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Articles

Image: Kanban Inventory Management in Lean Manufacturing

Kanban Inventory Management in Lean Manufacturing. Everything to Know

Effective stock handling proves crucial for reducing costs while satisfying customers. Common methods yield excess, lengthened wait times, and inflated carrying fees. Kanban presents a lean, visual alternative. Derived from Toyota Production Systems, the Japanese “signal card” optimizes materials and work-in-progress transparency across making. Pull-based, it employs visual cues and cards regulating flows between steps. […]

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Image: What is Mura in Toyota Production System

What is Mura, Toyota Production System? All You Need to Know

Mura, a Japanese term, denotes unevenness within manufacturing or workflow. It comprises one type of waste alongside muda and muri per the Toyota Production System, lean’s foundation. Forms involve demand fluctuations, unbalanced workloads, and variable cycle times. Mura enables muri, overburdening employees, tools, and processes. This decreases productivity and quality while wasting resources. Thus eliminating […]

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Image: Toyota 3m model (Muda, Muri, Mura)

The Toyota 3M Model: Unlocking Lean Manufacturing Mastery

Companies always look for ways to smooth out their work flows, remove wasted effort and maximize productivity. At the core of this objective lies the famous Toyota 3M Model, a time-tested framework that transformed manufacturing for many industries. The Toyota 3M Model, based on the groundbreaking ideas behind Toyota’s Production System, zeroes in on pinpointing […]

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Image: Bottleneck Analysis in Lean Manufacturing

Bottleneck Analysis in Lean Manufacturing. Everything to Know

Bottlenecks can happen for different reasons, like if some parts of the process are backed up while others have free time, if a machine isn’t able to keep up, or maybe some workers need more training on certain tasks. The key thing with a bottleneck analysis is to identify exactly what those trouble spots are. […]

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Image: Improve Quality & Processes with First Pass Yield

First Pass Yield (FPY) in Manufacturing. Lean Six Sigma

Manufacturers must always improve their processes to keep costs down and customers happy. An important metric that has transformed how companies evaluate and boost the quality of their production is First Pass Yield or FPY. The FPY simply tells you what percentage of items go through the manufacturing process without needing any extra work or getting […]

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Image: Standardized Work

Standardized Work in Lean Manufacturing. Everything to Know

Standardized work is a critical concept in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies. It refers to the process of documenting the best and most efficient way to perform a task or a series of tasks, and then training employees to follow those standardized procedures. By establishing standardized work, organizations can ensure consistent, efficient, and high-quality […]

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Image: Jidoka Toyota Production System

Jidoka – Toyota Production System. A Complete Guide (2024)

Jidoka, often referred to as “autonomation” or “intelligent automation,” is a fundamental principle of the renowned Toyota Production System (TPS) and a cornerstone of lean manufacturing. This powerful quality control concept empowers workers to detect defects, stop production, and address quality issues immediately, rather than allowing problems to propagate through the manufacturing process. Key Highlights […]

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Image: Process Variation in Lean Six Sigma

Process Variation in Lean Six Sigma. Everything to Know

Process variation is one of the most common obstacles I encounter that prevents organizations from reaching their potential.  At its core, process variation refers to uncontrolled or unexpected differences in a process’s outputs. While some degree of natural variability exists in all processes, excessive variation is the enemy of efficient, high-quality operations. With years of […]

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Image: Process Capability Index (Cpk) for Business Success

Six Sigma Principles. Process Capability Index (Cpk) for Business Success

The process capability index, or Cp and Cpk for short, is a crucial tool for monitoring and controlling how much variation a process encounters about its specification limitations. These statistical measures offer insightful information about how well a process is operating and what actions could be required to make improvements. Quick Overview Understanding Process Capability […]

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Image: 3P Lean Methods in Six Sigma

3P Lean Methods in Six Sigma. A Definitive Guide (2024)

It is critical to optimize processes for effectiveness and the production of value for customers. To align processes with lean concepts and client objectives, the 3P (Production Preparation Process) methodology offers an organized approach to process design or redesign. Fundamentally, 3P Lean entails cross-functional teams working together to assess the current state, find waste and […]

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Image: Conquering Waste Through One Piece Flow

Conquering Waste Through One Piece Flow. A Lean Approach

One piece flow, also known as single piece flow, is a lean manufacturing concept that allows products to smoothly flow through production processes one piece at a time.  It is a pull production system where downstream processes signal their needs to upstream processes, which then produce just what is needed by the next step. Key […]

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Image: Takt time for Production Excellence

Takt time for Production Excellence. Calculate and Implement

Takt time is a foundational concept in lean manufacturing that helps organizations match production with customer demand.  The term “takt” comes from the German word taktzeit, which translates to “cycle time”. It is the maximum time allowed to produce one piece without falling behind or getting ahead of customer demand. At its core, takt time […]

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Featured Image: Heijunka

Drive Production with Heijunka. Lean Manufacturing with Lean Six Sigma

Heijunka, which was initially adapted from the Toyota Production System, is now a crucial component of lean production in several different sectors. The primary objective of Heijunka is to precisely sequence things to spread production volume and product mix evenly over a certain amount of time. This produces a balanced, consistent, and predictable workflow that […]

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Ishikawa diagram

When to use Ishikawa Diagram?

What is Ishikawa diagram? The Ishikawa diagram portrays the causes of an effect and is used in manufacturing and other services such as product development. It outlines a process and its steps, shows where quality control problems might appear, and determines which resources are needed at given times.  Who invented it? It was first designed […]

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jit manufacturing

Important Principles of JIT Manufacturing

How does an organization sell all goods manufactured while lowering costs and increasing customer satisfaction? One of the best ways to achieve this is through just-in-time manufacturing, (JIT). It is a Lean thinking philosophy that focuses on demand-based production, as well as the production of quality products and organization-wide continuous improvement. It is a system […]

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Six Sigma - Manufacturing Sector DFSS

DFSS: Designing With Perfection in Six Sigma

It is not a secret that business owners that have products they manufacture are constantly making adjustments. These adjustments are made in the manufacturing or production processes; they may even have to eat part of the profits in refunds because of product or service malfunctions, or failure to meet customer expectations. The kiss of death for […]

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lean manufacturing

[Infographic] Key Principles of Lean Manufacturing

In Lean Six Sigma, it is all about the customer. They define the quality they expect from your product or service. The day-to-day processes should only consist of what brings value to your product or service, and that is determined by your customer.  Remember, anything that doesn’t bring value to your product or service is […]

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Kanban Reduces Overhead Expenses

In running a successful manufacturing business, making a profit and offering great prices for high-quality products can be a balancing act. In fact, it may seem like you’re being pulled in many different directions just to keep up! One way to keep costs down while still producing what you need is by using Kanban practices.  […]

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design for manufacturing dfm

DFM: The High Cost of Manufacturing Can Be Solved

When designing a new product, you might get caught up in the excitement of the possibilities of the success of the product, so much so that using the Six Sigma template for Design for Manufacturing (DFM) might not have caught your eye. Yet, it should be the very first place you go before you start […]

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Tesla Six Sigma

Tesla is Lean Six Sigma at Its Finest

The future of Six Sigma is here! Who knew it would come in the form of robots working at Tesla’s production line? It takes Tesla three days to build a car, starting from raw materials — to finishing the very last detail. They seem to practice the Kaizen system of constant improvements. According to Gilbert […]

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