Lean
Manufacturing
Tools,
Techniques,
and
How
T
o
Use Them
Applying Manufacturing Execution Systems
by Michael McClellan
Back to Basics:
Your Guide to Manufacturing Excellence
By Steven A. Melnyk
R.T. “Chris” Christensen
Enterprise Resources Planning and Beyond:
Integrating Your Entire Organization
by Gary A. Langenwalter
ERP: Tools, Techniques, and Applications
for Integrating the Supply Chain
by Carol A. Ptak with Eli Schragenheim
Integral Logistics Management:
Planning and Control of Comprehensive Business Processes
by Paul Schönsleben
Inventory Classification Innovation:
Paving the Way for Electronic Commerce and
Vendor Managed Inventory
by Russell G. Broeckelmann
Lean Manufacturing:
Tools, Techniques, and How To Use Them

assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the consequences of their use.
Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
The consent of St. Lucie Press does not extend to copying for general distribution, for promotion, for
creating new works, or for resale. Specific permission must be obtained in writing from St. Lucie Press
for such copying.
Direct all inquiries to St. Lucie Press, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd., Boca Raton, Florida 33431.

Trademark Notice:

Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe.
© 2001 by William M. Feld
No claim to original U.S. Government works
International Standard Book Number 1-57444-297-X
Library of Congress Card Number 00-059163
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Printed on acid-free paper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

______________________________________________________________________
Feld, William M.
Lean manufacturing : tools, techniques, and how to use them / by William M. Feld.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 1-57444-297-X (alk. paper)
1. Production management. 2. Costs, industrial. 3. Production management —
Case studies. I. Title.


Part II. Five Primary Elements
Chapter 3. Organization Element

................................................................ 23

Chapter 4. Metrics Element

.......................................................................... 35

Chapter 5. Logistics Element

........................................................................ 45

Chapter 6. Manufacturing Flow Element

.................................................... 61

Chapter 7. Process Control Element

............................................................ 79

Chapter 8. Sustaining the Change

................................................................ 91

Part III. Putting It All Together
Chapter 9. Setting the Stage

.......................................................................... 95


8

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How To Use Them

Part IV. Case Studies
Case Study A: Operations Redesign Program

.......................................... 143

Case Study B: Kaizen Event-Based Lean Program

................................... 155

Case Study C: High-Volume-Focused Factory Project

............................ 165

Case Study D: Kaizen Event-Based Focused Factory Pilot

..................... 175

Case Study E: Assembly Production Unit Project

.................................... 185

Case Study F: High-Volume and Low-Volume Cell Project

.................... 195


project or company, it may not work as well universally across other operations.
The information, time frames, and methodologies contained within this
book are geared primarily for operations that have 300 to 500 employees.
The content was written for an audience operating at the level of plant
manager, project manager, or manufacturing manager within a business,
although most certainly schedulers, planners, industrial engineers, and first-
line supervisors can also benefit from this material. The book provides tools
and techniques that can be used for both high-volume/low-mix and low-
volume/high-mix product environments. Although many of the techniques
are designed for discrete unit manufacturing operations, those in the process
industries could utilize many of the principles presented here, as well.
I realize that there are some of you who operate within an environment
that does not require you to justify your position on lean manufacturing
every step of the way and that such an environment will accept the need for

Final Front Matter Page 9 Saturday, August 12, 2000 1:46 AM

10

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How To Use Them

lean management based on faith. This book was not written for you. This
book was written for your colleagues — those who need to justify their
position every step of the way and must constantly battle “hurdle manage-
ment” to deploy their lean programs. You know who you are and you know
what I am talking about. This book was written with you in mind.
Now, one does not learn how to be lean just from reading a book. It is
through actual hands-on implementation that one learns what does and does
not work in most situations. It is out on the shop floor where practical meets
theory. It is in the actual work environment where one learns that to be

of implementing lean manufacturing within an operation.
The entire book attempts to provide insight as to the choice and use of
appropriate tools for assessment, analysis, design, and deployment of a suc-
cessful lean manufacturing program. Although it does not cover every lean
manufacturing aspect, issue, or situation, it does offer a road map that can
guide a company toward the development of a lean manufacturing environ-
ment. Over the years, I have read about, witnessed, and heard of a great many
implementations that have neither achieved their intended goals nor sus-
tained results. My experience has led me to conclude that there are several
reasons for the demise of these lean manufacturing programs: (1) no clarified
expectation or vision as to what the new lean environment was to look like;
(2) lack of a clear direction as to where to go and what to do next; (3) limited
knowledge base for how to conduct the implementation; (4) significant focus
on the mechanics of the new process but little attention paid to organization
redesign issues connected with the change. These are key, critical issues that
must be addressed for an implementation to be successful. The fact that many
companies have neglected to do so has led me to write this book.

Final Front Matter Page 10 Saturday, August 12, 2000 1:46 AM

11

Acknowledgments

I would sincerely like to express my appreciation to all the people and mul-
tiple companies with whom I have had the opportunity to work over the
years. I am extremely grateful to a great many of you for the tremendous
knowledge I have received during the last 15 years. It is the vast diversity of
your ideas and business situations that has allowed me to have the insight
necessary to write this book. Even though hundreds of individuals have

ucts, pneumatic tools, aerospace, electronics, power drives, and automotive
industries.
Prior to his work with CMC, Bill was a manager of change management
for Invensys, PLC, where he was responsible for the development and imple-
mentation of business change management programs for Invensys compa-
nies throughout North America. He has been a plant manager for Stanley
Mechanic Tools and a manufacturing and materials management consultant
for Ernst & Young, in addition to spending over 10 years in the aerospace
and defense industry at Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas). Bill has also
served as project manager for the implementation of several cellular manu-
facturing programs and has participated in the implementation of two MRP
II systems. He has held multiple line-management positions in manufactur-
ing and materials management. Bill received his Master of Business Admin-
istration degree in operations management, earned a Bachelor’s degree in
business administration, and is certified in production and inventory man-
agement (CPIM) with APICS. He can be contacted at (314) 442-9768 or


Final Front Matter Page 13 Saturday, August 12, 2000 1:46 AM

Final Front Matter Page 14 Saturday, August 12, 2000 1:46 AM

15

About APICS

APICS, The Educational Society for Resource Management, is an inter-
national, not-for-profit organization offering a full range of programs and
materials focusing on individual and organizational education, standards of
excellence, and integrated resource management topics. These resources,


APICS

:

The Performance Advantage

—

This monthly, four-color
magazine addresses the educational and resource management needs
of manufacturing professionals.

Ⅲ

APICS Business Outlook Index

—

Designed to take economic analysis
a step beyond current surveys, the index is a monthly manufacturing-
based survey report based on confidential production, sales, and
inventory data from APICS-related companies.

Ⅲ

Chapters —

APICS’ more than 270 chapters provide leadership,
learning, and networking opportunities at the local level.


Ⅲ

Web Site —

The APICS Web site at enables you
to explore the wide range of information available on APICS’ mem-
bership, certification, and educational offerings.

Ⅲ

Member Services —

Members enjoy a dedicated inquiry service,
insurance, a retirement plan, and more.
For more information on APICS programs, services, or membership, call
APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 or visit
on the World Wide Web.

Final Front Matter Page 16 Saturday, August 12, 2000 1:46 AM

I

DESCRIPTION
OF LEAN

MANUFACTURING

Chapter 01 Page 1 Friday, August 11, 2000 11:00 PM


alone and be expected to achieve the performance level of all five elements
combined.
Each of these elements contains a set of lean principles which, when
working together, all contribute to the development of a world-class manu-
facturing environment, often reflected by a company inventory-turn level of
50 or higher. As described by Schonberger in his book,

World Class Manufac-
turing: The Next Decade

, inventory turns provide comparable anecdotal evi-
dence of the level of performance of a company regardless of changes in
economic swings, monetary policies, trade practices, or internal company
manipulations: “We need not rely on case studies or news clippings. One
statistic extractable from corporate annual reports tells the story with surpris-
ing accuracy: inventory turnover (cost of sales divided by on-hand inventory).
W

Chapter 01 Page 3 Friday, August 11, 2000 11:00 PM

4

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How To Use Them

It happens that when a company manages its processes poorly, waste in the
form of inventory piles up.”

17

Not only are these lean principles interactive and co-dependent, but there


Process Control:

The aspect directed at monitoring, controlling, sta-
bilizing, and pursuing ways to improve the process.

Ⅲ

Metrics:

The aspect addressing visible, results-based performance
measures; targeted improvement; and team rewards/recognition.

Ⅲ

Logistics:

The aspect that provides definition for operating rules and
mechanisms for planning and controlling the flow of material.
These primary elements provide full coverage of the range of issues that
surface during a lean manufacturing implementation. Each element focuses
on a particular area of emphasis and compartmentalizes the activities. Even
though each element is important on its own for the deployment of a suc-
cessful lean manufacturing program, the power comes from integration of
the elements. For instance, Manufacturing Flow sets the foundation for
change. People see activity on the shop floor, furniture being moved (some-
times for the first time), machines or floors or walls being painted, and areas
being cleaned up. Excitement and energy surround this visible change. Add
to this the less than visible changes in infrastructure relative to organizational
roles and responsibility, new ways of working, training of personnel, multi-

2. Process mapping
3. Routing analysis (process, work, content, volume)
4. Takt calculations
5. Workload balancing
6. Kanban sizing
7. Cell layout
8. Standard work
9. One-piece flow
Process Control
1. Total productive maintenance
2. Poka-yoke
3. SMED
4. Graphical work instructions
5. Visual control
6. Continuous improvement
7. Line stop
8. SPC
9. 5S housekeeping
Organization
1. Product-focused, multi-
disciplined team
2. Lean manager development
3. Touch labor cross-training skill matrix
4. Training (lean awareness, cell control,
metrics, SPC, continuous improvement)
5. Communication plan
6. Roles and responsibility
Logistics
1. Forward plan
2. Mix-model manufacturing

bought by the competition; it must be designed, developed, directed, and
supported.
This book focuses on the relationships among each of the primary ele-
ments and provides a “how-to” road map for implementing lasting change.
In order for these primary elements to function properly, they must be
implemented in the form of stages or “building blocks.” Specific foundation
prerequisites must be met prior to deployment of subsequent stages. The
initial stages contain criteria that must be satisfied before implementing
subsequent stages. These criteria are like the prerequisites for some college
courses. The first-level activities must be completed to serve as building
blocks for subsequent stages. It is imperative that these stages be followed to
avoid jeopardizing the implementation and to assure success in deploying
the lean manufacturing program as quickly as possible for maximum benefit.
Part III of this book will identify those stages and explain the appropriate
sequence for implementation.
Lean manufacturing, as described in this book, is primarily focused on
designing a robust production operation that is responsive, flexible, predict-
able, and consistent. This creates a manufacturing operation that is focused
on continuous improvement through a self-directed work force and driven
by output-based measures aligned with customer performance criteria. It
develops a workforce with the capability to utilize the lean tools and tech-
niques necessary to satisfy world-class expectations now and into the future.
As noted by Conner in

Managing at the Speed of Change:

“People can only
change when they have the capacity to do so. Ability means having the
necessary skills and knowing how to use them. Willingness is the motivation
to apply those skills to a particular situation.”

In order to understand the current situation, we may need to conduct a
self-assessment that will provide a sounding board or reflective mirror for
our operating condition as it stands today. It will provide feedback regarding
where we currently demonstrate capability, and it will reveal gaps between
how things are being done today and what are considered to be sound lean
practices. To provide some level of insight into this gap, one need only to
look at the landmark MIT study conducted by Womack, Jones, and Roos
(see

The Machine That Changed the World

) to understand how far some
operations are from being lean. Facilities that are considered lean operate
with far fewer resources as compared to those facilities that operate as mass
producers: “Lean production vs. mass production: 1/2 the human effort in
T

Chapter 02 Page 7 Friday, August 11, 2000 11:03 PM

8

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How To Use Them

the factory, 1/2 the manufacturing space, 1/2 the investment tools, 1/2 the
engineering hours, 1/2 the time to develop new products.”

26

It is only when we are honest with ourselves as to where we are that
progress can really begin to make significant change. Benchmarking against

assignment. When assessing project team candidates, it is important to keep
in mind selection criteria and to have an understanding of what attributes
are required. The following would be a good starter list of desired attributes:

Ⅲ

Open minded

Ⅲ

Effective communicator

Chapter 02 Page 8 Friday, August 11, 2000 11:03 PM