Consulting in Process Improvement – Kaizen and Lean
“THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE.” – Heraclitus
The only constant is change, and it is our task to manage change and create it. The objective of the Kaizen and Lean tools is to achieve and maintain the effectiveness and efficiency of products and services through continuous development.
Our objective is to help create an environment that maximizes human potential and value for clients, and ensures growth and development through a combination of a wide spectrum of methodologies, techniques and tools and their application in order to improve the process.
Whether it comes to well-known approaches or those we’ve developed through years of work, we have changed and developed them all in order to support teamwork and encourage the joint creation of new value
Consulting Steps in Process Improvement – Kaizen & Lean
This phase of consulting involves rationalization of the process on multiple levels – the process from order to delivery, process segmentation or streamlining on the level of tasks and operations, for instance, raising a loan from a bank (from the client’s entrance into the branch, to issue of the loan), the process of manufacturing, assembly, design, purchasing, etc.
The objective of this phase of consulting is to map selected processes as they currently are (“As is”) and determine reserves and room for improvement, and on the basis of that design the desired process (“To be”) which we wish to attain through the proposed projects from the action plan.
Basic steps:
- Selection of a process or process segment
- Development of an MDC map and identification of potential areas for growth
- Development of an “As is” Lean workflow chart
- Development of a “To be” Lean workflow chart
- Development of a SIPOC for the selected segments
- Definition of improvement projects and development of an action plan
For us, Kanban, in all of its forms, makes it possible to quickly adapt to the real needs of the process. It ensures that each process supplies the correct elements, in the right quantity and at a precise time. It allows you to track the status of tasks during the process and therefore enables better decision-making and priority-setting.
Basic steps:
- Process selection
- Development of an MDC map and Lean workflow chart
- Definition of the necessary data for Kanban and Kanban traffic lights
- Creation of a Kanban in the form of a physical table or excel spreadsheet or through preparation of data for an ERP
- Definition of the structure of the Kanban meeting
5S is a tool for creating an organized and orderly workplace in a way that eliminates waste and useless activities and makes irregularities easy to notice and eliminate. It is used for organizing all workplaces in the manufacturing and service units, as well as organizing desktops and storage space on computers.
Basic steps:
- Selection of job positions for the implementation of 5S
- Training and building teams
- 1S implementation (Red Tag action)
- 2S implementation (organization using MDC mapping)
- Definition of an action plan for 3S and preparation for 4S
- 4S implementation (standardization and Visual Management)
- 5S implementation (creation of an audit and bases for evaluation, monitoring, and progress)
- Team presentations (before-after)
- Definition of the strategy for continued implementation in the remaining job positions
SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) is a tool we use to shorten the time of transition from one product or task to another and increase the flexibility of the process. It can be used while starting and setting up a machine and entire lines, as well as for forming a group of preparatory activities in order to rationalize other tasks that do not involve working with machines. Together with the 5S tool it forms the basis for productivity in the workplace.
Basic steps:
- Activity analysis
- Grouping of internal and external activities completed during transitions and downtime (give an explanation…)
- Streamlining operations
- Definition of the optimal resources and allocation of tasks
- Training operators (to work in a new way)
Application of the Just in Time principle aims to shorten flow times and optimize inventory in all stages of the process. The principles are applied in organizing and planning serial production, but also in conditions of frequent changes and variations in the process.
Basic steps:
- Activity analysis
- Measuring the duration of operations/activities
- Streamlining operations
- Reallocation of activities and balancing the process based on the desired approach
- Visualization and standardization
The objective of this phase of consulting is, through a combination of job descriptions and activity mapping, to create segments (groups of activities) in a way that allows them to be carried out in continuity, without interruption, in order to better utilize work time.
