Kaizen Kaizen is broadly interpreted as the Japanese term for continuous improvement, although it is perhaps more accurately translated as a form of control. It applies to all aspects of organisational output, and can thus be linked to both Toyota Production System (TPS) and types of waste, as well as the means of introducing and managing basic employee working conditions. One of the most popular tools of Kaizen is a Kanban, which of itself translates to differing types of organisational process control, which collectively lead to greater organisational production efficiency. The overarching principle of Kaizen, and Kanban within that, is to create a ‘pull through’ organisational process, as opposed to push through. Historically, for many manufacturing organisations, understandably, they would place the manufacturing process itself at the heart of operations, and would strive to make this element as efficient as possible working towards metrics such as overall equipment Continue reading
Production Management Techniques
Quality Control (QC) – Meaning, Definition, and Benefits
What is Quality? Quality has become one of the most important factors of consumers decision in selecting a product among competing products (services). This phenomenon is wide spread regardless of the fact whether the consumer is an individual organisation, retail store, or a military defense programme. The quality of products / services can be evaluated in several ways. It is important to identify different dimensions of quality Garrin (1987) discusses eight components or dimensions of quality as follows. Performance (Will the product do intended job?) Reliability (How often does the product fail?) Durability (How long does the product last?) Serviceability (How easy is it to repair the products?) Aesthetics (How the product looks like?) Features (What does the product do?) Perceived Quality (What is the reputation of the company?) Conformance to standards (Is the product made exactly as the design indented?) Meaning of Quality Control Quality control is defined as Continue reading
Method Study
Method Study is a technique which analyses each operation of a given piece of work very closely in order to eliminate unnecessary operations and to approach the quickest and easiest method of performing each necessary operation; it includes the standardization of equipment, method and working conditions; and training of the operator to follow the standard method. The philosophy of method study is that ‘there is always a better way of doing a job’ and the tools of method study are designed to systematically arrive at this better way of doing a job. Method study is essentially used for finding better ways of doing work. It is a technique for cost reduction. Method Study may also be defined as the systematic investigation of the existing method of doing a job in order to develop and install an easy, rapid, efficient and effective and less fatiguing procedure for doing the same Continue reading
Important Aspects of Total Quality Management (TQM)
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy that supports the process of continuous improvement within an organization and where total emphasis is placed on the customer. In the socioeconomic viewpoint, TQM defines the customer as all members of society and facets of environment that interact with the activities of the company. TQM is also defined as a set of management practices throughout the organization, geared to ensure the organization consistently meets or exceeds customer requirements. The goal of TQM philosophy is – “Do the right things right the first time, every time.” One of the principal aims of TQM is to limit errors to 1 per 1 million units produced. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a significant advance over traditional Quality Control (QC) programs. Traditional QC concerns itself with the number of final items found defective, replacing them with good items, or else negotiating the predicted failures into a supply Continue reading
Criteria for a Good Layout
The layout of a plant or facility is concerned with the physical placement of resources such as equipment and storage facilities, which should be designed to facilitate the efficient flow of customers or materials through the manufacturing or service system. The layout design is very important and should be taken very seriously as it can have a significant impact on the cost and efficiency of an operation and can involve substantial investment in time and money. The decisions taken with regards to the facility layout will have a direct influence on how efficiently workers will be able to carry out their jobs, how much and how fast goods can be produced, how difficult it is to automate a system, and how the system in place would be able to respond to any changes with regards to product or service design, product mix, or demand volume. In many operations the installation Continue reading
Method Study Procedure
Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work, as a means of developing and applying easier and more effective methods and reducing costs. So it is the process of analyzing the methods involved in work flow to increase productivity. It deals with doing the work in a better way, with less time and effort. That is why it is also termed as work simplification. Method study procedure is an organized approach and its investigation rests on the following six basic steps: Select the work to be analyzed. Record all facts relating to the existing method. Examine the recorded facts critically but impartially. Develop the most economical method commensurate with plant requirements Install the new method as standard practice. Maintain the new method. The above basic method study procedure was first developed and articulated by Russell Currie at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Continue reading