MIT - LAI Self Assessment Tool (LESAT) - Website Page Information

http://lean.mit.edu/products/lai-self-assessment-tool-lesat-2



LAI Self Assessment Tool (LESAT)
The LAI Self-Assessment Tool (LESAT) 2.0 is now available.

LESAT is a tool for self-assessing the current state of an enterprise and its readiness to change. The tool is organized into three assessment sections:

Lean transformation/leadership: lean practices pertinent to the lean transformation process with an emphasis on enterprise leadership and change management.
Life cycle processes: lean practices related to the "life cycle processes of an enterprise, i.e., those processes involved in product realization.
Enabling infrastructure: lean practices applicable to infrastructure support units.
Each section contains diagnostic questions, lean practices, five capability levels, and lean indicators. Each of the practices are focused at the enterprise assessment level, and the tool is supported by a Facilitator's Guide as well as a LESAT calculator.

MIT - Lean Enterprise Product Development for Practitioners - Website Information

http://lean.mit.edu/products/lean-enterprise-product-development-for-practitioners

Drs. Josef Oehmen and Eric Rebentisch have come out with  a new series of whitepapers, Lean Product Development for Practitioners in 2011.

 LAI on Program Management for Large Scale Engineering Programs

Dr. Josef Oehmen, Dr. Eric Rebentisch, and Kristian Kinscher, LAI Whitepaper Series: Lean Product Development for Practitioners, Version 1.0, December 2011.

 This paper addresses Enterprise, Program and Multi-Project Management.

Risk Management in Lean Enterprise Product Development 

Dr. Josef Oehmen and Dr. Eric Rebentisch, LAI Paper Series: Lean Enterprise Product Development for Practitioners, Version 1.0, March 2010.

The paper follows LAI´s understanding and Risk Management in Lean Product Development philosophy regarding Lean Management concepts and especially their integration into large and complex Enterprise settings.

The papers draw mainly on the research done by LAI. Where necessary to ensure a comprehensive presentation of a topic, findings of other researchers and research groups from the field of Lean Product Development are integrated into the papers.  This paper addresses topic 9, Risk Management.

The two core challenges of risk management are finding the optimum balance a) between the cost of carrying risks vs. the cost of mitigating risks and b) between a risk that is taken with a certain development project and the return that is expected from the project.

Waste in Lean Enterprise Product Development 

Josef Oehmen and Eric Rebentisch, LAI Paper Series: Lean Product Development for Practitioners, Version 1.1, July 2010.

The main objective of this paper is to make the work that has been done at LAI in the area of waste in product development easily accessible to the consortium members. The focus of the discussion in this paper is therefore on past LAI work. Non-LAI work is integrated into the presentation where it is necessary to complete the picture.

The intended readership is engineers and managers in the areas of product development, product design, systems engineering and program management. The paper is also intended to provide a first overview to students and others interested in the field.

Reading this whitepaper provides a concise overview of the most important waste drivers in product development, that is, the most common project deficiencies that lead to cost and schedule overrun, as well as to performance issues. It will enable those involved in process improvement initiatives to include specific lean-related factors into their process analysis. It provides both managers and engineers with a common language and concepts to enhance the efficiency of their product development projects.

The Innovative Lean Enterprise - Anthony Sgroi, Jr. - Book Information

The Innovative Lean Enterprise: Using the Principles of Lean to Create and Deliver Innovation to Customers
Anthony Sgroi, Jr.
CRC Press, 19-Aug-2013 - Business & Economics - 315 pages


Explaining how to use Lean principles to drive innovation and strategic portfolio planning, The Innovative Lean Enterprise: Using the Principles of Lean to Create and Deliver Innovation to Customers outlines simple, yet powerful, visual Lean tools that can enhance idea generation and product development. It starts with a discussion of Lean principles and then identifies the applicable portions of Lean that can drive customer value.

The book discusses customer value in the form of the benefits your customers desire. It walks you through the processes of using Lean techniques to effectively evaluate the quality of any prospective marketing opportunity and includes examples from a variety of industries, including healthcare.

The text discusses value creation, reduction of waste, entrepreneurial system designer, set-based concurrent engineering, and Lean project management. It also includes numerous examples of visual management tools as they apply to innovation to help you develop the understanding required to achieve a competitive advantage for your brand, division, or company through Lean.
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=iSAbAAAAQBAJ



Table of Contents


Visual Strategy
The First Parameter of Strategy
     Utility
     Emotion
The Second Parameter of Strategy
The Third Parameter of Strategy
The Fourth Parameter of Strategy
The Strategy Icon
Conclusion
Chapter Overviews
     Chapter 2: Understanding the Current State
     Chapter 3: Opportunity Identification
     Chapter 4: Idea Generation
     Chapter 5: Delivering Profitable Innovation to Targeted Customers
     Chapter 6: Barriers to Imitation
     Chapter 7: Applications of Graphical Strategy Tools
     Chapter 8: Ranking Offerings
     Chapter 9: The Strategy Transformation Process
     Chapter 10: Strategy Transformation Example
     Chapter 11: Alignment and Position Statements

Understanding the Current State
The 2-D Perceptual Map
The 2-D Map
The Utility Knife Industry
     First Innovation: The Retractable Utility Knife
     Second Innovation: Quick Blade Change
     Third Innovation: Folding Utility Knives
     The Switchback Knife
     Product Features: Lock-Back-Style Folding Utility Knives
     Product Features: Folding Retractable Utility Knife with Blade Storage
     Product Features: Fast-Open Gravity Utility Knife
Conclusion

Opportunity Identification
Must-Be Requirements
One-Dimensional Requirements
Attractive Requirements
Top Portion of Product Fulfillment Map
     Acquisition
     Product Use
     Barriers to Use
     Product Robustness
     End of Life
Left-Side Portion of Product Fulfillment Map
     Utility: Product Function Category
     Risk: Category in Which Customers Seek Risk Avoidance
     Simplicity or Convenience
     Emotional Well-Being or Social Well-Being
     Supports the Green Movement
     Financial
Product Fulfillment Map Example
Opportunity Scores
Conclusion

Idea Generation
Internal Perspective Techniques
     Surveys
     Focus Groups
     One-on-One Interview
     Intercepts
     Product User Testing
     Customer Feedback and Complaints
     Ethnographic Research
     Idea Generation
     The Problem Solution Statement
     Job Mapping
Internal Ideation Methods
     Brain Writing
     Brain Walking
     Worst Idea
     Patent Prompts
     Picture Prompts
     White Board Technique
External Perspective Techniques
     Looking to Alternative Industries
     Looking to Alternate Strategic Groups
     Looking at Different Buyer Groups
     Looking to Complementary Product and Service Offerings
     Adding or Removing Functional or Emotional Characteristics
     Identifying New Trends
Conclusion

Delivering Profitable Innovation to Targeted Customers
Utility
Emotion
Conclusion

Barriers to Imitation
Brand Power
Firm’s Knowledge
Customer Relationships
Supplier Relationships
High-Efficiency Operations
Skill of People
Processes
Technology and Money
Regulatory Pioneering
Economies of Scale
Switching Cost of the Consumer
Intellectual Property
     Patents
     Types of Patents
     Patent Claims
     The Power of Patent Pending (a defensive tool)
     Trademarks
     Trade Dress as an IP Tool
     Copyrights as an IP Tool
     Trade Secrets as an IP Tool
Conclusion

Applications of Graphical Strategy Tools
SWOT Analysis
     Strength
     Weakness
     Opportunities
     Threats
Balanced Scorecard Approach
     The Learning and Growth Perspective
     The Business Process Perspective
     The Customer Perspective
     The Financial Perspective
Disruptive Innovation
     New Market Disruptions
     Low-End Disruptions
Conclusion

Ranking Offerings
Conclusion

The Strategy Transformation Process

Strategy Transformation Example
Conclusion

Alignment and Position Statements
Conclusion

Epilogue

Bibliography

Lean Systems: Applications and Case Studies in Manufacturing, Service, and Healthcare - Book Information

Lean Systems: Applications and Case Studies in Manufacturing, Service, and Healthcare
Elizabeth A. Cudney, Sandra Furterer, David Dietrich
CRC Press, 16-Oct-2013 - Business & Economics - 533 pages


Lean Systems: Applications and Case Studies in Manufacturing, Service, and Healthcare details the various Lean techniques and numerous real-world Lean projects drawn from a wide variety of manufacturing, healthcare, and service processes, demonstrating how to apply the Lean philosophy.

The book facilitates Lean instruction by supplying interactive case studies that enable readers to apply the various Lean techniques. It provides an in-depth discussion of the Lean tools (i.e., VSM, standard work, 5S, etc.) and several real-world case studies and applications of Lean that have shown significant improvement in meeting customer requirements. The case studies follow the Six Sigma framework of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) structure for process improvement. The authors include detailed descriptions of each Lean tool and examples of how each Lean technique was applied to a wide variety of manufacturing, service, and healthcare processes.

These in-depth descriptions and cases studies can be used by industry professionals and academics to learn how to apply Lean. They provide a detailed, step-by-step approach to Lean and demonstrate how to integrate Lean tools for process improvement and to sustain improvements. But more than this, the approach taken in this book gives readers the tools to effectively apply Lean techniques.



Table of Contents

Overview and Introduction to Lean
Instructional Strategies for Using This Book, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Sandra L. Furterer, and David M. Dietrich
Lean Six Sigma Roadmap Overview, Sandra L. Furterer

Lean Tools and Step-by-Step Implementation

Value Stream Mapping, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Using 5S and Visual Management to Create a Clean and Manageable Work Environment, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Using Single-Minute Exchange of Dies and Total Productive Maintenance to Reduce Setup Time and Downtime, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Flow, Pull, and Kanban, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Mistake Proofing (aka Poka-Yoke): Preventing Defects by Monitoring Process Conditions and Correcting Errors at the Source, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Standard Work: Documenting the Interaction between People and Their Environment, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints, Elizabeth A. Cudney, David M. Dietrich, and Sandra L. Furterer
Hoshin Kanri, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Manufacturing, Service, and Healthcare Case Studies

Lean Restaurant, Corbin LeGrand, Neha Pawar, Snehal Digraskar, Sneha Mahajan, Sukhada Mishra, and Susan Polson|
Achieving Flow in a Rapid Prototyping Laboratory, Shirish Sreedharan, Elizabeth A. Cudney, and Frank Liou
Implementing Lean Manufacturing Techniques to Achieve Six Sigma, Elizabeth A. Cudney
Pump Teardown Review Process Improvement, Shrey Arora and Rodney Ewing
Improving Women’s Healthcare Center Service Processes, Sandra L. Furterer
Application of Lean Tools in a Medical Device Company, Kelly M. Davis, Elizabeth A. Cudney, and Scott E. Grasman
Motor Grader Assembly Line Modification, Mujahid Abjul, Charlie Barclay, Nanday K. Dey, Amita Ghanekar, and Lynda Melgarejo
Sunshine High School Discipline Process Improvement: A Lean Six Sigma Case Study, Marcela Bernardinez, Khalid Buradha, Kevin S. Cochie, Jose Saenz, and Sandra L. Furterer
Financial Services Improvement in a City Government: A Lean Six Sigma Case Study, Sandra L. Furterer
Application of Lean Tools in a Hospital Pharmacy, Seth Langston, Jason Park, and Raj Vemulapally
Using Value Stream Mapping to Identify Performance Gaps for Hoshin Planning, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Planning and Implementation Strategies for Lean Initiatives

Planning and Executing a Kaizen Workshop, David M. Dietrich
Prioritizing the Lean Initiatives, Sandra L. Furterer
Emerging Technologies Influencing Lean, David M. Dietrich, Elizabeth A. Cudney, and Sandra L. Furterer
Future and Challenges of Lean: Engagement and Success Factors, Elizabeth A. Cudney and Sandra L. Furterer
Glossary
Index


http://books.google.co.in/books?id=VUnGAAAAQBAJ

Robotic Applications in Indian Companies - Engineering Economic Analysis

Sai Surface Coating Technologies Pvt. Ltd is using Roboruka supplied by Jay Robotix.

The deployment of RoboRuka™ 2.0 will enhance productivity by over 15 - 25% by ensuring less wastage of raw materials and maintaining the consistency in the product's quality. It will also reduce cost of production by 10% (approx) including savings in labor cost. Moreover the biggest advantage with RoboRuka™ 2.0 is that of easy accessibility to spare parts. Companies will be able to achieve greater precision and flexibility and faster production cycles as well. Companies can expect ROI within 6 - 10 months.

http://www.prlog.org/12208096-jay-robotix-gains-traction-in-their-industrial-solution-segment-with-roboruka-orders.html

http://metroindia.com/Details.aspx?id=2066

http://www.supportbiz.com/articles/top-story/low-cost-robotics-lends-helping-hand-indian-smes.html

Lean Enterprise - The Machine That Changed the World - Book Summary and Excerpts

Preface

Chapter 1 The Industry of Industries in Transition


Chapter 2. The Rise and Fall of Mass Production

Chapter 3. The Rise of Lean Production

Example of Lean Production

In American Companies, die changes required a full day. The American companies dedicated die presses to each part. To Ohno of Toyota, that was not the solution. He has to stamp all the parts he needed from only few press lines. Hence he decided to decrease the die change time and he went on decreasing the die change time to 3 minutes and he also eliminated the need for die change specialists. The operators only will change the die. In the process he made the unexpected discovery - it actually cost less per part to make small batches of stampings than to run off enormous lots (due to  small setup costs).

Making only a few parts before assembling them into a car cause stamping mistakes to show up instantly. It made the production people more concerned about quality and that eliminated defectives significantly. But to make the system a success, Ohno needed both an extremely skilled and a highly motivated work force. Workers have take the initiative to maintain quality production. Otherwise, the whole factory will come to a halt.

Ohno organized his assembly workers into teams. The teams were given a set of assembly steps, their piece of line and told to work together on how best to perform the necessary operations. They work under a team leader, who would do assembly tasks, as well as coordinate the team and would  fill in for any absent worker. In mass production plans there were foremen and utility workers used to take the place of absentees. Ohno next gave the teams the job of housekeeping, minor tool repair, and quality checking. Finally, he gave them responsibility for process improvement also. This continuous, incremental improvement process, kaizen in Japanese, took place in collaboration with the industrial engineers, who still existed in much small number.

Ohno reasoned that rework at the end of assembly due to finding errors in final inspection is a waste. He wanted even assembly workers to pass on the work only if it is defect free and in case there is a defect which they could not rectify, they can stop the line and take the time to rectify the defect even with the help of other workers. Also, problem solving through 5 Whys methods is also used to avoid recurrence of the problem. In the initial days of this practice, the line was stopped  many times and workers got frustrated, with practice, the stoppages decreased significantly. Today, in Toyota plants,  yields approach 100 percent. That is the line practically never stops.  The extra benefit due to this method was that quality of shipped cars steadily improved. You cannot build quality by inspection, you have to build quality at the production centers only.  Today, Toyota assembly plant have practically no rework areas and perform almost no rework on assembled cars. In contrast, mass-production plants devote 20 percent of plant area and 25 percent of their total hours of final-assembly effort to fixing mistakes. American buyers report that Toyota's vehicles have among the lowest number of defects of any in the world, comparable to the very best of the German luxury car producers, who devote  many hours of assembly effort to rectification.

Supply Chain to Support Lean Production

The production of a car involves enginering and fabricating more than 10,000 major components and assembling them inot around 100 major subassemblies - engines, transmissions, steering gears, suspensions, and so on.

Toyota took a new approach to organize this supply 10,000 major components. It termed the suppliers of complete sub-assemblies  as first tier suppliers. These first-tier suppliers form an integral part of the new product development team. They are given responsibility for detail engineering the sub-assembly. They are given the performance specification of the subassembly, which is developed with them as a part of the team developing the new car. The supplier has to deliver the prototype for testing and once approved, the production order was given. Thus the detailed engineering of the subassembly was done by the tier 1 supplier.  The tier 1 suppliers were encouraged to talk among themselves about ways to improve the design process.  Each first- tier supplier formed a second tier of suppliers for components.

Toyota takes some equity in some supplier companies and these companies are encouraged to take equity in Toyota. Toyota also acts as banker for its supplier group providing loans to finance the machinery for new products.

Toyota share personnel also with suppliers. It provides work-force when load surges and also deputes its managers. Toyota encourages its suppliers to produce for other companies also.

Kanban system: Kanban system is used in Toyota production system to implement Just-in-time (JIT). As a container of parts was used up, it was sent back to the previous step or the supplier and this becomes the signal to make one more container of parts. Reduction of inventories in the JIT system means any error will disrupt the production. But the power of JIT idea is to involve everybody in quality and timely production by removing safety stocks or nets.

It took Eiji Toyoda and Ohno more than twenty years to fully implement JIT within the Toyota supply chain. They succeeded and created a highly productive, high quality, responsive supply chain.

Product Development and Engineering in Lean Enterprise

Ohno and Toyoda decided early that product engineering inherently encompassed both process and industrial engineering.. They formed product design teams with experts from process and industrial engineering teams. Career paths were structured so that rewards went to strong team players without regard to their function. The consequence of lean engineering  was a dramatic leap in productivity, product quality and responsiveness.

Lean Production and Changing Consumer Demand

Toyota's flexible production system and its low cost and time product engineering let the company supply the product variety that buyers wanted with little cost penalty. In 1990, Toyota offered consumers around the world as many products as General Motors even though Toyota was only half of GM's size. Toyota requires only half the time and effort required by GM to design and produce a new car. So Toyota can offer twice as many vehicles with the same development budget.  Japanes car makers offer as many models as all of the Western firms combined.  The product variety offered by Japanese is growing where that offered by Western companies is shrinking.

Japanese on an average are producing 500,000 copies in four years, whereas western companies making 2 million copies in 10 years.

Toyota is making profit by producing only two-thirds of the life-of-the-model production volume of European specialist firms and therefore it can attack the craft-based niche producers like Aston Martin and Ferrari. American mass producers could not attack them due to insufficient volume.

Lean Production: Dealing with Customers

Toyota in its initial days only developed a build-to-order system in which the dealer sent orders for presold car to the factory for delivery to specific customers in two to three weeks. The salesmen at the dealer went directly to customers making house calls. When demand began to droop, they worked more house and also they visited households they knew more likely to buy Toyota cars. This door-to-door selling of cars is termed as aggressive selling.  Toyota built a massive data base on households and their buying preferences for Toyota products.

The Toyota sales system incorporates the buyer into the product development process. In Japan vehicle inspection take place frequently and buyers change cars after six years.  Toyota minimize the chances of losing a Toyota user by using its consumer data base to predict what buyers want next as their incomes, family size, driving patterns and tastes changed.  Thus Toyota directly goes to existing customers in planning new products.


Chapter 4 Running the Factory


Chapter 5 Designing the Car

Chapter 6 Coordinating the Supply Chain

Chapter 7 Dealing with the customers

Chapter 8 Managing the Lean Enterprise

Related Reading


Are Japanese car building techniques the best?
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/auto-manufacturing/japanese-car-building-techniques.htm

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