Many have a hard time understanding what takt time is when it comes to Lean Manufacturing. In order to understand takt time, let’s imagine that you are a young child, and you have a paper route that you do before you go to school. The papers get delivered an hour before you have to go for your classes. So it would appear that you have sixty minutes to deliver all of your news papers. However, if you think about it do your really have a full sixty minutes? Perhaps not.

We must remember you have to get your bike ready and load your papers on your bike. For this example let us consider you can roll your papers while you’re pedaling your bicycle. You would also need to park your bike and put away your bag when you finish your route. So that hour really turns into more like fifty minutes.

Besides the time available, what else do you need to know to calculate the takt time for a newspaper delivery? Something else to consider is how many papers you actually have to deliver? Let’s say you have twenty five houses on your route. You now have enough information for your takt time calculations.

50 minutes / 25 houses = 2 minutes per paper.

The amount of time you have to deliver each paper is your takt time and in this case it is two minutes.

How long does it take to deliver each paper? (This would be your cycle time.) If it takes you less than two minutes, on average, you are able to meet your demand. If it takes longer, you are not going to get to school on time.

When there is a process that is extremely stable, like on an assembly line, it is easy to pace to the takt time. The work advances at a set pace, so the product rolls off the end in very predictable increments. This isn’t the situation with a newspaper route.

Why? Well, because there is a lot of variation. There are many variables like, the weather, the distance between houses. Some people like the paper placed neatly on the porch. Others don’t mind having it placed somewhere in the vicinity of the door. Some driveways are long. Some houses are close to the street. Some of your customer’s dogs are not so friendly, and so on.

On a paper route, or in the manufacturing plant, takt time works best as an average pace. Some papers get delivered quickly; others will take longer. Some phone calls can get resolved in a flash; others take a bit more time. But the law of large numbers eventually takes over. In many processes, you will find that every cycle is different, but any group of ten cycles looks an awful lot like any other group of ten cycles.

In manufacturing practice, or on your paper route, this allows you to use milestones or many times an actual digital take timer to keep on pace. If your takt time is two minutes for a process with variable inputs, you might use an hourly takt timer. You know you have to get thirty cycles done every sixty minutes. And when a team starts falling off the pace, and can recognize it early on by looking at the takt timer, leaders can make plans to get things back on schedule.

Things get even more confusing when there are cyclical changes in demand. Imagine that your local newspaper decides to offer a Sunday only delivery option, and 25 more houses on your route elect to get this big, unwieldy edition. Two things happen, right? First, you now have fifty minutes to deliver to fifty houses, a drastically reduced takt time of one minute. Plus, the Sunday paper is bulky and is harder to bundle up; and you just can’t carry as many on your bike. Even worse, you can’t toss a Sunday edition because the rubber band would break and create a mess. Your cycle time goes up at the same time that your takt time drops.

One option is to group your demand into different periods, for example, a Sunday takt time and a weekday takt time. No problem. You just have to get creative on how you staff for the different periods. Fast food restaurants adjust their staff throughout the day, as they know the pace picks up during mealtimes, and slows down the rest of the day. Whether they call it takt time or not, they end up matching their capacity to the required pace. On your paper route, you might do the same thing by hiring a friend to help you meet your Sunday demand, or you could work a longer shift.

So, let us get back to your paper route. Let’s assume that you want to earn more money by adding more customers to your route. Can you handle the load? The answer lies in being able to understand how fast you need to be able to work to meet the new demand.

Let’s see what happens if you add five houses to your route. Again, pull out your trusty takt time calculation.

50 minutes / 30 houses = 1:40 per paper

You would have to be able to deliver the paper at each house 20 seconds faster than before.

So, takt time serves to give you a real target for improvement, not just an arbitrary, made-up percentage. If it currently takes you 1:52 (112 seconds) per paper, you’d need an 11% reduction in your cycle time to meet your planned customer demand. (Cycle time is how long a process actually takes to complete. You reduce it by applying generous portions of continuous improvement.) Goals with a specific purpose are always easier for front-line employees to get behind than annual improvement goals (i.e. improve productivity by 10% per year).

Are you starting to see how takt time can improve your production?

This guest post was written by Rick Shoop of Alzatex Lean Manufacturing Timers – We recommend their products wholeheartedly Thanks Rick!

Hi, I’m Bill Hanover, Founder of TPS – ThroughPut Solutions.

So, here are the biggest questions we get from senior managers and leaders…How do I find the time to implement Lean Manufacturing with everything I already have on my plate and how do we fund the process?

We all know the benefits of Lean, like reduced inventory, streamlined processes, improved quality, reduced lead-times, continuous improvement, cost savings, increased profits, happier customers, increased market share and many more, but where do you find the time to make it all happen?

Not only does it seem impossible with so many other issues to deal with, but “Getting Lean” often comes with a great deal of pressure. Pressure from Corporate Leadership, boards of directors, and others, who are “Just trying to help.”

It seems the expectation is that you’ll do all you are currently doing + all your planned projects, and oh, by the way, let’s totally transform our company into a “Lean Mean Efficiency Machine” while we’re at it!

Biting off more than you can chew has become the norm in most companies these days, and anything we could call “Lean Manufacturing Bottom-line Results” are lackluster at best.

In fact, most senior executives we speak with scramble to justify the ROI on their Lean activities, or just tell us straight-up, that they have seen only meager gains, if any.

It’s not due to the lack of good intentions…it’s mostly a lack of strategic execution.

Many great leaders have shied away from getting Lean because they believe they can’t give it the time and resources needed to really make it work, or, they have tried to make Lean happen and it just didn’t “stick.” In fact, to some degree, getting great results is easy… keeping them is the hard part. Results have to be “Institutionalized” Lean must become part of the very fabric of the company.

At this point we have worked with a number of senior managers, presidents and business owners, who had previously tried and failed, repeatedly, to make Lean “stick.”

Again, these were all talented and eager leaders, they had the “Lean Vision” and knew they needed to pull it off somehow, but they just truly had too much on their plates to deal with already, and lacked a highly customized Lean Implementation strategy and a continuous improvement process and plan, that fit their specific needs.

My friend…that’s where the time is! Your customized and specific strategy. Your custom-fit strategy is also how you can have your Lean transformation be Self-Funding and automatically develop the internal talent you need for lasting “continuous improvement.”

Your customized strategy is how you eliminate the daily routine of constant “fire-fighting” such as expediting to this customer and handling another angry conference call with that customer. Its how you enable yourself to run your shop “from 30K feet” like “other people” are always talking about.

Your Lean strategy “kills dead” the wasteful and time-consuming tasks we all hate and replaces them with streamlined processes that “make sense” and free-up your time to develop your vision for your company…the vision that inspired you to start the company in the first place, or perhaps inspired senior leadership to trust you and take a chance on you leading the company.

Bottom-line… The difference between a successful Lean implementation and another failed attempt is in the way you approach the shot. It’s not a “one size fits all” kind of deal; Lean must be approached with your specific issues in mind.

Most of the senior managers and leaders reading this commentary have sent people to any number of trainings and seminars on Lean, they’ve read the books on Lean, and have probably hired a “Director of Lean Manufacturing” or “Continuous Improvement Manager” or perhaps even consultants to help make Lean happen.

But, even with all of this help…it didn’t happen, or happen fast enough, or it’s starting to look like Lean is a bit of a “pipe dream” that works in some companies…but for some reason, it just can’t work like it should here.

Sure, we do some basic training, but we pride ourselves on being facilitators, implementers, and value-adding partners and collaborators in the process…We are not professors who show up and leave after presenting some class on the latest Lean buzzwords.

I’ve been helping companies implement, sustain, and improve their Lean processes for more than 16 years. My two partners have a few more miles on them with more than 23 years of successful Lean transformations each.

We’ve been down this road before and we know what it takes to help you, with your very specific issues and challenges, to implement and sustain Lean Manufacturing without piling more on an already “full plate.”

In fact, we will find ways to free-up time, money and resources as we address wastes at every level through a highly strategic and customized process.

Your specific needs, must set the pace and focus. What you want from Lean and how you define success are key drivers in the entire process. Let’s do what matters most!

Having worked with more than 100 companies, in dozens of industries, and multiple countries, we’ve learned that the principles of Lean don’t change; but how you apply them for the greatest impact certainly does. This expertise has been earned in the trenches, and we have never understood more, or been of greater value to our clients than we are right now. I suspect that is where you find yourself as well.

Of course we guarantee our services and always see ROI’s many times the investment. Frankly, our guarantee almost doesn’t matter anymore, we’ve never failed, and we don’t plan to start.

Your risk isn’t so much “the cost of our help;” we make the whole process Self-funding anyway… your risk is, Can we do it or not? Can these guys really take us where we need to go…once and for all? Can we trust these guys with our business, our livelihoods, our fears and failings? Will these men be of good character and honor, will they fit in, inspire us, and will they do all in their power to help us when sometimes it seems an impossible journey? And finally, will they leave us with a Lean Process we truly “own” and understand?

Answering these questions starts with a simple phone call. If we choose to work together it will be a partnership of trust and collaboration probably unlike anything you have ever experienced. None of us can afford to quit…let’s talk and see how far we can take your company. If you’re ready to start, or restart, the Lean process, so are we. I hope you’ll call.

Bill

Bill Hanover
CCO, TPS – ThroughPut Solutions
(435) 792-4380
jb@tpslean.com

Hi Lean Friends,

This is kind of a special post/article about a Lean Tool I use to help me on my computer.

Stay with me for a minute here… Lean is about reducing waste and continuous improvement. I’m sure we can probably agree on that.

Well, a couple of months ago I had a major computer crash due to a “trojan,” a piece of malicious code that came into my system and totally kicked its’ butt! Yeah, we’re talking “blue screen of death” kind of thing! It was horrible!

It took me several days of work to repair my computer and it was extremely frustrating. Good thing there wasn’t a hammer nearby, or things might have turned out differently ; – ) In the end, I had to reformat the hard drive and start over. And, I sort of hate to admit it, but this wasn’t the first time this has happened to me over the years. Unfortunately, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.

Anyway, I did a fair amount of research about what I could do to prevent this from ever happening again (think preventative maintenance.) I mean, all of that downtime was a lot of WASTE! Being a Lean Manufacturing guy there was just no way I could accept that kind of waste; so I had to do something about it.

This is where the “Continuous Improvement” part comes in.

I found a program called Malwarebytes and you can find it at this link Malwarebytes It is the program that would have saved me from all that trouble, frustration and of course, WASTE. I now have Malwarebytes running very quietly in the background on all of my computers and it is actively keeping spyware, trojans, viruses and malware of every kind out of my system. It is awesome!

Malwarebytes does not have conflicts with my other security software “Norton” or “MacAfee” (which I used to run.) By the way… Norton was, and is, still running on my computer, but did not catch the malware that took my system down! Every computer guru and web forum I went to said… “you need Malwarebytes too.”

Well, I listened, and now have my copy set to update every single day. It is definitely in “Continuous Improvement” mode! In fact, it adds about 10 new threats to it’s protection database almost every day. That’s 10 new viruses or trojans that didn’t exist yesterday!

You can get the free version, but that’s really not what you want… trust me on this one. The paid version is just under $25 and will run in the “background,” meaning it runs whenever your computer is on. It is totally worth the money and may save your rear… or at least your hard drive. ; – )

Now, I didn’t create the program and I don’t offer any sort of guarantee or software support services, or anything like that. That’s all up to the Malwarebytes folks, not me. But I will tell you this; when I first installed it, the default settings were to tell me every time it encountered any sort of malware.

Well that thing popped-up every few seconds for days on end! It even popped-up when I wasn’t surfing the net or using my email. I have a cable modem and (as it turns out,) you are always on the net even when you think you aren’t! Nasty little viruses and trojans are inviting themselves into your computer all the time. Malwarebytes, and I imagine, with some help from Norton, are the gatekeepers to protect you from those vile intrusive buggers.

So, in the “spirit of Lean,” do yourself a huge favor and buy Malwarebytes! I did, and I give it my strongest recommendation. If you’re not so sure it’s right for you, then you may want to at least download the free version (which will NOT run in the background.) It will show you everything your current security software is missing. Prepare to be amazed!

If this helps you, and I’m sure it will, be sure and send your friends this link and help them out too: Malwarebytes

Leaner is Better!

Bill

P.S. I don’t make a habit of endorsing products very often. Malwarebytes has impressed me and helped me eliminate waste from my computer so I really wanted to spread the word. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Lean Production is generally synonymous with Lean Manufacturing. You should see our “Definition of Lean Manufacturing” at this link for additional information.

Boiling down “Lean Production” to a sort of “Vision Statement” or quick summary of key principles goes something like this:

Lean Production is…Eliminating wastes in all processes and doing things “the best way we know how.” It is recognizing that inventory and extra steps like handling, stocking, tweaking, reworking, waiting and etc. are tasks and events that should be avoided, reduced, or better still, eliminated.

Implementing Lean Production is what makes companies “run like a Swiss watch.” Yeah, we’ve all heard of companies that run exceptionally well; but truly being “World Class” takes some effort. That effort is almost always a function of exercising a Lean Manufacturing or Lean Production approach and getting your staff involved in the “Continuous Improvement” process.

So, Lean Production is… Lean Manufacturing which is… doing what you do in the least wasteful way possible. That’s the heart of Lean Production. The “Soul” of Lean production is getting everyone involved in the continuous improvement process so they treat the company, suppliers and customers like they own the place. That’s what you get when you implement Lean Manufacturing correctly!

All the Best,

Bill

What is TWI?
“Training Within Industry” (TWI) is an important program designed specifically to enhance the role of the supervisors and managers at all levels in your organization. There is little/no evidence anywhere of a company performing well without the benefit of good supervisors. There is, however, abundant evidence to the contrary: good supervisors continuously and consistently facilitate superior performance through the people they supervise.

Supervisor is defined as: anyone who manages people and directs their work. This definition includes managers, directors and leaders at all levels in a company, including office environments as well as production.

The style of supervision also matters. Supervisors who, through their people perform well, see their jobs as COACHes, not COPs. They develop their people’s skills, knowledge, attitudes and are good role models as well. They are not of the old “command and control” breed.

TWI identifies 3 primary roles of supervisors:
1. The supervisor as trainer/developer of his/her people.
2. The supervisor as improver (working with his/her people to improve job methods).
3. The supervisor as leader of his/her people.

The four individual training programs in TWI:
Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations, and Job Safety, are focused on each of the above supervisory roles. Each supervisor learns (or re-learns) the skills involved in world-class Job Relations, Job Instruction, Job Methods Improvement, and Job Safety as he/she participates in the TWI workshops. These workshops are applications oriented with a heavy concentration on the actual case studies supervisors bring in and work on.

How TWI Works
The format for the TWI training has been the same since it’s original creation in 1942. Basically, each program is 10 hours of classroom learning, 5 consecutive days (Monday- Friday,) 2 hours per day. This leaves time for participants to conduct their regular jobs and take the training without disrupting their work schedules or requiring the use of overtime to fill in for them while they’re in training.

Each of the 4 TWI Programs, Job Relations (JR), Job Instruction (JI), Job Methods (JM), and Job Safety (JS) follows the same 4-step* teaching process:
Step 1. Preparation – make the learner think to aid comprehension of the new idea.
Step 2. Presentation – add the new idea to those already in the learner’s mind.
Step 3. Application – train the learner to apply what was presented and check results.
Step 4. Testing – test the ability of the learner to apply the new idea alone.
* Developed by Charles R. Allen in WWI

This generic 4-step process is further refined for each of the 4 TWI Programs as follows:

Job Relations….
Step 1 Get the Facts
Step 2 Weigh and Decide
Step 3 Take Action
Step 4 Check Results

Job Instruction….
Step 1 Prepare the Worker
Step 2 Present the Operation
Step 3 Try Out Performance
Step 4 Follow Up

Job Methods….
Step 1 Breakdown the Job
Step 2 Question Every Detail
Step 3 Develop the New Method
Step 4 Apply the New Method

Job Safety….
Step 1 Set a Good Safety Example
Step 2 Instruct Each Worker Carefully in the Safety Precautions of the Job
Step 3 Keep All Safety Devices in Proper Use
Step 4 Follow-up Safety Instructions Consistently

Each participant learns these 4-step processes through classroom exercises and textbook cases. Then every student is required to present his/her own case study to the class using the 4-step process. Feedback is provided by the TWI Certified Instructor and also the class in general.

Expected Results With TWI

Job Relations Training Results:
A more positive employee culture since any employee situation is handled directly and efficiently by the supervisor, always keeping the employee in mind. Also little problems are handled sooner, preventing bigger problems from developing and sometimes causing serious cultural damage.

Job Instruction Training Results:
a) Having a standard training process for each job that every supervisor uses (instead of leaving it haphazard and random).
b) A definitive structure for the job training so that every work task is accounted for and the training for these tasks defined.
c) Construction of a Multi-Functional Worker Training Timetable, which is basically a training plan for each person. This also results in people being trained in multiple jobs and building a flexible workforce.
d) An audit process so upper levels of management can routinely monitor the quality and the content of the job training…called “cascade audits”.

Job Methods Training Results:
Continuous improvement of every job by the people doing these jobs. Expectations are established so every supervisor has goals for the number of Job Proposals to be submitted by his/her employees every year (somewhere in the range of 24-40 per employee per year are expected, depending on the maturity of Job Methods in the company).

Job Safety Training Results:
Fewer safety violations, fewer accidents on the job, and a more safety-conscious culture.

Follow this link for more information on TWI – Training Within Industry or give me a call and I’ll answer any specific questions you may have.

Jim Myers
Lean Sensei, 6-Sigma and TWI Master Trainer
Office: (315) 393-3879
Cell: (315) 854-0172
Email: jmyers@tpslean.com
Increasing Profits by Eliminating Waste!

Lean Manufacturing Rocks! OK, that’s not much of a post on Lean Manufacturing; but we have just switched our site over to this blog site where we can talk with our visitors and have some great discussion about all things Lean.

Let’s have some fun with it!

Bill