Lean Manufacturing Overview

In a world where customers are demanding continuously improving quality at ever-reducing prices, and greater flexibility with shorter lead times, traditional ways of organising the manufacturing function are no longer adequate. Success in today's marketplace demands that everybody in the company is empowered to identify and eliminate waste, in order to make significant improvements in performance.
This course provides an overview of Lean Manufacturing, introduces key tools and techniques, and highlights how improvements can be made to product flow, in order to maximise value adding activities and minimise waste. Consideration is also given to the most effective ways of implementing Lean Manufacturing in delegates' companies, bearing in mind the opportunities and challenges they face.

Course Content

Lean Manufacturing
• What is Lean Manufacturing?
• Traditional vs. Lean Manufacturing
• What can be achieved?

Waste Elimination
• Value adding activities & waste
• Different categories of waste
• Waste walks

Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
• Features of Kaizen
• Structured approaches to problem solving
• Promoting & sustaining Continuous Improvement activities
• Overcoming barriers to success

5S' Workplace Organisation
• How to achieve and sustain an organised workplace
• Sort, Straighten, Sweep, System, Sustain

Visual Management
• The concept and objectives of Visual Mangement
• Visual Management techniques & examples of good practice

Making Products Flow
• Value Stream Mapping
• Push vs Pull Systems and Batch vs One-Piece Flow
• Cellular Manufacturing
• Supporting tools & techniques

Implementing Lean Manufacturing
• Strategy for implementation
• Lean Manufacturing opportunities and challenges