Lean manufacturing
TQM, JIT, TPS, PDSA, Six Sigma, Kaizen etc. is all necessary - But, it is not sufficient!
Without applying Theory of Constraints in your production flow, lean will remain just a metaphor.
TOC is the next step that will take your performance beyond Lean and TPS.
Not only EWAB's Conveying Automation systems and principles but also the EWAB Business model with supporting systems, project models and project tools are built upon TOC
Continuous Improvements.
Todays and future transmission components, engine components etc. requires continuous improvements and upgrades. Volumes are difficult to estimate and the life of a certain product is uncertain due to changes in the environmental driven customer demand.
Ewab Conveying Automation.
The fundamental principle is that all building blocks of the conveying automation system must have "drag & drop" flexibility with "plug & play" functionality. In addition, the system must be upgrade able to be able to handle changes in size, balance and weight. And capable of maintaining One-Piece Flow @TaktTime
Affordable Conveying Automation is the best of two worlds but must build on Theory of Constraints
Think about Conveying Automation as being the back bone and spinal cord of your production body. A spinal cord that can provide the means to outperform both Lean and TPS.
The word Convey actually means...- To take or carry from one place to another.
- To serve as a medium of transmission.
- To communicate or make known.
A common opinion in todays world of Lean and TPS is that automation is too expensive and not value adding.
However - insight rather than opinion tells us that the extremes, Rigid Automation, or taking Lean and TPS to far, is what is too expensive!
- "Rigid Automation" can not change with end users changing market demands
- "Rigid Automation" doesn´t cope with production levelling
- Traditional custom-made "Rigid Automation" simply becomes too complex, too complicated, inflexible for future demands and therefore too expensive.
- When Lean and TPS is taken to far, the manual labor content involved leads to unreliable output and mainly quality issues. The human factor becomes a high risk element and you may very well end up with capacity anorexia.
Definition of continuous one-piece flow:
Once work on a product begins, it never goes back into storage, and it never stops moving until it is a finished product. This means that as soon as an operation is completed on a product, that product moves immediately to the next operation which in turn is performed immediately.
Why continuous one-piece flow?
No place for problems to hide. If a mistake is discovered all resources stops working until the problem is solved permanently. This is called time stop. The root cause of a problem can usually be fixed quickly because it was only made a few minutes before. In a traditional manufacturing system, problems are found weeks or months after they were created, and no one can remember how it happened. As a result, the same problems keep popping up again and again.
What are the benefits of continuous one-piece flow?
Rework and scrap decrease because there are less bad products to fix when a problem is discovered. Lead time improves because products don't wait in batches. WIP decreases because there is only one unit at each station.
How does one create continuous one-piece flow?
Set up work cells. A work cell is a group of all the equipment and work stations necessary to make an entire product. They are placed as close together as possible so that the product can be passed to the next operation as soon as the previous operation is completed.
Q: What if the machine size or the process does not allow workstations to be close enough to manually pass over the product to the next operation?
A: The flow of parts have to be with a flow pitch that equals Takt time to maintain One Piece Flow.
Q: What if the is a need of more machines of one type and less of another, but the work cell approach requires duplicating machines not because of capacity but because of operation type?
A: Create a flow that can take alternate routes to use excess capacity. Still with one piece flow at Takt time maintained. This will optimize the investment in machine capacity.
Creating Continuous One-Piece Flow @TaktTime
Automation design based on cybernetic principles to pull material through to the next available resource will dynamically balance it self to allow only one-piece flow with a travel distance equalling Takt time.
How to respond if the product mix requirements change?
A dynamic and cybernetically designed continuous one piece flow system will allow the flow of parts to use any combination of machines. Creating Virtual Work Cells that can adapt to new customer demands on the fly. Still maintaining One-PieceFlow @TaktTime.
How to respond if the production requirements change?
Disconnect and re-arrange the system modules with built in drag & drop flexibility and plug & play controls and software.
The Value Adding process.
The value-adding time (when the product is actually worked on) of a production process is normally less than 5-10% of the total lead time of the process.
Using the EWAB technology and equipment is the most reliable way to turn more of that time into value adding time by increasing the utilisation of available resources and thereby reduce the need of machine capacity, reduce inventory, reduce scrap and support production in small batches.
Common principles for Value Adding Automation.
- Continuous Flow layouts that connect all parts of the process.
- Automating all machining operations with One loading device per machine.
- Drag & Drop layout modularity with Plug & Play decentralisation.
- Applying the Theory of Constraint thinking, drum - buffer - rope.
- The use of Pallets and One Piece per pallet to maintain One Piece Flow
- Achieving Intelligent Cybernetic automation to move parts between operations @TaktTime.