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(c) J&G Environmental
INTRODUCTION
In this article I begin to further discuss Lean methodology by looking at waste as a concept; what it is, how to identify it and how, in some areas, to eradicate it (but most crucially, reduce it). I have tried to give actual examples for each of the waste categories but as I began to write, it struck me how broad a topic this is, therefore this article, and the following in the Waste series, is merely a catalyst for the reader’s own participation in value stream/waste processes.
Understanding waste and therefore value, is a mindset. Thinking of everything in the productive cycle, whether that’s as a production or administration operation, in waste and value terms will create actions to reduce waste and improve value.
Think of the “Value Stream”, where every component and every action adds value to the final delivered product. When the imaginary stream is straight, each process creates value, when the stream doesn’t flow directly forward, the process is creating waste.
THE MNEMONIC
As a reminder of the 7 waste categories, TIMWOOD is about as good as any but I’ve seen TIMWOODS and DOTWIMP, it depends on who your trainer is and their preference but the headline categories are the same.
T – Transport
I – Inventory
M – Motion
W – Waiting
O – Overproduction
O (or P) – Over-processing
D – Defect
(S) – Skills
As the concept was designed as part of the Toyota Production System one might also hear the word, “Muda” being used; this is a Japanese word for waste and not a mnemonic (or an acronym). One important area that is a waste, but is not discussed here (primarily as it is a topic all of its own) is Variation. Variation brings us teetering to the outer reaches of Lean and into Six Sigma territory; yes, I know that many practitioners lump them to create “Lean Six Sigma” but I see distinct differences, and advantages, in approaching them entirely separately. Here I discuss waste in the term as associated with Lean Methodology.
IN PRACTICAL TERMS
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(c)Print House
Almost all of the above have limitations to their level of elimination and some require context to understand why we might choose to ignore them. What is important is that each of them are understood and that understanding allows us to apply value thinking to how we approach them. I suppose there could be another T added to the above and that would be “Thinking”. Overthinking a problem, or worse, trying to solve a problem over which you have zero impact, is wasteful, so choose your areas of improvement wisely (I had this debate with a GM recently, he had a habit of trying to solve issues outside of his area of control or influence; extremely wasteful and utterly pointless).
TRANSPORT
If you’ve had any modicum of success in your business, you will probably look around today and see a plant configuration very different to the day you started. That’s not a bad thing, actually it’s testament to the fact that you’ve done well and have outgrown your original floorplan but now your site is probably inefficient.
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(c) Screen Offset Printing
In a recent assignment, I controlled a large site that had grown rapidly over time, the original site was now being used for pre-press, admin and warehousing and the “new” building housed numerous presses and finishing equipment. Unfortunately, the die cutting equipment, sited between the presses and the gluing department, interrupted the efficient flow (transport) of materials, tooling and WIP in and out of the area. This, in turn, affected safety, productivity and created a bottleneck in the whole production cycle. I took the difficult but necessary decision to change the position, a decision based on the analysis of waste. This resulted in a safer department, higher output and completely eliminated the bottleneck within the department.
In assignment, I moved the location of the platemaking area to bring it closer to the presses, thereby reducing the risk of damage, improving the communication between departments and eliminated another waste; Over-Processing (ultimately, the print department became responsible for outputting their own plates JIT).
Transport also highlights the use of tooling. As I outlined in my previous article on 5S, frequency is in direct correlation to proximity. If you are using tooling, for plate changes, die changes etc on an hourly basis then keep the tools with you, a separate tool belt for each operator is the ideal (creates ownership and reduces breakage and loss) but a belt for each shift or machine might be more cost effective in the beginning.
Thinking of transport in terms of touch and of flow helps to realise where the inefficiencies are. Touch it as few times as possible and make the process flow with as little interruption as possible (this is also a factor of waste in an office and gave rise to the “touch it once” concept of document management and is a another principle of 5S).
INVENTORY
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(c) eSellerHub
This is often a debateable point and can contradict the first “O” – Overproduction.
Surplus inventory – raw material, spare parts and finished goods – impacts working capital, takes up space and takes time to manage. On the other hand, if your business isn’t cash restrained (I have known this to be the case) and you have the space and time to manage it, holding “excess” inventory may provide better purchasing terms, reduce lead-times for production and create a more “agile” supply chain. What is absolutely critical is that the business never loses focus or control over inventory.
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(c) OTS News
Where a print business relies on small, frequent customer orders, producing the next one, maybe even two, order cycles can be a profitable approach but I’ve known businesses applying this methodology across a broad range of order lines, with orders that are only required once a year. This gets out of control quickly and expensively; keeping inventory, of anything (because finished product requires raw material), requires time and effort to manage it. In one example, I took over running a media print business that had CD cover print in stock, where the CD had been out of production for at least 5 years. An example of waste in Inventory.
A good exercise for both Transport and Inventory is a technique I wrote about in my first article – Red Tag.
Red Tagging will give a fair indication of how inventory and location (transport) is being managed. One would hope that everything is easily identifiable; that it is current and useful but as someone once said, “hope is not a management technique”.
Work with suppliers to help manage inventory. Suppliers may provide consignment stock or other favourable terms but also, when managing substrates, determine how many different types, sizes and grammages are really required? Does a check of the paper store result in an annual clear out, or prompting a decision that a previously “inappropriate” size or grammage has now become appropriate? These examples suggest an inefficient and wasteful approach to Inventory.
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(c) Domtar Paper
Printers should understand their ink usage as accurately as possible and assess stock levels with usage volume compared to availability of supply. Ink manufacturers produce in multi tonne batches for CMYK and most of the Pantone ® colours, there needn’t be vast inventory, managed stock reduces waste without adding unwarranted cost. If spot colour work is low, plan to mix in-house, if spot colour usage is above 5 kilo, have the ink supplier mix it. Where there is a volume of unspoilt ink and a requirement for a frequent spot colour, the ink supplier can match the spot colour using the old stock; with spectral analysis they will find an accurate match, in almost all cases.
In future articles in the series, I will discuss the Wastes of Motion, Waiting, The Two “O’s”, Defect and Skills.
© Andrew Malson is a highly experienced, committed and passionate Operations Executive/Director/Manager with a demonstrable reputation for creating the change required to deliver significant improvements in business performance through quality, service and productivity. He has invaluable strength in establishing and ensuring sustainable success of single, multi, and regional manufacturing sites by creating right and enduring cultural change through involvement and development of people. In the 30 years since beginning in the industry, Andrew has been responsible for the design and implementation of systems covering quality, people development, environmental standards and operational excellence. He brought his wealth of experience and invaluable knowledge to bear at WHERE To Print magazine in West Africa in its quest to positively influence and improve print purchase decisions with special focus on Lean Manufacturing Implementation; Organisational Effectiveness; and Sustainable Business Growth. Andrew welcomes your connection via wheretoprint@yahoo.comor directly vide andrewcmalson@gmail.com
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