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SORT - The first “S” of the 5 S System

Monday, October 19th, 2009 by Bob

In using the Toyota Production System to improve your organization you need to integrate the 5 S processes from your desk to the production floor. The first “S” is to sort out what is and is not needed to do the required work in the work area.

Sorting the things you need to do your job on your desk, in receiving, in the production area, on the assembly floor, and any work area helps you work more efficiently and less prone to misplaced parts and tools. What do you sort? What do you need to do the job or task including tools, parts, and paperwork? If you don’t need it to do your job, it shouldn’t be in your workspace. Not only do you need to sort out what you need, but evaluating the proper quantities of each is also very important. One way to determine what you should have at your workspace is to use the 24-48 hour rule. If you are not going to need it in the next 24-48 hours, it doesn’t need to be in your workspace.

Here at Setpoint, we sort just about everything that comes in the doors, including our engineers. When parts are received a label is attached and the part is placed in a subassembly tote and the tote is placed on the projects rack. When there are enough parts for assembly to begin, the rack is moved to a specific assembly area designated to that project. The assemblers can go grab a tote and take it to their work area to begin assembly. When the assembler needs screws, wire, air hose, or a tool he can go to that rack or cabinet where everything is sorted by type and size. He takes only what he needs and continues working. When he reaches a stopping point or completes the assembly, everything is placed back in the tote and back on the rack. He then grabs the next subassembly tote and begins the build process again. At the end of the day everything is put back in its place, including totes, tools, and paperwork so it is ready to go the next day.

This sorting process has allowed us to be very efficient at building our projects. Any one assembler can go to any project and determine what can and needs to be worked on. We know where to find any tool, wire, hose, or fastener without searching the shop floor. I have worked at other companies where this sorting was “sort of” used (pun intended), and it makes for a long day when you are searching for the part or tool you need because it was not returned to its sorted place.

As I mentioned before, not only do we sort the products coming in our door, but we sort our engineers as well. Depending on our current projects, our engineers get sorted into different teams to utilize their talents and experiences. Yes, this means moving our computers and our stuff from one area to another. I have been sorted at least five times in just over three years. Sometimes this can be a pain, but this sorting helps the team’s communication and makes the design process much more efficient. It also gives us a chance to sort out the accumulation of stuff from our workstation and place it in the proper place–the garbage.

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Overview of the 5 S System

Thursday, October 8th, 2009 by ksmith

As a part of the Toyota Production System, Toyota developed a system to analyze an organization’s business and manufacturing processes and remove all non value added event or processes that are present.  There are five steps and the Japanese terms all start with S – Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu & Shitsuke.  Translating the terms into English keeping with the “S” theme, the 5 S’s become Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.  This process can be implemented in many organizations, whether manufacturing or service oriented the 5 S process works.

Sort is going through the items on your desk, on your website, on your production floor, in your shop, wherever you are, and pulling out those things that are duplicates, not used or not important.  If you haven’t used it in a year, you probably don’t need it.

Straighten is putting the things that you do need in order at a work station. The goal is being efficient so your work flow is smooth.  Are your tools easy to reach when you’re working on a project, do they have a place marked for them to be stored?

Shine is going through and cleaning up the work area.  At the end of the day clean up your work station, sweep the floors, and return tools (pens, documents, power tools) to their proper place.  This should be incorporated into every day routines.

Standardize is having everyone in the company follow the same processes and procedures.  When implementing the changes from sorting, straightening, and shining, these changes need to be accepted and followed by all employees to gain the most benefit.  It can also be using the same brand of tool so that they can be interchangeable and easily replaced as they wear out.

Sustain is the last step, what good is all the hard work you’ve done if two weeks later you go back to an unsorted work station.  Another part of sustaining is reviewing the changes you have made to ensure they are still working and are actually providing you a benefit in efficiencies, quality and cost of your operations.

The 5 S’s are a process that can be utilized over and over again.  It can be used at a workstation in a manufacturing company as easily as it can be at a restaurant or engineering company.  Here at Setpoint, not only do our shop guys go through the 5 S process, but the engineers and the management team does as well.

In the following weeks we will take an in-depth look at each of the five steps.  We have also filmed two videos focusing on the 5 S’s, one looking at a production facilities uses with their machinery and the other focuses on a shop environment where they continually build different products and ship them out.

Here is the series:

Sort - the First “S” of the 5 S System

Straighten - the Second “S” of the 5 S System

Shine - the Third “S” of the 5 S System

Standardize- The Fourth “S” of the 5 S System

Sustain - The Fifth “S” of the 5 S System

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Posted in Lean Automation, Lean Systems | 3 Comments »

Toyota Production System (TPS) - How it Influences Design

Thursday, August 27th, 2009 by Nate

You have probably heard a lot about Lean Manufacturing systems like the Toyota Production System and how it can transform a manufacturing plant by eliminating waste, but you may not know that the principals of the Toyota Production System can also apply to the design process.

One of the first steps in the Toyota Production System is to define what adds value for the customer. During the design we try to completely define what the customer wants. What problems are they trying to solve? What needs are they looking for the machine or product to fulfil? By fully defining the scope of the project, you will end up with a set of expectations that are agreed upon so you know what to design and the customer knows what they can expect to receive. This will help eliminate the “Takes What It Takes” (TWIT) attitude that can lead to overages on time and materials.

The next step is to design for manufacturing. Here at Setpoint, we are always looking for ways to make our machines better, faster, stronger, and less expensive both for us and for our customers. We do this by trying to eliminate complicated parts and assemblies, incorporating features like Poke-Yokes (error proofing) and Single Minute Exchange of Dies tooling, and learning from the best practices from past projects.

One of the final steps in the design process is the Post Project Review. This meeting brings together all of the parties involved with the project to reflect upon the things that went right and the things that didn’t go exactly to plan. It includes the design team, project management, purchasing/receiving, electrical and mechanical assembly, the programmers, accounting, and the CEO. These meetings help us to capture all of the “lessons learned” from the project and use that knowledge on the next projects. Reflecting on past projects is a core value of the Toyota Production System and allows Setpoint to build on our successes and prevent us from repeating our mistakes.

At the heart of it, the Toyota Production System is a method to speed up processes, reduce waste, and improve quality. Applying these principles to the design process, allows you to improve quality, become more efficient and provide exactly what the customer is looking for. Happy Designing!

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Posted in Lean Systems, Project Management | 2 Comments »

Deciding on the Direction for your Company

Thursday, August 6th, 2009 by Brad

Companies that remain static and don’t evolve will eventually lose their profit margins and sink into oblivion. At Setpoint, as we try and adapt to the changing landscape I have noticed several things in dealing with deciding our company’s direction.

First, change is hard. It is much easier to continue doing what has been done in the past, even if it is not getting the results it used to, and rarely have I seen an idea that just works right out of the gate.

You can’t do everything, and if you try to, it will result in spreading your resources (money, time, people) so thin that you cannot be successful at anything. One of the hardest things is, deciding what not to do. It is difficult because you tend think that you are potentially leaving money on the table, and you may be – but you are doing it to pursue a better idea with more potential.

We have found that some feel more passionately about an idea than others, so we have developed a rule that is simply “whoever has passion about an idea gets less than 50% of the vote”. This helps us make more objective decisions. Key message is, don’t be so in love with a strategy or idea that you can’t dispose of it when all the facts point that way.

You never have perfect information before a decision needs to be made. As a result, assumptions are made in order to make progress. The problem is, unless those assumptions are tracked and noted they tend to become facts over time, and often those assumptions are wrong. You have to revisit assumptions to validate, modify, or eliminate them to reflect new information you now have. Not doing so can lead to less than desirable outcomes.

At Setpoint we try and follow the philosophy of “fail faster”. In other words, if something is not going to work the sooner you identify it the cheaper it is for the company in terms of money, time, and people. Most ideas can be validated or eliminated without much cost or time if the key issues have been correctly identified. The few key remaining ideas can then claim your valuable resources.

The shorter iteration cycles the better; the clearer the objectives, the easier it will be to identify the key issues that need to be proved out in order to validate the direction.

These are some of the techniques we are using at Setpoint to decide our companies direction.

This process is an ongoing part of a healthy company’s life. So get on with it.

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Posted in Creative Thinking, Process Improvement | No Comments »

Machine Assembly - What Works Best

Thursday, July 30th, 2009 by Ken

After working in a shop for over 30 years, I have found that following a process when it comes to assembling a machine works the best. 

First, it always helps to sit down with the designer and find out what kind of things to watch for, such as customer constraints or hazardous locations etc.  It is a must to have a complete print package before you start to assemble.  You need to look it over to find the best place to start. 

Subassemblies can be built and then installed on the machine later when the longer lead time items come in.  Most of the time the parts that come in first will be electrical and small parts for subassemblies; this allows you to assemble and wire without having the rest of the machine.

Next, look for assembles that can be built that won’t have to be disassembled in order to install on the machine.  This will help cut down on the time spent on assembly.  I also recommend you build the subassemblies with wire labels and air lines marked for faster install.  You can adjust slides and set sensors on the bench to save even more time.

Once you have the machine base and table top, look for the best way to route the wires and air-lines and drill holes for tie wrap bases or other mounting plates.  Then start installing the subassemblies at the center and work your way out, be sure to tighten all fasteners and check the fit of moving parts.

When all the subassemblies are installed with sensors and air lines ran, it’s time to do the I.O. check out manually then check them through the P.L.C.  Once I.O. is complete you can start to de-bug and run the machine.

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Lean Manufacturing and the 5 M’s

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 by Clark

There has been a lot of discussion about the Toyota Production System, and Lean Manufacturing but I haven’t seen a whole lot about Lean that specifically points to your factory automation and how it can be developed with Lean in mind.

To put it simply, Lean is an all encompassing philosophy that takes the 5M’s (Man, Material, Machines, Methods and Money), and harmonizes or helps orchestrates them together for the best possible outcome in your manufacturing operations. For those of you who may not have been introduced to the 5M’s I’ll give you a brief overview of how I think the 5M’s can be related to Lean Automation.

  1. Man: You have labor that is required to perform certain tasks to produce your products. If your labor force is not happy you may find your operations struggling. When a direct employee (The ones actually making your company money) interfaces with a piece of equipment they must be comfortable working at a specific station for extended periods of time. Thus, making the factory automation equipment ergonomically compliant will help ensure a safe and productive environment for your direct labor force.
  2. Methods: Every product has a process or multiple processes that it must go through before it is ready to be delivered as a final product to a customer. The methods used to perform value added work to the product must be consistent and controlled. The machine should verify that each process took place properly and that each part or assembly being processed is correct or meets the quality specifications of the part.
  3. Machines: Each machine used in a process must be able to perform its intended function or task with precision and reliability. Making machines that are robust, flexible and scale-able are key to following the Toyota Production System mentality. Machines can also include in process inspections, self diagnostics and mistake proofing features that only allow perfect parts to be passed down stream to subsequent process.
  4. Materials: Every process has materials coming into the work area to be processed or assembled. Making equipment that facilitates easy material flow can pay huge dividends to those who understand that minimizing material movements is vital to being a successful implementer of lean. In-coming and outgoing material flows should be heavily considered when developing an automated solution for use on the shop floor.
  5. Money: When you invest in a piece of automation/equipment, you must be certain, before purchasing, that it will pay for itself. If the machine solves issues and helps you realize the results you are hoping for in your business, you should see a great payback and realize immediate positive impacts on your bottom line

 

So the next time you’re looking for some automation, make sure it addresses the 5M’s and you can’t go wrong.

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Posted in Lean Automation, Lean Systems | 1 Comment »

Lean Automation - The Five S’s

Thursday, July 16th, 2009 by ksmith

The Toyota Production System has helped many companies streamline their processes on their journey to become lean.  Setpoint has looked at the 5 S process of Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize & Sustain and created a video clip that walks through each one giving an example of how this can be done.

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What is Six Sigma and How Does it Apply to Automation

Thursday, July 9th, 2009 by Justin

Six Sigma helps to achieve an increase in quality by eliminating defects and variation while increasing yield.  Automation is not only a good way to increase production, but it helps meet the criteria of Six Sigma.  One of Six Sigma’s goals is to get rid of defects, and defects are anything that could lead to customer dissatisfaction.  With lean automation, productivity will increase along with customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is a major goal in Six Sigma. Therefore the product that comes off the line must be free of defects. There are many ways to identify and remove product with defects.  One way is to have a final inspection of the product.  This method is usually done by people with instruments or other devices to help them spot the defect. This is not the best method.  Even with instruments, humans make mistakes.  An automated process could have inspection stations set throughout the process.  This method allows the inspection to be simplified since the machine is only looking for one defect at a time.  Since the inspections are placed throughout the process we can tell the machine to stop doing work on a defected part.  This not only keeps the machine form doing unneeded work on a defected part, but also helps identify where in the process the defect took place.

Automation not only allows you to inspect the product throughout the process, but it allows you to get rid of some inspections.  For instance, consider a cylindrical part that needs to have a feature accurately placed in the center. An inspection could be set up to measure the concentricity of the outside of the cylindrical part and the feature, or there could be a guide for the punch tooling built in such a way that it is impossible to place the feature out of the tolerance range. This is only one of many ways to eliminate an inspection.

As stated earlier, eliminating people from doing the inspection is a good way to eliminate defects from making their way to the customer.  The same principal goes to the actual process of making the product. One of the steps in Six Sigma is to eliminate variation.  An automated process will do just that.  The machine will make the product the same every time. For instance, say that a step in a process is to place and fasten a screw in to place.  A person would place the screw in and torque it down differently every time.  If the screw was not torque properly the product could have a failure.  With an automated process the screw would not only be torque to the right value, but verified that is was torque correctly.  This is just one simple case, but it shows how an automated process would eliminate variation.

Automation and Six Sigma are a good fit. Automation helps fix the root cause of a problem, and eliminates defects and variation by simplifying the process and taking out the human errors.

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Posted in Automation Integration, Custom Automation, Industrial Automation, Lean Automation, Lean Systems | No Comments »

Outsourcing IT Management

Thursday, June 25th, 2009 by Setpoint

Information Technology (IT) has become a necessary component of today’s business culture.  If you own a business with more than 5 employees, it almost becomes a necessity.   In some form or fashion, you’re going to have to come up with a game plan to maintain and replace your current systems.  What works best?  Let’s talk about that.

If you’re a business with less than 100 computer using employees, you may find a lean philosophy will maximize IT efficiency as well as effectiveness.   Why?  Here are several reasons.

  1. Computer usage has become a common part of American culture.  Almost all sectors of professional life involve the use of a computer. When it comes to small IT tasks, just about any computer hobbyist at a company could manage and maintain software and hardware inventory, the ability to change a forgotten password, and add a printer to a workstation.  Depending on time availability of that employee, he or she could also handle email accounts and basic web site changes.
  2. Microsoft Windows is very stable.  I know, I know… you’ll always have a small percentage of PCs that will tend to crash.   This is more about the law of averages than the quality of Windows.  Generally speaking, a well made, properly installed Windows XP or Vista (and soon to be Windows 7) PC with up to date antivirus and antispyware software will be very solid.  The small stuff is usually easy to fix but what happens when you get a virus or spyware on your computer?  That’s when you need an IT professional.
  3. Difficult server, router, and security tasks are infrequent.   Don’t get me wrong, the need for expert IT professionals is still necessary and vital to the health of any business, but in order for an IT person to be proficient and up to date requires both constant training as well as exposure to these types of problems.
  4. Attrition of employees.  Generally speaking, good employees tend to be here today, gone tomorrow.  Just about every employee is looking to increase his or her leverage in the current job market.   Hey, if you could get a better paying job, with more benefits, and a better boss – wouldn’t you leave?  Of course you would.   Well paid professionals that outsource (in my experience) tend to stick around for much longer periods of time.
  5. The high cost of professional training and equipment.  Training and professional trouble shooting equipment range in the thousands.
  6. Managing and providing HR benefits.

 

What then do businesses need to outsource?

  1. File, print, email, web, and SQL server installation and maintenance
  2. Routers and firewalls
  3. Security implementation policies and procedures
  4. Remote computing access
  5. Budget planning and new business solutions
  6. Workstation hardware and software policies

 

After owning my own IT Company for 11+ years now, I have found that companies that outsource their top level IT needs save money.

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Posted in Creative Thinking, Finances, Human Resources, Lean Systems, Process Improvement | No Comments »

10 Ways to Creativity

Thursday, June 18th, 2009 by Mark

The Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective

  1. Music:  Certain types of music may be used to create a desired mood such as hard rock in a fabrication shop, jazz in the elevator, Kenny G at the grocery store, or Vivaldi playing low in a restaurant.  If there is a genre of music that provokes your spontaneous side, getting into that mood might help boost your creativity.
  2. Change of view:  When we have become numb to our daily routine and surroundings our senses tend to be in a lesser state of awareness.  Changing the physical location of your work space can be an effective way to awaken the sleeping sense of creativity.
  3. Strange Things:  Ambiance, tone, mood, and setting all play a role in your creativity.  Is there something that you can place in your work space that will help heighten your senses and capture your interest?  A Venus Fly Trap?  A clay sculpture?  A 1969 Camaro?  Make your work space someplace that calls to your creative side and beckons for the genius and artist in you to step forward.
  4. Retreat:  If you have been concentrating intently on one issue for too long and keep hitting dead ends, break away from it and “sharpen your blade”.   Is there grass outside that might allow you a brief escape and feel sunshine while you clear your head?  Investing 5 minutes in clearing your head and taking a step back to re-evaluate the problem will be more productive than 30 minutes of spinning your wheels without progress.
  5. On Your Feet:  At Setpoint we have a saying: “To the Whiteboard!!” We find it most effective to communicate our design ideas to each other by gathering around a whiteboard and letting these ideas come to life in sketches, diagrams, and pictures.  While we’re on our feet gathered around a whiteboard ideas are communicated effectively and develop quickly.  This is a great way to help others “see what you are thinking.”  Thinking on your feet in front of a whiteboard can be engaging and allows you to focus your thoughts in a visual and creative way.
  6. Confidence Builders:   It may sound cliché, but there is profound truth in accomplishing something because you “think you can.”  Sometimes when we’re up against a mental block, we just need something to push us forward.  Accomplishing a small task that you know you can do well is one way to achieve that needed boost.  Maybe it’s repairing an engine, fixing something around the house, or building something out of wood.  When you have completed this task - revel in the accomplishment.  Indulge in the reward of knowing you finished this task with perfection, review how you thought of every angle and went the extra mile.
  7. Good Meeting Management:  In the context of a brainstorm meeting, inspiring creativity can depend on the meeting manager among other things.  A good manager can keep a meeting focused on the subject.  A better manager can maintain meeting direction in a manner that the discussion flows freely while generating ideas from the team.  The best manager is decisive and can lead the team into creativity by giving clear guidelines and hearing ALL ideas, allowing expansion on different perspectives, encouraging positive objectivity, does not allow negative commentary on any idea, all while holding the meeting focus and reading the body language of participants to know when it’s time to “move on.”  A productive meeting has a clearly defined objective and end result.
  8. Dealing with Stress:  Stress chokes creativity unless it can be compartmentalized and channeled.  Defining the problem and knowing what the next step is to solving it will give you instant results for reducing your stress level and allowing your creative side to flourish.  Try the following exercise:  Take two minutes to write down all the tasks you are keeping a mental list of, beginning with those that cause you the most stress.  Completely drain onto paper that mental list you are packing around, exhaust every last item.  Including work related items, things from home, and anything else that’s on your mind - one big list.  This should be fast and informal, just find a pencil & paper and start scrawling away.  Next, categorize the items into two separate lists, either “Work” related, or “Personal.”  Finally, prioritize each item in each list in numerical order of what needs to be finished immediately and what can wait.  Having this list in front of you is very empowering, it will help you compare importance of all your tasks and will cause you to re-evaluate your stress level.  All you need to determine is what the next step is for each item.  Don’t solve the entire issue – ONLY THE NEXT STEP. Be realistic, maybe it’s a phone call, a trip to the store, or composing an email.  In some cases you may be able to completely eliminate tasks altogether.  Knowing you have a plan to take action on these items will tremendously relieve your burden.
  9. Use the “Other side”:  Do you dominantly use the right side of your brain or the left?  We tend to approach problem solving in the same way every time.  What if you could teach yourself to approach a problem from a different angle?  There is rarely only one perfect solution for a problem.  Then it follows there are endless ways to arrive at one of the many solutions that will work.  Try some exercises that will get the other half of your brain involved.  The left side of the brain is used for thinking analytically and logically.  We also use it for reading, writing, arithmetic, and understanding symbolism.  The right side of the brain is used for spatial reasoning, visual thinking, and intuition. The right side can deal with complexity, ambiguity, and paradox while the left side looks at sequences, patterns, and lists.  The left side of the brain looks at parts while the right side looks at the whole.  Sometimes, we use the excuse: “My mind doesn’t work that way.”  Therein lies the problem.  Why not train it to work that way and see what you are capable of when you tap into that reservoir of creativity hidden in “the other side.”  (Reference:     http://www.funderstanding.com/content/right-brain-vs-left-brain)
  10. Defining the Problem:  Moving forward with an idea without stopping to question all of the underlying assumptions can be risky.  Understanding the problem from multiple perspectives sheds new light on the solution.  For example, if I were redesigning a dishwasher I would want the insights of several disciplines including: Electrician who has to wire it, maintenance guy who has to install it, maybe even the teenager who would use it.  I would also seek out the Chemical engineer’s input on corrosion resistance, the mechanical engineer’s input on motors and wear.  I would also consider the programmer’s input on failure modes and troubleshooting. What about a blind person’s perspective?  A really short or tall person?    The point is – by thoroughly identifying all of the key issues surrounding a problem you have already developed a significant portion of the solution.

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