular relevance and importance for optimizing costs and achieving the best final results.

The efficiency of production in most enterprises is directly related to the complexity and duration of the production cycle. The longer this cycle, the greater the number of auxiliary and service industries involved in it, the less efficient is the production as a whole. This pattern is explained by the obvious need to spend a lot of effort on coordinating all actions to ensure the uninterrupted supply of the main production with raw materials, energy carriers, maintenance of equipment, transportation and storage of products, loading and unloading. Equipment failure at one technological stage can lead to failures in the operation of the entire production, up to its complete stop. Thus, it becomes especially important to improve efficiency and achieve the best results by addressing the problem of the stable functioning of the entire production system.

One way to solve this problem is to introduce a system Lean-technologies ("Lean production"), which is designed to optimize production processes, constantly improve product quality while constantly reducing costs. The system is not just a technology, but a whole management concept that implies the maximum orientation of production to the market with the interested participation of all the personnel of the organization. The experience of introducing the described technology, at least in the form of individual elements, at enterprises of various industries has shown its promise, as a result of which there is no doubt that it is necessary to study this experience and further expand the scope of its application.

The economic essence of Lean technologies

As an economic definition, production is a system for converting raw materials, semi-finished products and other objects of labor into finished products that have consumer value for society. The main task of the production system is to continuously improve the process of creating value for the consumer through a rational combination in time and space of all the main, auxiliary and service industries. Thus, saving time, material and labor resources is achieved, the cost of production decreases, the profitability of production increases, all economic indicators of the production and economic activity of the enterprise improve.

With the development of industrial relations, the systems for managing production processes are also developing and improving. One of the latest was the Lean manufacturing system, based on the principles effective management resources, attention to the needs of the customer, concentration on the problem of eliminating all types of losses, the full use of the intellectual potential of the enterprise's personnel. One of the main goals of the system is to reduce costs, control manufacturing plant based on the constant striving to eliminate all types of waste.

The concept of "Lean production" combines the optimization of production processes, aimed at continuous improvement of product quality while constantly reducing costs, with the involvement of each employee in this process. The concept is maximally focused on market conditions of management.

Over the past twenty years, a new productivity paradigm has been increasingly applied in world practice. It originally originated in Toyota and was called - Toyota Production System (TPS). It is focused on growth in a post-industrial economy, when instead of mass production based on guaranteed demand, there is a need for a diversified production that can satisfy individual customer needs, operating in small batches of various goods, including piece products. The main task of such production was the creation of competitive products in the required quantity, in the shortest possible time and with the least expenditure of resources.

The production that met the new requirements was called “lean” (lean, lean production, lean manufacturing), and the enterprises that increased the operational efficiency of their production due to the introduction of the new system were called “lean” (lean enterprise).

Lean businesses differ from others in the following ways:

1. The basis of the production system of such enterprises is people. They are a creative force in the process of manufacturing competitive products, and technologies and equipment are only a means to achieve the set goals. No theory, strategy, technology will make an enterprise successful; this will be achieved only by people on the basis of their intellectual and creative potential.

2. Lean manufacturing systems enterprises are focused on complete elimination of losses and continuous improvement of all processes. All employees of the company from workers to senior management are involved in the daily work to prevent all possible types of losses and continuous improvement.

3. The management of the enterprise makes decisions, taking into account the prospect of further development, while momentary financial interests are not decisive. The management of such companies is not engaged in useless administration - command, unreasonably tight control, evaluation of employees using complex systems of various indicators, it exists for the reasonable organization of the production process, timely detection, solution and prevention of problems. The ability to see and solve problems in one's workplace is valued in every employee - from senior management to workers.

The key tools of the Lean system to improve productivity are:

• 5S system is a management technique designed to effective organization workspace. The name comes from Japanese words starting with S, which in Russian can also be picked up analogues starting with the letter C, these are:
  • 1) Sorting items and / or documentation in the workplace according to the degree of their need and frequency of use, eliminating all unnecessary;
    2) Systematization, when each item must be located in a certain easily accessible place;
    3) Maintaining cleanliness and order;
    4) Standardization of the workplace ordered by the previous procedures;
    5) continuous improvement of the developed standard.
  • These simple and, at first glance, insignificant procedures, however, affect the efficiency of labor, eliminate the loss of things and time, reduce the likelihood of fires and other emergencies, and in general create a favorable microclimate in the workplace.
• Standardized work- a clear and maximally visualized algorithm for performing a certain activity, including standards for the duration of the cycle of operations, the sequence of actions when performing these operations, the amount of materials and items in operation (stock level).
• Methodology "Breakthrough to the flow" is to equalize and increase the efficiency of the production flow by creating fixed production cycles. In each of the selected cycles, the principles of standardized work discussed in the previous paragraph are implemented.
• The concept of TPM (eng. Total Productive Maintenance)- system of general maintenance of equipment. This system implies a combination of equipment operation with constant technical maintenance. Thanks to the constant monitoring and maintenance of equipment in working (serviceable) condition by production personnel, the level of losses caused by breakdowns, equipment downtime due to repair work, including planned ones, is reduced, which ensures the highest efficiency throughout the entire life cycle equipment. At the same time, the forces of the repair personnel are freed up for solving more important tasks.
• SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) system- technology for quick changeover of equipment. In the process of equipment changeover, two groups of operations can be distinguished - external, which can be carried out without stopping the equipment, for example, preparation of tools and materials, and internal, which require a break in the operation of the equipment. The essence of the system is to transfer the maximum number of internal operations to a group of external ones, which becomes possible due to the introduction of a number of technological and organizational improvements.
• Pull production system is an approach to the organization of the production flow, excluding losses associated with overproduction or waiting for the completion of the previous stage of work. Each technological operation, as it were, "pulls" the required amount of products from the previous one and transfers it to the next one. As a result, neither surpluses nor shortages occur in the production process.
• System for submitting and considering proposals provides all employees with a clear mechanism for implementing improvement proposals and provides for measures to encourage employees to submit such proposals.

The integrated use of Lean-tools allows, without significant investments, practically only at the expense of the company's internal reserves, to achieve a significant increase in labor productivity. In fact, the Lean concept is a certain approach to all issues of organizing production, which allows not only to implement innovative technologies that increase labor productivity and production efficiency, but also to create conditions for the formation corporate culture based on the general participation of the staff in the process of continuous improvement of the company's activities.

The Error Prevention Process Used in Lean Systems

A widely used error prevention technique used in Lean systems is the Poka-yoke technique.

Poka-yoke- (poka - an accidental, unintentional error; yoke - error prevention), (eng. Zero defects - Zero error principle) - a principle that consists in searching for the causes of errors and creating methods and technologies that exclude the very possibility of their occurrence. If it is impossible to do the work in other ways than the correct one, and the work is done, then it was done without errors - this is the fundamental idea of ​​the method.

Various defects in products may occur due to human forgetfulness, inattention, misunderstanding, negligence, etc. Such errors are natural and inevitable, and from this angle they must be considered in order to find ways to prevent them.

The error prevention technique provides for:

• creation of prerequisites for defect-free work,
• implementation of defect-free work methods,
• systematic elimination of errors that have arisen,
• taking precautions and implementing simple technical systems, allowing employees to prevent the commission of a slip.

The Poka-yoke method, used in conjunction with other lean manufacturing tools, ensures that the finished product is defect-free and therefore the manufacturing process runs smoothly.

Increasing the efficiency of enterprise management through Lean technologies

In general, the use of Lean principles can provide significant effects(in times):

• productivity growth - 3-10 times;
• downtime reduction - 5-20 times;
• reduction in the duration of the manufacturing cycle - 10-100 times;
• reduction of warehouse stocks - by 2-5 times;
• decrease in marriage cases - by 5-50 times;
• speeding up the entry to the market of new products - by 2-5 times.

Best foreign and Russian practice implementation of lean manufacturing tools gives such results:

• Electronics industry: reduction of production process steps from 31 to 9. Reduction of the production cycle from 9 to 1 day. Release of 25% of production space. Savings of about 2 million dollars for six months.
• Aviation industry: reduction of the lead time from 16 months to 16 weeks.
• Automotive industry: 40% increase in quality
• Non-ferrous metallurgy: 35% increase in productivity.
• Overhaul of large-tonnage vessels: release of 25% of production space. Reducing the time of one of the main operations from 12 to 2 hours. Saving about 400 thousand dollars in 15 days.
• Assembly of automotive components: release of 20% of production space. Refusal to build a new production building. Savings of about $2.5 million per week.
• Pharmaceutical industry: reduction of waste from 6% to 1.2%. Reducing electricity consumption by 56%. Savings of 200 thousand dollars annually.
• Consumer Goods Manufacturing: 55% increase in productivity. Reducing the production cycle by 25%. Reducing inventory by 35%. Savings of about 135 thousand dollars per week.

In general, today Russian market there is a shortage of professionals with experience in optimizing production processes through the introduction of "lean manufacturing" technology. Lean considers any production from the point of view of process optimization by all employees of the company. This global approach hides the main complexity of the "lean production" methodology, since a specialist in this field must combine the skills of a teacher and a leader, a forecaster and an analyst.

Conclusion

Lean manufacturing (lean production, lean manufacturing) is a concept of managing a manufacturing enterprise, based on the constant desire to eliminate all types of waste. Due to the deployment of a Lean-system (a system of lean production) at the enterprise, it is possible to implement an innovative approach to increasing labor productivity in practice. In fact, the Lean concept is a certain system of views on the organization of production, a kind of production paradigm that allows you to implement a number of innovative engineering methodologies to improve production efficiency (including labor productivity) and create conditions for the transformation and formation of a corporate culture based on universal participation of personnel in the process of continuous improvement of the company's activities.

Lean manufacturing, basic concepts

Lean(Lean Production) - a system for organizing and managing product development, operations, relationships with suppliers and customers, in which products are manufactured in strict accordance with the needs of consumers and with fewer defects compared to products made using mass production technology. This reduces the cost of labor, space, capital and time.

lean-enterprise(Lean Enterprise) is a business system for organizing and managing product development, operations, relationships with suppliers and customers, using the principles, practices and tools of lean manufacturing to create well-defined customer value (goods and services with higher quality and fewer defects , with less labor, in a smaller production area, with less capital and in less time compared to the traditional mass production system).

Lean businesses involved in the production of a particular family of products operate on the basis of an agreement according to which they determine the value of products from the perspective of the end consumer, eliminate non-productive activities from the value stream, and perform activities that create value in the form of a continuous flow as they "pull" products by the client. The cooperating enterprises carry out the listed procedures continuously throughout the entire life cycle of this product family.

The presented definition of the system of lean manufacturing very concisely expresses the essence of this concept. Let's try to uncover some provisions of this definition.

An important principle of the concept of lean manufacturing is continuous improvement and participation in this process of the entire team.

"Creating well-defined customer value" involves understanding what is value for the consumer. And here you can not rely on only your own knowledge. Work should be carried out to identify all components of customer value, sometimes directly with the end consumer of the product / service. This is a guarantee that the requirements of the consumer will be satisfied most fully and at the lowest cost (excessive work is excluded).

If a company is engaged in lean manufacturing, then it puts the interests of the customer, buyer, client, partner and its own employees at the forefront, and everyone benefits from this. Therefore, the introduction of lean manufacturing is the best business card for presenting the company to partners and customers.

“With less labor, in less space, with less capital and in less time”- in the concept of lean manufacturing, this means an exception all kinds of losses(overproduction, over-processing, waiting losses, transportation losses, personnel movements, losses due to defects/rework, etc.).

2. The concept of lean manufacturing is based on five principles that guide managers in the transition to lean manufacturing:

Definition of value each product family from the customer's point of view.

Definition of all stages of the value stream for each product family and eliminating, to the extent possible, non-value-adding activities.

Aligning operations that create value in a strict sequence that ensures the smooth movement of the product in the stream, directed to the client.

At the end of the flow formation - creating the possibility of "pulling" value customers from the previous stage.

Once value has been determined, identifying value streams, eliminating stages that cause waste, and drawing system formation- repeating the whole process anew as many times as necessary to achieve a state of perfection in which absolute value is created and there is no waste.

It is necessary to explain what is push production and pull production.

Push production - processing products in large batches at maximum speed based on forecasted demand, followed by the movement of products to the next production stage or warehouse, regardless of the actual pace of the next process or the needs of the customer (consumer). Within such a system, it is almost impossible to implement lean manufacturing tools.

Pull production- a method of production management in which subsequent operations signal their needs to previous operations.

There are three types of pull production:

Supermarket pull system (reimbursement/replenishment system) is type a pull system.

Sequential pull system - type c pull system.

Mixed pull system – type c pull system.

Supermarket pull system- the most popular. With it, at each production stage there is a warehouse - a supermarket, in which a certain volume of products manufactured at this stage is stored. At each stage, as many products are produced as were withdrawn from the supermarket. As a rule, when a product is withdrawn from a supermarket by a subsequent process - a consumer, the latter sends up to the previous process information about the withdrawal using a special card (kanban) or otherwise.

Each process is responsible for restocking its supermarket, so the operational management and search for objects of continuous improvement (kaizen) is not a big deal. However, its application is complicated in the presence of a large number of types of products.

Sequential pull system it is advisable to use with a large range of products produced by one process, i.e. when it is difficult or almost impossible to maintain a stock of each type of product in the supermarket. Products are essentially made-to-order, with total stock in the system kept to a minimum. A consistent system requires short and predictable lead times, and a good understanding of the order flow from the customer. The operation of such a system requires very strong leadership.

Mixed Pull System- involves a combination of the two listed systems. It is advisable to apply it when the 80/20 rule is in effect, i.e. when a small proportion of product types (approximately 20%) makes up the largest part of the daily output (approximately 80%).

All kinds of products are divided into groups according to output volume: high volume, medium volume, low volume and rare orders. For the "rare orders" group, it is advisable to use a sequential pull system. For other groups - the pull system of the supermarket. With a mixed pull system, it may be more difficult to manage improvement and detect deviations.

production faille management frugal

Lean production (hereinafter referred to as lean, lean management, lean production) is a system of measures aimed at reducing costs and improving the quality of production processes that originated in the mid-twentieth century at Toyota and were subsequently developed by American researchers.

Goals of Lean Manufacturing:

• 1) cost reduction, including labor;
• 2) reduction of terms of development of new products;
• 3) reducing the time for creating products;
• 4) reduction of production and storage areas;
• 5) guarantee of delivery of products to the customer;
• 6) maximum quality at a certain cost, or minimum cost at a certain quality.

The main elements of the Lean Production philosophy:

• 1) elimination of losses in all their forms;
• 2) involvement of all personnel of the enterprise in the improvement of production processes;
• 3) the idea that improvement should be carried out continuously.

Toyota has identified seven types of waste that are typical of various kinds both manufacturing and service companies. The struggle for liquidation became the basis of the "thrift" philosophy.

• 1) Production of surplus products. According to Toyota experts, the largest source of waste is the production of products in a larger volume than is necessary for the next stage of the enterprise's production process.
• 2) Downtime for organizational or technical reasons. The metrics commonly used to measure equipment and worker downtime are equipment efficiency and worker productivity. Less obvious is the downtime of a machine operator working on work in progress that is not currently needed.
• 3) Transport. The movement of materials and parts around the enterprise, as well as double or triple transshipment (transshipment) of unfinished products do not add value to the final product of the enterprise. You can reduce the amount of losses if you change the layout of process equipment in the shop, reducing the distance between technological operations by establishing rational routes for the transportation of raw materials and semi-finished products and choosing the right location of jobs.
• 4) Technological process. The technological process itself can become a source of losses. Some manufacturing operations are the result of poor design of product components or material recycling processes, or poor maintenance of equipment. Therefore, in the process of improving the organization of production, they can be painlessly simply eliminated.
• 5) Stocks. Any reserves should cause the management of the enterprise to seek opportunities to eliminate them. However, it is necessary to start with the reasons that cause the appearance of stocks: by eliminating these causes, it is possible to achieve a reduction in the volume (or complete elimination) of stocks.
• 6) The movements of the employee in the workplace. Looking from the outside, an employee may appear busy, but in fact, his work does not create any added value. An extensive source of reducing losses arising from unnecessary movements is the simplification of work.
• 7) Defective products. Losses of production as a result of poor quality products are often very significant. The overall costs of maintaining product quality are much higher than is commonly believed, and it is therefore important to identify the causes of these costs.

Geoffrey Liker researched production experience Toyota along with James Womack and Daniel Jones. In The Tao of Toyota: 14 Principles of Management of the World's Leading Company, he identified the eighth type of waste: the unrealized creative potential of employees (loss of time, ideas, skills, opportunities for improvement and gaining experience due to inattentive attitude towards employees whom you have no time to listen to).

Chet Marchvinsky and John Shook point out two more sources of waste - mura and muri, which mean "unevenness" and "overload" respectively.

Mura - Uneven work performance, such as a fluctuating work schedule, caused not by fluctuations in end-user demand, but rather by the characteristics of the production system, or an uneven pace of work on an operation, forcing operators to rush first and then wait. In many cases, managers are able to eliminate unevenness by leveling out scheduling and being mindful of the pace of work.

Muri - overload of equipment or operators that occurs when working at a higher speed or pace and with greater effort over a long period of time - compared to the design load (design, labor standards).

In Lean: How to Eliminate Waste and Make Your Company Thrive, James Womack and Daniel Jones outline the following principles of Lean Management:

• 1) Determining the value of the product.
• 2) Definition of the product value stream.
• 3) Building a continuous stream of product value creation.
• 4) Pulling the product by the consumer.
• 5) Striving for excellence.

In particular, the JIT system is able to provide continuous flow, but only if the changeover time is significantly reduced. Reducing changeover time means reducing the time it takes to move from one activity to another. This makes it possible to make a few of some parts, readjust the machine, make a few more other parts, and so on. That is, parts can (and should) be produced only when required by the next production step.

The basic principles of Lean manufacturing imply the existence of certain tools with which companies create their production processes.

Taiichi Ohno wrote that Toyota's production system stands on two pillars: the jidoka system and just-in-time.

Just-in-time deliveries are a planning and management method as well as a production philosophy that aims to immediately meet customer demand with high quality and without waste.

The term "just in time" delivery literally reflects the content of this concept. It means releasing and delivering goods and services exactly when they are needed: not sooner, because then they will be waiting in the wings in stocks, not later, because then customers will have to wait for them. In addition to the time factor contained in the concept of JIT, this concept includes the requirements of quality and efficiency.

How does the JIT approach differ from traditional approaches to the organization of production? The traditional approach to the organization of production proceeds from the fact that each stage of the production process “puts” the manufactured products into stock. Such a stock is a buffer (buffer inventory) or insurance stock for a subsequent production stage, located "downstream" overall process. This subsequent production step takes work in progress from stock, processes it, and passes it on to the next buffer stock. These stocks act as boundaries separating each production stage from neighboring stages. Buffer stocks make each production stage relatively independent, and therefore, if operation is stopped at stage "A" for some reason (for example, as a result of equipment failure), site "B" can continue to work, at least for some time. Section "C" will be able to continue working even longer, since it is provided with two buffer stocks, and it will stop working only after all this stock has been used up. However, this relative isolation has to be paid for by creating reserves (working capital expenditure) and reducing bandwidth(slow response to consumer requests). This is the main argument against the traditional approach to the organization of production.

Released in the course of production "just in time" products are fed directly to the next stage of production. Now, problems that arise at any stage of production have a different effect on the entire production process. For example, if stage "A" ceases to produce products, stage "B" will notice this immediately, and stage "C" also very soon. The problem that occurred at stage "A" is now quickly becoming known to the entire system, as this problem affects the system as a whole. As a result, the responsibility for solving the problem is now assigned not only to the personnel "A", but extends to the entire personnel of the enterprise. This significantly increases the likelihood of a prompt resolution of the problem, because it is too important to ignore. In other words, by preventing the accumulation of stocks between stages of production, the enterprise receives a mechanism to increase the internal efficiency of the enterprise.

Jidoka (autonomization) - the introduction of human intelligence into automatic devices that can independently detect a defect, and then immediately stop the production line and signal that help is needed. Autonomy plays a dual role. It eliminates overproduction, an important component of production losses, and prevents the production of defective products.

In addition to these two systems, the following elements of lean manufacturing can be distinguished: kanban, the "five S" system, complex equipment maintenance (total productive maintenance, TPM), quick changeover (SMED), kaizen.

The term "kanban" (kanban) in Japanese terminology means a card or a signal. Such a card is a simple management tool; it is used to enable (signal) the feeding of materials in a "pull" type control system, similar to that used in the JIT system. There are different types of kanban: movement kanban or movement kanban. The move kanban is used to signal the previous site that material can be taken from inventory and moved to the next site.

A production kanban is a signal to the production process that a part or unit of production can be released for later transfer to inventory.

A salesperson's kanban is used to signal a supplier to send material or parts to a specific production site. In this respect, it is similar to the "kanban" of movement, but is usually used when interacting not within the organization, but with external suppliers.

Whichever type of kanban system is used, the basic principle is always the same: receiving a kanban triggers the movement, production, or delivery of a single unit of product, or the standard packaging of such units. If two kanbans are received, this is a signal for the movement, production, or delivery of two units of product or two standard packages of product, and so on.

There are two rules that govern the use of the kanban system. They are also known as the one and two card system. The single card system is most commonly used because it is the simplest. It only has a movement kanban (or a salesperson kanban for receiving materials from an external source). The two-card system uses the "kanban" of movement and production.

The 5 S system implies a set of basic rules for reducing losses:

• 1) Sorting (Serti - Seiri). Remove what you don't need and keep what you need.
• 2) Create your workplace (Seiton - Seiton). Arrange the tools in the order in which they are easily accessible when needed.
• 3) Keep the workplace clean (Seiso - Seiso). Keep your tools clean and tidy; the workplace should be free of debris and dirt.
• 4) Standardize (Seiketsu - Seiketsu). Establish in everything the norm that meets the standard.
• 5) Learn to maintain a certain order (Shitsuke - Shitsuke). Develop a need for and pride in maintaining a standard order.

These rules focus on external order, specific organization in the arrangement of tools, and other necessary items, cleanliness, standardization of the working environment. They are designed to eliminate all possible losses associated with uncertainty, waiting, searching for the necessary information that create instability in the work environment. By eliminating what is unnecessary, and by keeping the tools and surroundings clean and tidy, the necessary order can be achieved and the right things always in the same place. This alone makes any job easier and reduces the time to complete it.

Target comprehensive service equipment (total productive maintenance, TPM) is to eliminate the variability of conditions in the course of production processes caused by unplanned equipment shutdowns. This is achieved by involving all personnel in the search for opportunities to improve equipment maintenance. Those in charge of this process are encouraged to take responsibility for the use of the equipment, to carry out day-to-day maintenance and simple repairs. With this arrangement of equipment maintenance, operators can get more time to improve their skills and deepen vocational training, which is necessary to create higher-level service systems, improve the quality of service for larger operating systems.

Quick changeover (SMED) deals with changeover time (the time it takes to move from one job to another). Reduction of equipment changeover time can be achieved in various ways, for example: reducing the time it takes to find the necessary tools and equipment, solving problems in advance, due to which the changeover may be delayed, as well as constantly using the same techniques when changing over.

The kaizen system focuses on the continuous improvement of manufacturing, development, supporting business processes and management, as well as all aspects of life. In Japanese, the word "kaizen" means "continuous improvement". Based on this strategy, everyone is involved in the improvement process - from managers to workers, and its implementation requires relatively small material costs. The philosophy of kaizen assumes that our life as a whole (work, public and private) should be focused on continuous improvement (Fig. 10). The connection diagram of "kaizen" and other Lean manufacturing tools is shown in Fig. eleven.

Rice.

Rice.

To implement Lean manufacturing, James Womek proposed the following algorithm (Fig. 12):

• 1) Find a change agent, a leader. Usually this role is performed by one of the leaders of the company. It is only important that it be one of the leaders who can take responsibility for the coming changes.
• 2) Get the necessary knowledge on the lean manufacturing system. The agent of change must be so imbued with the ideas of lean manufacturing that they must become second nature to him, otherwise all the changes will stop in an instant, at the first decline in production. Now there are many ways to gain knowledge. These include literature, in which there is now no shortage, training courses (seminars, trainings) organized by numerous consulting companies. It can be very helpful to visit one of the companies that have successfully implemented lean manufacturing.
• 3) Use or create a crisis that will become a lever. It is the crisis that serves as a good motive for introducing the concept of "Lean Production" in the organization. Unfortunately, many business leaders realize the need for a lean approach only when faced with serious problems.
• 4) Describe the value streams. First, reflect the current state of material and information flows. Then create a future state map that excludes operations and processes that do not create value for the customer. After that, determine a plan for the transition from the current state to the future.
• 5) Start as quickly as possible with accessible but important and visible activities. In many cases, it is recommended to start the transformation from the physical production process, where the results of the change are most visible. In addition, you can start with processes that, while extremely important for the company, nevertheless, are carried out very badly.

Rice.

• 6) Strive to get the results of the work done as soon as possible. Immediate Feedback is one of the most important characteristics of the Lean Production concept. Employees must see with their own eyes how new methods bring results. It is psychologically important for them to see that the organization is starting to really change.
• 7) As soon as a convenient opportunity arises, move on. As soon as the first local results are obtained, it is possible to start making changes in other parts of the value stream. The sphere of influence of lean manufacturing should be expanded. For example, transferring the methodology from production to offices, using the practice of continuous improvement (kaizen).

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From this material you will learn:

• How lean manufacturing was born
• What are the basic principles of lean manufacturing
• What losses can lead to a decrease in production efficiency
• Where the lean manufacturing system shows maximum efficiency
• Which Russian companies successfully apply the lean manufacturing system

The famous production system developed by Taiichi Ohno, the head of Toyota, and which has acquired the status of an entire philosophy of labor and management, is called “lean manufacturing” (at least in the USA this term is used).

Ono began experimenting with optimizing production processes in the 1950s, when Japan, which had suffered serious destruction during the war, was in dire need of road transport. Many and different cars were required - both cars and trucks of small and medium tonnage - however, each specific model was not in sufficient demand for the manufacturer to be able to pay for the creation of a separate powerful production line (as, for example, with Ford). I had to produce cars in conditions of low demand and optimize costs through more efficient operation.

This was a very non-trivial task: up to this point, efficiency was measured only when evaluating mass production. The key features of the lean manufacturing method are, firstly, the maximum orientation to the needs of customers and, secondly, the involvement of absolutely all employees of the company in the optimization.

The essence of the lean manufacturing system

Lean management (eng. “lean” means “scarce”, “thrifty”, “thin”), or lean manufacturing technologies, have become a major catalyst for increasing production volumes and improving labor efficiency. This approach has penetrated many economic sectors around the world.

The cornerstone of the Lean manufacturing philosophy is the value of the product to the customer. For the end user, a thing or service becomes valuable only when it has already been produced or provided. The Japanese management approach, which has gained wide popularity, is primarily aimed at minimizing losses, costs and waste, denoted by the Japanese word “muda” (anything that requires an investment of resources, but does not add value to the product).

This is, for example, the storage of products or spare parts in warehouses: the consumer does not need this at all, but the traditional management system imposes these costs on him (along with losses due to defects and defects, alterations and other indirect costs).

All types of activities and operations performed by employees of the enterprise, in the concept of lean production, are divided into two large groups: what brings value to the client, and what does not add it. The last is the costs and losses that must be reduced to zero.

Goals of Lean Management:

• reduce the consumption of resources (including labor);
• speed up the manufacturing process of the product;
• reduce the area of ​​warehouses and production shops;
• guarantee the buyer delivery;
• to achieve the highest quality at a fixed price of the goods or the lowest price, subject to maintaining the quality at the same level.

Lean manufacturing is used not only at the stage of production, but also in the design, project management, and sale of already manufactured goods.

The authors of the system were engineers Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno. It crystallized and acquired a finished form in the late 80s - early 90s. XX century, but its roots go back to the middle of the century. Japanese innovators sought to reduce the number of useless actions in the entire production cycle of the product. Therefore, lean manufacturing is not just a project management system, but a global company management strategy that involves maximum market orientation and the inclusion of all personnel in improving business processes.

The introduction of lean manufacturing in an enterprise is a rather time-consuming and serious task. But its implementation consists of five relatively simple steps:

1. Find out what adds value to the product. The company's personnel perform many different labor operations, but not every one of them has any meaning for the end user. The company must clearly understand what the client needs and what processes allow him to provide it.
2. Identify actions that are indispensable in the production chain, and eliminate losses if possible. To do this, you first need to describe in detail all the actions taken by employees at each stage - from receiving the order to delivering the goods to the buyer.
3. Change the sequence of actions in the chain so that it becomes a holistic flow, in which there are no wasteful costs caused by downtime, pauses between operations, etc. Technological improvements or revision of the entire algorithm of actions are likely to be required. It is important that only those actions remain in it that bring value, but do not lead to a rise in the price of the product.
4. Put the client's interests first. This means the release of only the assortment and in those quantities that are really needed by consumers. Thus, resources are saved, and the company avoids wasteful spending.
5. Constantly continue to improve in the direction of cost and effort optimization. To implement lean manufacturing, one-time efforts and reforms are not enough - constant systematic actions are needed to find and eliminate losses.

These five principles form the ideological basis of lean manufacturing. They are applicable to any field of activity - from planning and project management to, in fact, the production and management of financial flows in the organization. Lean management tools allow you to optimize costs, detect and reduce losses, and increase productivity.

Top 10 Lean Tools

The most widely used methods and tools of lean manufacturing are:

1. Value Stream Mapping

By means of mapping, a graphic scheme is created, clear and visual, of all material and information flows that are necessary to create a product or provide a service. The map shows the problem areas of this flow, makes it possible to see inefficient resource spending and unnecessary processes in order to build a change plan.

Flow mapping steps:

• Reflect the current state of the activity.
• Analyze this stream.
• Create a map of the desired state.
• Think of an improvement plan.

Pull production(literal translation of the English term “pull production”) is a method of organizing production, where the volume of products produced at each stage depends on the needs of the next stages, and ultimately on the needs of the client.

The ideal is a single piece flow. An external or internal supplier (the latter being the previous stages of the production chain) does not start work until the consumer - external or internal - requests him to do so. It turns out that each stage of production "pulls" the necessary product from the previous one.

Synchronization is essential in this scheme. various streams and line balancing.

Kanban (CANBAN)- a system designed to provide an organization with a continuous flow of material without the need to hold any stocks. Everything that is needed for production is supplied in small batches to the required areas (without storage in a warehouse), and the finished product is immediately delivered to the customer. That is, the products are managed in the reverse order: they start from the i-th stage, then move on to the (i - 1)-th, etc.

The whole kanban system is based on ensuring that all departments are supplied with material resources only then and in such quantities as are required for the execution of a particular order, but no more. The order arrives at the last stage of the production chain - the calculation of the required volume of work in progress (data on which come from the penultimate stage). Then the request to create a certain number of semi-finished products follows this penultimate stage. Thus, the scale of production is determined by the requests of the following sites.

Two adjacent stages of production are connected by a double bond:

• stage i requests - “pulls” - from stage (i - 1) the required volume of work in progress;
• stage (i - 1) sends to stage i the required amount of material resources.

Information in kanban is not transmitted in the form of oral instructions, but on special cards (the Japanese word “canban” is translated as “card”) of two types:

• A production order card containing the number of parts to be received from the previous step in the production chain. They are filled in at the i-th stage and sent to the (i - 1)-th, where on their basis the production plan of the site is formed.
• Selection card, which indicates the amount of material resource - parts, components, semi-finished products - that needs to be obtained from the previous stage (assembly, processing, etc.). In fact, this is a report on the amount of resources supplied by the (i - 1)-th site to the i-th one.

These cards circulate not only within the kanban company itself, but are also sent to its branches, and sometimes even to partner firms that supply it with materials.

Organizations that have implemented kanban request and receive material resources every day, and often even several times a day, so their inventory has time to fully renew itself 100-300 times or more per year, while firms using traditional MRP and MAP schemes, updated only once a year. For example, one of the Toyota Motors sites in 1976 was supplied three times a day, and in 1983 the supply frequency was already several minutes.

By reducing inventories, companies along the way identify and solve other problems. production problems incompatible with lean manufacturing. Overstocking, overstocking, or overproduction often hide breakdowns, shutdowns, and defects. When stocks are minimized, the line can be stopped at any time by detecting defects in the semi-finished product that came from the previous stage of the technological process. This makes not only “zero inventory” but also “zero defects” a feasible requirement. In order for the kanban methodology to work, the company must simultaneously implement a comprehensive quality management system.

The key systems that make up kanban are:

• Informational. These are cards exchanged between departments, flow charts of processes, as well as transportation and supply schedules.
• Regulation of demand and horizontal movement of personnel.
• Product quality control: selective (“Jidoka”) and global (TQM).
• Production alignment.

This technique has three major advantages:

• The production cycle is extremely short, assets (including stocks) turn around quickly.
• The cost of storing stocks - both commodity and raw materials - is either not at all, or they are minimal.
• The quality of manufactured products is equally high at each stage of production.

A study of the experience of using the kanban system at enterprises around the world shows its high efficiency in terms of reducing inventory (inventory can be reduced by half, commodity - by 8%) and a significant acceleration in capital turnover while improving product quality.

However, just-in-time can create some problems:

• It is extremely difficult to harmonize and synchronize the various links in the production chain.
• There is always a considerable risk of disrupting the release, delivery and sale of goods.

The term "kaizen" combines two Japanese concepts, denoted by the characters for “change” and “good”. It is usually translated as “continuous improvement”, “change for the better”.

In a practical sense, kaizen is a certain philosophy and management algorithms, the purpose of which is to motivate employees to find ways to improve the product and work processes, and then quickly implement improvements.

Kaizen consists of five components:

• interaction;
• personal discipline;
• improvement of morality;
• quality circles;
• rationalization proposals.

5. 5C system - technology for creating an effective workplace

5C- a short designation of the five principles, which boil down to maintaining cleanliness, order and discipline in the workplace, each of which in Japanese begins with "s". It focuses on creating the ideal workplace, which is essential for lean manufacturing.

Translated into Russian, these principles sound like this:

• Sorting. All items in the workplace, whether it be documents and stationery, parts, raw materials, tools, semi-finished products, are divided into necessary and unnecessary. The latter are removed.
• Correct location. The remaining necessary things are laid out conveniently and ergonomically, assigning each item its own place.
• Cleaning. Chaos and dirt in the workplace are unacceptable. It should be cleaned regularly.
• Standardization. Constant adherence to the first three rules ensures the accuracy of the workplace.
• Improvement. New useful procedures and techniques must be turned into habits (while not forgetting to improve them).

SMED - “Single Minute Exchange of Die”, or, literally, “stamp replacement in a minute”- the revolutionary concept of high-speed changeover and retooling, created by the Japanese Shigeo Shingo. After implementing this system, changing tool parts and reconfiguring equipment takes a matter of minutes or even seconds, which allows it to be called “One Touch Exchange of Dies” (OTED, or “One Touch Exchange of Dies”).

Multiple studies and collection of statistics have shown the following distribution of time for various operations that make up any changeover:

• 30% of the time is spent preparing the necessary stamps, materials, devices.
• It takes 5% of the time to remove the dies and tools.
• It takes 15% of the time to center and place a part or tool.
• And finally, the remaining 50% of the time is spent adjusting and testing the machine.

After analyzing these data, Japanese innovators proposed the following principles that contribute to a significant - by several orders of magnitude - reduction in changeover time and labor cost savings, which is very important in lean manufacturing:

• Divide all adjustment operations into external and internal.
• Convert internal to external.
• Completely remove fasteners or use functional clips.
• Apply additional accessories.

7. TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) system - total equipment care

The concept of TPM, or “Total Productive Maintenance”, which is usually translated as “total equipment care”, is aimed at preserving equipment, using it more productively and improving its quality. The essence of the technique is to prevent and find defects in the early stages, long before the machine breaks down and serious problems arise.

TPM is the responsibility of operators and repair technicians. Together, they must increase the reliability of the equipment (which is measured by the “Total Equipment Efficiency” indicator) and prevent its breakdowns. To do this, schedules are made for general inspections, lubrication and cleaning, and preventive maintenance.

JIT (“Just-In-Time” - “just in time”) is a method of lean management of material resources in production. All the necessary spare parts, components, assemblies and materials come from the previous stage of the production chain exactly when they are needed - no later and no earlier. This allows you to greatly reduce work in progress, avoid the accumulation of stocks of materials and unsold products in warehouses.

In order for the JIT system to work, suppliers are selected and evaluated very scrupulously and carefully. From a narrow circle of contractors, only those companies are selected that are able to guarantee the accuracy of the delivery time and the quality of the components. Through JIT, it is possible to reduce the total number of suppliers with which the firm cooperates by half or more. With the rest, they establish strong business ties for many years. Sometimes supplier companies, following the customer, also switch to work on a lean manufacturing system.

Visualization includes any methods of informing about the methods of performing an operation. All the items involved in it - containers, components, tools, as well as indicators of the state of production - are arranged so that when looking at them it is intuitively clear whether the process is proceeding correctly or with deviations.

Most often used in lean manufacturing:

• contouring;
• color coding;
• road signs;
• paint marking;
• schemes “it was - it became”;
• graphic instructions.

This is the arrangement of equipment in an arc resembling the Latin “U”. The machines inside such a cell also repeat the horseshoe arrangement (in accordance with the sequence of work operations). It turns out that the last stage of processing is adjacent to the initial one and workers do not have to go far to proceed to the next cycle.

Benefits of implementing a lean manufacturing system

The main goal of the production system in lean management is considered to be the continuous improvement of the value stream for customers. Improvement is the rationalization of all processes and operations to produce a product or service with the least possible effort. Obviously, this will affect the financial performance of the company and its results of work: the cost of goods, the amount of profit and working capital, the profitability of the business, the scale of work in progress.

At the same time, for many companies, the issue of efficiency does not lose its importance: as a rule, the production cycle is complex and lengthy, and the longer it is and the more participants, including external ones, are involved in it, the lower its efficiency. Coordination of efforts and control over the smooth operation of this entire complex also require resources.

Therefore, enterprises choose the 5C system and lean production, killing three birds with one stone: they reduce costs, improve product quality, and optimize business processes.

In the concept of lean manufacturing, improving the quality of the final product does not contradict cost savings - rather the opposite. When a crisis is brewing, and competitors are breathing down their necks, companies have to look for new approaches to management and organization of work, as well as revise the range and product requirements in order to satisfy customers.

It is impossible to completely avoid losses in production, whether we are talking about the manufacture of material objects or the provision of services. Loss in lean manufacturing is all those factors that do not add value to the service or product being sold. To eliminate losses, they must first be found and identified.

Companies lose up to 85% of their resources due to these eight main types of losses:

• Loss creativity employees.

If a worker feels like a cog in a soulless machine, easily replaced at any time and intended only to follow the instructions of the management, he is unlikely to be interested in his work.

Experts call this “mechanical” approach outdated and destructive: sooner or later it will negatively affect profits. IN Japanese firms organize the so-called “quality circles”, where any employee can bring their ideas for optimizing the processes at the enterprise. Experts highly appreciate such decisions: in their opinion, only those companies in which every employee feels involved in a common cause will be able to be successful in the coming century.

• Overproduction.

Over-fulfillment of plans, making more products than the customer needs, or ahead of schedule, is also bad for business. Such Stakhanov-style production consumes resources that could be used more wisely - to improve quality, for example.

• Delays and delays.

Situations where the production line and workers are forced to stand idle while waiting for instructions or the supply of raw materials, equipment or tools must be avoided. Their reasons are fluctuations in demand in the market, illiterate planning or poorly built relationships with suppliers.

• Extra - not required to ensure an integral technological chain - transportation.

In order not to carry materials and finished products back and forth, it is necessary to think over and implement optimal logistics schemes.

• Excess inventory.

This is an unjustifiably large amount of materials (much more than is necessary to fulfill the order), and overproduction of products. In any case, all this will have to be stored in warehouses.

• Processing issues.

The enterprise must produce such products that do not require further modifications and elimination of factory defects. Therefore, the quality control system plays a huge role. The faster and more efficiently it works, the more profit the company will receive and the more lean production will be.

• Marriage.

It should be as small as possible, because the processing of complaints and claims from buyers will also require resources (a defective product will have to be replaced with a serviceable one at least).

• Poor logistics within the company.

This includes not only ill-conceived schemes for the delivery of raw materials and tools between workshops, but also the routes of movement of workers.

The system of lean manufacturing is relevant not only in the workshop, but also in the office. It is a global management concept that encompasses product design, manufacture and marketing, and involves the ownership of all employees in the enterprise.

Companies that have gained at least a little experience in applying the lean approach or its individual principles are convinced of its effectiveness and prospects. Therefore, it finds distribution in an increasing number of industries.

Originally intended for automotive companies like Honda and Toyota (and called the Toyota Production System), today lean has made its way into:

• medical organizations;
• trade;
• logistics;
• banking sector;
• educational institutions;
• oil production;
• construction;
• Information Technology.

Whatever the lean manufacturing methodology is applied to, everywhere it brings benefits in the form of tangible - by orders of magnitude - cost reduction and increased labor productivity. Although, of course, it must be adapted to each specific business.

Companies that have adopted a lean approach are also called lean. Their distinguishing features are:

• Firstly, treating people with their mental and creative potential as the main creative force, and equipment, technologies and strategies as secondary means. Business will not work without people.
• Secondly, a steady desire to optimize each step and procedure, “hunting” for losses, their elimination. The entire staff of the company participates in all this every day - from the top management to the last line worker.
• Thirdly, the leader in lean manufacturing makes decisions based on future prospects, and not momentary material gain. Managers are moving away from command-and-control style administration, meticulously tight controls, and complex worker evaluations through confusing formal scorecards, directing their efforts towards reorganizing the production process and early detection of problems. The ability to recognize and solve a problem in your area of ​​work is the quality that lean managers try to achieve from each employee.

Applying the principles of lean, or lean manufacturing, brings the following benefits:

• growth of labor productivity by 3–10 times;
• reduction of downtime by 5–20 times;
• shortening the production cycle by 10–100 times;
• reduction in 2-5 times of stocks of products in warehouses;
• a 5–50 times decrease in the percentage of marriage;
• speeding up the release of new models by 2–5 times.

What to consider when implementing a lean manufacturing system in a company

If you are planning to reorganize the processes in your company according to lean manufacturing, start small: a single project, product or order. Try to work with him on the principles of lean and understand what opportunities and benefits he opens up.

By reorganizing the entire enterprise, you will be forced to leave the usual ideas about what the production process and its performers should be. It would be advisable to identify the most serious item of irrational spending and start working on it. The first positive results will strengthen staff confidence in the methods and goals of lean manufacturing.

The easiest transition to lean manufacturing is given to those firms in which there are several streams that form the final product. For example, these are assembly enterprises that purchase parts, assemble machines and transfer them to dealers for sale. The launch of transformations may not be limited to the company itself, but also spread to its counterparties: a distributor, a supplier.

In this case, the transparency requirement for each participant in the flow often becomes a problem. Lean working is only useful when every link in the chain is in plain sight, and this is the disclosure of trade secrets and financial indicators, which is unacceptable for many companies.

In order for mutual distrust not to interfere with the establishment of lean manufacturing, a number of conditions must be observed:

• For each line and family of products, all participants in the process determine the value together.
• The benefit of each enterprise in the chain should be proportional to its investment.
• Participants in the flow together check all its stages and stages in order to detect and eliminate losses.

In practice, it often turns out that the maximum investment is needed at the first stages of the production chain, when mass production is abandoned in favor of the production of small batches of goods. The main beneficiaries in this case are firms serving the last stages - dealers, distributors and other sellers. This injustice needs to be compensated (for example, all together to invest in the purchase of new equipment).

To reduce losses and establish lean manufacturing, the following conditions must be met at the enterprise:

1. The presence of an "agent of change" - a person endowed with all the necessary powers and upholding new principles (often through conflicts and struggles).
2. Sufficient awareness of management and employees (in addition to the "agent of change") about the essence of the new approach and the processes to be pursued.
3. The crisis situation of the business (after all, if everything goes well, the company will not be ready for radical changes).
4. Deep and detailed knowledge of current manufacturing processes that create value in the product.

In order for the flows in the enterprise to begin to correspond to lean manufacturing, a number of steps are needed:

1. Dividing the entire production into cells in accordance with product families and selecting teams for each of them.
2. Creation of a department that collects and studies the experience of all work teams (to find the most effective practices and distribute them to other groups).
3. Planning and carrying out activities to integrate processes into a single flow (as opposed to the usual release of consignments of goods), including technical reorganization; search for processes that form the value of the product, which are not yet amenable to influence, and options for adapting to them.
4. Development of target indicators that the company will focus on: the size of reserves, the duration of the working cycle, etc.

As a rule, employees of the company perceive the transition to a new style of work without any enthusiasm, because it can threaten them with layoffs. In order not to lay off staff, some companies decide to increase the number of manufactured products, since a lean approach to production saves a lot of resources, while increasing the competitiveness and quality of the product. In this case, you should think over the growth strategy in advance.

But in many cases, the state is still reduced. This is also part of the lean approach: those employees who do not bring value and do not create value for the client should be parted. It is desirable to redirect the released resources to solving the company's problems, developing new markets or activities, and stimulating sales.

Outside of Japan, Porsche is a good example of the use of lean manufacturing tools. The company experienced its peak of sales - 50 thousand cars sold - in 1986, but then its figures fell, and in 1992, for example, only 14 thousand cars were sold. The enterprise then worked according to the traditional German methodology: engineering skill was considered the main thing, and organizational structure was very confusing and cumbersome.

For quite a long period, Porsche management attributed the drop in sales to temporary fluctuations in demand. However, the loss of $40 million in 1991 showed the gravity of the crisis. To save the business, Wendelin Wiedeking, who at that time managed the largest manufacturer of auto parts, was involved. He became the very "agent of change", which is necessary for training in lean manufacturing and the transition to a new business system.

Wiedeking highly appreciated the experience of Japanese companies operating in the middle price segment of the European market. He visited Japan four times over the course of two years and met many lean technologists there. In parallel with this, he thoughtfully studied the management and operation of the most successful automobile concerns.

The result was an agreement between Porsche and Kaizen, a Japanese institute that provided consulting services in the field of lean manufacturing. According to research, the cause of the crisis in the company was the inflexible system of design and organization of production, the conservatism of employees, the inconsistency between the various stages of car manufacturing and the high percentage of defects (which is rather strange for a German company), which then had to be eliminated in service centers.

As an old German company living by tradition, Porsche took innovation with great distrust. Wiedeking was forced to send management, engineers and production staff to Japan for training, and also to invite experts from the Kaizen Institute to the enterprise.

Wiedeking suggested and did the following:

All these methods, of course, existed before, before the system of lean production took shape, but the workers of the German concern met them with hostility, and single attempts at reforms at the enterprise did not bring any effect.

In addition to these steps, Porsche has also developed its own quality control system. Each work team was given a list of planned indicators, which could be found by any employee of the company. The indicators included the percentage of rejects at all stages of work, discipline and accuracy in the timing of the delivery of spare parts to the next stage.

Having implemented all these proposals, the management of the concern went further and, on the advice of kaizen experts, began to reduce stocks and build a single system, starting with the processing of raw materials and ending with the assembly of a finished car. In addition to implementing lean principles in-house, Porsche decided to export them to supplier companies in order to ensure that the supply of all necessary elements meets the “just in time” requirement. It only took a couple of years for half of Porsche's 60 partner factories to also change their ways of working and move closer to lean manufacturing standards.

In the period 1991–1997. key performance indicators of Porsche have changed for the better:

• The period from the moment the concept of the car was developed to its launch in mass production, which was seven years, decreased to three.
• Period from start welding work before the release of the car was reduced even more significantly - from six weeks to three days.
• Inventories have halved.
• The defect rate in details fell a hundred times, and in production - four times.
• Labor costs have halved.

This allowed the company to once again achieve profitable performance, remain independent and not lose its position in the niche of expensive sports cars.

Lean manufacturing: examples of domestic companies

IN Russian business there is an acute shortage of experienced professionals who can apply the system of lean manufacturing and kaizen to optimize labor processes. The problem is that the successful implementation of lean management requires the participation of all members of the work team, which means that a lean management specialist must be not only a leader, but also a psychologist, analyst and forecaster.

Expert media holding reports that the first attempts to apply lean production in the Russian Federation date back to 2004, and in the first three years this methodology has proven its effectiveness.

Here are some examples with numbers:

• In instrumentation, oil production and assembly of automotive components, costs decreased by 30%.
• In instrumentation, 30% of production space was released.
• In the same oil production, there was 50% less work in progress.
• In aircraft and instrument making, the production cycle was reduced by 60%.
• In non-ferrous metallurgy, equipment has become 45% more efficient.
• In the oil-producing industries, 25% of labor resources were released.
• In ferrous metallurgy, changeover began to take 70% less time.

According to the mentioned media holding, by 2017 the introduction of lean manufacturing around the world, including Russia, gave the following results:

• In the electronics industry, 25% of production space was released.
• In the aircraft industry, production accelerated four times.
• In non-ferrous metallurgy, productivity increased by 35%.
• In the pharmaceutical industry, waste has become five times less.
• In the production of consumer goods, the production cycle decreased by 25%, and stocks - by 35%. At the same time, the volume of manufactured products increased by 55%.
• In the automotive industry, 20% of the area was vacated.

If we talk about Russian enterprises, then the principles of lean production are actively used by such companies as PJSC KamAZ, OK Rusal, LLC EuroChem, OJSC Khlebprom, VSMPO-AVISMA, LLC Expert Volga, LLC Oriflame Cosmetics ”, EPO “Signal”, PG “Group Gas”, LLC “TekhnoNIKOL” and many others, the number of which goes to dozens.

For example, the GAZ group reorganized its production according to a lean production system, thanks to which, in 14 years, it reduced its production cycle by a third, and the retooling time by 100%. In addition, the company's labor productivity is growing by 20–25% annually, and work in progress has been reduced by about 30%.

RUSAL went even further and in 2013 also included its suppliers in the lean manufacturing project. The cost of production of this largest aluminum producer largely consists of logistics costs, therefore, first of all, it was necessary to optimize cooperation with transport companies. As a result, the company saved up to 15% of all costs that were previously spent on logistics in five years.

The KamAZ association, using comprehensive methods of lean management, reduced the cycle time by one and a half times, stocks - by 73 million rubles, production areas - by at least a third. At the same time, about 11 thousand units of large containers were released.

Of course, the results did not appear immediately: all these companies worked in accordance with the concept of lean manufacturing for 7–15 years. But now they have become recognized leaders and may not be afraid of competitors in their niches. Therefore, when starting to apply lean methods, do not give up if changes are not visible during the first months and years.

The assimilation of the ideas and approaches of lean manufacturing was an important step for those companies that are oriented towards Europe. Industrial enterprises were the first here, but then IT, and even the service sector, also pulled up.

If you systematically apply at least some of the techniques and principles of lean business, the quality of both work and the final product will definitely increase.

From this article you will learn:

• What is Lean Manufacturing
• What are the most popular lean manufacturing tools?
• How to implement lean manufacturing in an organization
• What are examples of successful implementation of the concept of lean manufacturing abroad and in Russia

The main task of the production system is the continuous formation of a “value stream” for consumers. Its basis is a competent combination of production processes, which allows to produce products with minimal labor costs. This approach also has a positive effect on economic indicators and the results of the company's activities, including the cost of goods, profitability of work, profits, working capital, etc. Lean production contributes to all of these positive changes.

What is a lean manufacturing system

Lean manufacturing (in English there are two designations: "lean manufacturing" and "lean production") is a special concept of company management, in which the level of work is increased by reducing losses. It should be noted that everything that negatively affects the efficiency of production is considered a loss. Their main types include:

• movements (unjustified actions of equipment, operators, provoking an increase in the time spent and the cost of goods);
• transportation (useless movements causing delays, damage, etc.);
• technology (shortcomings in technology, due to which the product cannot meet all the requirements target audience);
• excess production (the remaining unsold products, for accounting, storage of which also needs to be paid);
• waiting (unfinished products in the queue for processing, which also increases the final cost);
• defects (damages that cause additional costs);
• inventory (excess volume of finished goods).

The application of lean manufacturing is acceptable both in the design process and in project management, during the manufacture of goods, and even in the sale of products.

The lean production system appeared in 1980-1990 thanks to the Japanese engineers Taiichi Ono and Shigeo Shingo (in fact, the first mention of this approach was already in the middle of the 20th century, but only by the end of the century took shape one system). Engineers sought to get rid of non-value-adding activities throughout the product's life cycle. It's about not just about technology, it is a whole management concept, maximally oriented to the market. Its prerequisite is the interest in the process of the entire staff of the company.

The practice of using (even individual components) has shown how efficient and promising lean production is, so today this approach has found application in a variety of areas. Initially, it existed only at the factories of Toyota, Honda, etc., which is why the name was Toyota Production System. At the moment, it is easy to meet in other areas, such as:

• the medicine;
• trade;
• logistics;
• Banking services;
• education;
• oil production;
• construction;
• Information Technology.

Regardless of the application, lean manufacturing makes it possible to achieve greater productivity with less waste. However, it should be noted that this system must be adapted to the conditions of a particular company.

Enterprises whose work is based on the concept of lean manufacturing are also called "lean". A number of characteristics distinguish them from all others:

• Workers are considered the main factor for the normal production process. It is the personnel that is assigned the role of a creative force, while technology is only a way of solving a problem. It is believed that even the best technologies, plans and theories are unable to lead the company to success. Only people with creative and intellectual potential are capable of this.
• Production systems are aimed at eliminating the maximum share of waste, continuous improvement. Each member of the team is included in these processes at the daily level: from a simple worker to top management.
• When making any decisions, management takes into account the prospects for further development, and not current material interests. Managers do not engage in useless administration-command, excessively tight control, evaluation of employees with the help of a large number of indicators are prohibited.

The primary task of management is to organize the work process, to detect, solve and prevent problems in time. Note that in any specialist, the ability to detect difficulties and get out of them is especially valued.

The introduction of a lean manufacturing system is impossible without presenting its basic principles and having the skills to work with the tools used here. Let's talk about principles first.

How effective is the implementation of lean manufacturing in the enterprise

Working with Lean methods can give serious effects:

• increase in productivity by 3–10 times;
• reduction of downtime by 5–20 times;
• reduction of the production cycle by 10–100 times;
• reduction of volumes stored in warehouses by 2–5 times;
• reduction of marriage by 5–50 times;
• faster release of new products by 2-5 times.

The best examples of foreign and domestic practice of using lean manufacturing technology show the following results in different industries:

• Electronics industry: reduction of the number of production steps from 31 to 9, acceleration of product manufacturing from 9 to 1 day, freeing up a quarter of the production area, saving $ 2 million in half a year.
• Aviation industry: order fulfillment in 16 weeks instead of 16 months.
• Automotive industry: 40% increase in quality.
• Non-ferrous metallurgy: 35% increase in productivity.
• Overhaul of large-tonnage vessels: release of a quarter of production space, faster implementation of one of the main operations - in 2 hours instead of 12, saving 400 thousand dollars in 15 days.
• Assembly of Automotive Parts: Free up 20% of production space, avoid building a new building, save $2.5 million per week.
• Pharmaceutical industry: Reducing waste from 6% to 1.2%, reducing energy consumption by 56%, saving $200,000 every year.
• Consumer goods manufacturing: 55% increase in productivity, 25% reduction in lead time, 35% reduction in inventory, savings of about $135,000 per week.

The Russian market is acutely experiencing a shortage of specialists with experience in optimization using lean manufacturing technology. The fact is that from the position of "Lean", optimization should be carried out by all team members. Such a large-scale approach entails the main difficulty - a specialist must have the skills of a teacher, leader, forecaster and analyst.

Basic principles and goals of lean manufacturing

The concept of lean manufacturing divides activities in an enterprise into two types: operations and processes that add value to a product for a potential customer, and operations and processes that do not. Everything that is included in the second group refers to losses, which means that it must be eliminated.

Let's name the key goals of lean manufacturing:

• reduction of any costs, including labor;
• reduction of terms of production of goods;
• reduction of production and storage space;
• guarantee of delivery of the order to the client;
• maximum quality at a certain cost / minimum cost at a certain quality.

As we have already said, it will not be possible to introduce lean manufacturing without understanding the principles of this system. They may seem simple enough, but the organization will have to spend a lot of effort to implement them.

Here are the basic principles of this system:

• Find out how valuable the product is from the point of view of its end user. The fact is that a company can perform many manipulations that do not bring value to the client. Only by knowing what the consumer wants, you will understand which of your processes are of value to him, and which are useless in this sense.
• Highlight the necessary actions in the work chain and discard those that relate to losses. To do this, you need to describe everything in detail, from the stage of receiving the order and ending with the delivery of the goods to the client. This way you will identify a range of opportunities for optimizing your work.
• Change the sequence of actions in the product manufacturing chain - ideally there should be a workflow. There can be no waiting time, downtime, or other losses between operations. You may need to redesign processes and start using new technologies. Remember: only those actions that increase the value of the product are acceptable.
• Do what the end consumer needs, that is, produce the products and volumes that your customers really need.
• Strive for perfection by continuously abandoning useless activities. It is impossible to work on a one-time lean production system - if you decide to implement this principle, you will have to constantly improve the processes in your company.

8 Lean Tools

• SMED(“Die change in one minute”) is a system for quick changeover of equipment, in which one rule applies: it should take only a few minutes, and preferably seconds, to change or change a tool.

This requirement can be met if:

1. divide all setup operations into external and internal;
2. translate internal into external;
3. replace fasteners with functional clamps;
4. use additional devices.

• TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance- methodology efficient service technology with the involvement of the entire team. Due to preventive maintenance and maintenance of equipment in working order, its most productive, economical use is achieved.

  The key task in TPM is to identify and fix hardware defects before they cause problems. The use of this tool requires preventive maintenance schedules, such as cleaning, lubrication, etc. As a result, OEE, that is, a measure of the overall efficiency of the equipment, rises.

• JIT, or Just-In-Time("just in time") - a way of economical use of materials and raw materials. All the components needed for a certain stage of production are delivered just in time, but not earlier. So it is possible to avoid overflow of warehouses, accumulation of unfinished goods.

What to consider when organizing a lean manufacturing system in an enterprise

If you are going to implement lean manufacturing techniques in your company, it is better to start small. For example, focus on a specific product, project, or order and translate it into lean principles- this way you will evaluate the possibilities and benefits of this approach.

When reorganizing, you will have to completely abandon traditional ideas about the process of work and its participants. It is better to choose the most serious of all losses and take on it. The positive result of such work will increase the confidence of your employees in the lean manufacturing method.

Companies that combine several streams at once and produce the final product assembled from them are best able to cope with the transition to lean mode. It can be an assembly plant - it receives parts, assembles the car and puts it on sale. If a transformation process is started in such a company, it can later spread to suppliers and distributors.

The main difficulty in the formation of a "lean" organization is often the condition of transparency of participants. A lean approach will bring maximum benefit only if all participants in the stream are in sight. That is, you will have to disclose trade secrets, financial data, and companies often refuse to do this. To overcome distrust will allow the observance of several conditions:

• the value of each product family is established by the participants in the stream together;
• all firms in the stream should receive benefits corresponding to the volume of their investments;
• flow members must collectively and constantly check all parts of the flow to detect losses and eliminate them.

As practice shows, the largest investments fall on the initial stages of the flow (replacement of mass production for the production of goods in small batches). And the main benefits accrue to companies at the last stage of the flow, that is, sellers. To avoid such injustice, companies must find compensation mechanisms, such as joint investment in new production facilities.

To start using lean manufacturing in an enterprise, certain conditions are required:

• We need an “agent of change”, that is the name of a person with sufficient authority, who is ready for conflicts and struggle for the introduction of new principles.
• The company as a whole, and not just the "agent of change", should have a basic understanding of the essence of lean manufacturing and its processes.
• Business should be in a crisis situation, because only companies in which everything is obviously bad are ready for cardinal changes.
• It is necessary to have a clear and complete understanding of the enterprise's value streams.

To implement the streaming organization method, you will have to follow these steps:

1. Divide production into cells by product families and form teams to work with each of them.
2. Create a unit that will be responsible for gathering together and analyzing the experience of working groups. In this way, it will be possible to identify the most productive practices and teach them to the rest of the groups.
3. Plan and implement activities that will transform the traditional work in batches into a smooth flow, carry out a technical reorganization. It is also necessary to identify those processes of value creation that the organization is not able to influence at the moment (if any), and decide how to adapt to them.
4. Develop targets that will become the main ones for the company: reduce inventory, work cycles, etc.

Often, staff are apprehensive about the transition to Lean, because optimization usually entails layoffs. Not wanting to lose people, some organizations are increasing the volume of production of goods. This approach is justified due to the effect of thrift, that is, an increase in the competitiveness and sales of the company. But we recommend that you prepare a growth strategy in advance.

No matter how sad it may be, but most often the staff has to be reduced. Retrenchments must also be made in terms of the benefits and losses of lean manufacturing – first of all, say goodbye to non-value-adding employees.

The resources freed up through the introduction of new principles of work should be directed to the new needs of the company, to stimulate demand or develop new areas.

A good example of lean implementation outside of Japan

A classic example of lean manufacturing outside of Japan is the story of Porsche. Its sales peak came in 1986, when the company sold 50,000 cars, but already in 1992 it managed to sell only 14,000 copies. At that time, the company used the traditional German approach: the main bets were made on engineering skills, and the company was distinguished by a complex and rigid management structure.

For a long time, the drop in sales was perceived by managers as a temporary market fluctuation, but when Porsche lost $40 million in 1991, a serious crisis became apparent. To save the company, Wendelin Wiedeking was involved - at that time he was one of the leaders of the largest manufacturer of automotive parts. It was he who received the role of "agent of change" in the transition to lean manufacturing.

Wiedeking decided to study and borrow the experience of Japanese manufacturers who managed to capture the middle price segment of the European market. In just two years, he visited Japan four times, where he met with experts, studied in detail the principles of operation of the largest automobile companies.

As a result, Porsche entered into an agreement with the Japanese Kaizen Institute (training and implementing lean manufacturing around the world). Studies have shown that large losses are associated with an inflexible system of design and production, conservatism of engineers, weak links between the stages of the value stream. And, what is most surprising for the German brand, another reason for the crisis was a large proportion of defects in the final product, which was then eliminated by service centers.

Like any old German company, Porsche had difficulty accepting any change. Therefore, Wiedeking had to organize training in Japan for the management, engineering and production staff and invite experts from Kaizen to Germany.

Wiedeking proposed and implemented the following steps:

1. He reduced the number of management levels from six to four, simplifying the hierarchy of production specialists - they were divided into teams of 10 people led by one foreman.
2. I created a "board of shame" for visual quality control - all detected defects were recorded here. It was also decided to encourage the detection of marriage at an early stage, while its cost remains minimal. It was explained to each employee that the company had to pay much more for a defect that reached the consumer than for defects identified at the formation stage. Most of the concern's employees were stunned by the true cost of their mistakes.
3. Established a proposal submission system through which all employees could submit proposals own ideas to improve work. If the suggestion actually improved quality and productivity, it was implemented and the authors good ideas encouraged. Of course, such a system existed even before the transition to lean methods (lean manufacturing), but then any proposal was met with hostility, which means it made no sense.
4. Implemented Porsche's own quality control system. For each team of workers, a list of planned indicators was developed, which could be seen by any employee of the company. This data consisted of the percentage of rejects at each stage, the accuracy of the timing of delivery of parts to the next stage, and discipline.

In addition to implementing these steps, Porsche followed the recommendations of the Kaizen specialists, whose main goals were to reduce inventory and organize the smooth movement of parts from processing raw materials to assembly of the finished product. But working in-house was not the only step for Porsche; the company decided to promote lean manufacturing among its suppliers, requiring just-in-time deliveries. As a result, in two years, 30 out of 60 supplying plants have seriously changed their approach to work.

Thanks to good management and lean manufacturing from 1991 to 1997 key indicators Porsche has undergone the following changes:

• the time from the creation of a concept to launch in a series was reduced from 7 to 3 years;
• the time from the start of welding work to the release of the car was reduced from 6 weeks to 3 days;
• the level of stocks decreased by 6 times;
• the level of defects in the supplied parts was reduced by 100 times, on the production line - by 4 times;
• labor costs for the manufacture of products decreased by 3 times.

Porsche returned to profitable performance, was able to maintain its independence and its position in the market for expensive sports cars.

Examples of the implementation of lean manufacturing in Russia

The introduction of a lean production system in our country is a difficult task that requires large energy costs. And always one of the likely scenarios for the development of events is a failure in implementation. The main factor here is the mentality, which is radically different from the Japanese. However, the Russians are much more creative than the Japanese, so any implementation must be creatively managed rather than dry diagrams, rules, and perfect order.

Many large Russian companies are already applying the principles of lean manufacturing, due to which they can boast of tangible advantages over competitors. Thus, the GAZ Group has been working on the Lean system for 14 years and has achieved a one-third reduction in the volume of work in progress, an increase in labor productivity by 20–25% every year, a reduction in equipment changeover time by up to 100%, and a reduction by a third of the production cycle.

In 2013, RUSAL decided to take a more serious step and included suppliers in the lean production system - first of all, the management was worried about transport companies. The fact is that the lion's share of the cost of RUSAL's products is logistics costs, so the chosen approach made it possible to save 15% on costs over five years.

The integrated use of lean methods by the KAMAZ association made it possible to reduce the cycle time by 1.5 times, release 11 thousand pieces of large-sized containers, reduce stocks by 73 million rubles, and reduce production areas by a third.

All of these companies spent 7-15 years to achieve success, but today their market positions remain unattainable for domestic competitors. Therefore, if you are just starting to work with lean methods, do not give up your endeavors if there are no results in the first months and even years.

The Best Lean Books

Much has been written about lean manufacturing and its agile methodologies. Below are four books that will help you understand this concept and start using it.

• James P. Womack, Daniel Jones. Lean Manufacturing: How to get rid of waste and make your company prosper.

The authors are among the founders and popularizers of Lean, so in this book you will find detailed theory and description of practical steps. It also presents many examples from the practice of companies in various countries. We recommend this book to practitioners.

• Taiichi Ohno. Toyota production system.

Taiichi Ohno is the creator of the system at Toyota factories, which became the progenitor of Kanban, Lean and other methodologies. Here you will read about the structure of the system and the thirty-year history of the development and success of the brand. The book will be useful to both practitioners and people interested in the philosophy of lean manufacturing.

• The Productivity Press development team presents the Wasteless Manufacturing for Workers tutorial.

It details the types of waste that exist and how to identify them. The authors teach how to divide all processes into those that add and those that do not add value to the product, after which they suggest how to get rid of the latter. The textbook can become a reference book for managers, directors, owners of enterprises, and it will be useful both together with Lean and on its own.

• Eric Rees. Business from scratch. Lean startup.

The book will be of interest to beginners and more experienced entrepreneurs, as well as people who follow the trends of the modern economy. Eric Rees explains: business and all other areas are developing so rapidly that clear plans for several months are a thing of the past. Instead, the Lean Startup came. We advise every business owner or anyone who is just thinking about their business to get acquainted with this concept.