This is the next session with Shingo Sensei. Again I have written my learnings and the teachings of Shingo San and again in note form. So you should read the teachings as my notes from the sessions.
Waste (Muda)
How many wastes are there? I dont know! There are a lot waste: of money, of space and of energy. The number of wastes are not important. Improtant is to identifiy what is waste. Waste = no value added. First we eliminate all waste but we dont want to stop thinking. We have to think about is all the value added action efficient or not.
I teach leaders and employees to look at a process and ask the question: "does this add value or not?" If it doesn't we should work on removing it. Then after we remove non value add we should see if all of the value added process or activity really is value add.
As and example if a robot transforms an item in the stamping process and then move the stamped item to a place where no change happens and then are moved to a second process where it is altered. In this case we have to ask how can we move the item form stamping directly to the next process and avoid the unnecessary stop.
Visual Control
Visualize all problems to all employees incl. management. Do not hide problems and information. Andon, standardization, quality corner are Mieruka. Whenever, wherever, whoever can see whatever they need to see from where they stand. Lower machines and keep visualizatiion higher. Keep the lights in the ceilling at equal hight, for example the traffic lights of machines.
Construction site example: you can show what should be done today and then do a follow up: how long are we, roofing: target and progress.
Total participation
Use the competencies of your people and involve them in improvement work. Toyota work with even the suppliers and communicate often and we have a close relationship. So everybody should participate.
Quality Control
Quality consists of three areas:
1. Supplier quality
2. In process (plant) quality
3. Market quality
1) Supplier quality
If you find a problem at a suppliers plant you should try to fix it. You need to go to the Gemba. Remember that the suppliers shpping inspection should be the same as the recieving inspection you do in your plant.
2) In process (plant) quality
Receiving inspection -> quality sampling on the line -> there should be no final inspection.
Build in quality
Do not pass bad products to next process, do not create bad products and do not receive bad products.
Quality should be assured through correct operations. The operator should be assisted in creating good products.
Line stop system (Andon panel)
Encourage workers to stop line if they find a problem and then the whole Andon process starts and the team leader is called upon through the red lights on the Andon panel.
Quality corner
Create a quality corner to share quality information, product claims, customer claims etc.
It is a morning meeting of 10-30 min. You share any kind of information (problem solving, production volume etc.) You need to present the out flow of defective products
Shingo Sans observation of a construction company: He observed that Panels were put on the floor. This created dents so Shingo San asked if this was not a problem?. The answer from management and the workers were that it was not important as it was invisible! Shingo San told the managment: No good! Bad quality shows your people that it is ok to produce bad products and this kind of behaviour can create other bad habits because the management has already shown its back: they don't care, about the quality!
When asked the Manager said that he would not buy his own house because of the bad quality.
Quality problem (field claim)
Go to Gemba immidiately to solve the problem. Quality consists of Production quality and Engineering quality.
Field quality activities are very important to make sure you produce quality products. Please note that Engineering quality can not be assured by TPS. There is no compensation for bad engineering or drawings. Production quality on the other hand might be assured by TPS if you use the principles of "build in quality" in the process.
Marketing, engineering and production is very difficult to get to work together and communicate. Communication is almost the most important in creating good quality and solve problems. When there are qualiyt problems invite all three parties and get them to communicate with each other, understand each others perspectives and work together to solve the problem.
Standardization
When you standardize your process you should look at:
a) operation sequences
And separately look at operations - how does it work?
And then look at the sequence - are they the same sequences?
b) Time: is the time is reasonable and efficient?
c) Do motion analysis: is there any non value add motion that we can remove (searching, waiting etc.)
To make sure you get everything in the standard you should video film the same process and let different operators do the work. Then you should let the people see that they work differently and when they notice the differences they should agree on a standard. If they have ownership of the standard they will try to follow it.
Traits of a good leader:
1) Pull out the best of employees: to pull out the best of employees you should involve them in improvement work. Ask them what is difficult to do or hard to do. Identify what the process is and make improvements to the process togethere with the operator.
2) Motivates people: Motivate your people by finding out what their problems are, involve them and help them fix the problems. This will motivate the operators in participating in improvement work and to come up with more suggestions for improvement.
3) Good listener: As a leader you should be a good listener. You should be patient and really listen to the workers. It doesn't matter if eight out of ten are complaints there is still two that might be very good suggestions or information to have. You should not think that "Oh, now I have to listen to eight complaints - no, you should think about the two good infomations or suggestions that you will get. Focus on listening to understand and not interrupt with your own opinion.
4) Stable and solid: A leader should stick with his decisions not move around. If he moves around people get confused and don't understand the direction.
5) Welcomes a Challenge: To make sure you have a good challenge you need a measurable target. Without a target and follow up on that target you don'tk now if you are on the right path to reaching that target.
6) Good negotiator: A leader should be a good negotiator to make sure that we have the best solutions and remember: Negotiations starts with a NO! Only when you get a NO are you negotiating otherwise you are just doing an agreement!
Shingo San wanted to move the customs clearance from Shanghai to Xengdu. That was absolutely out of the question said the chinese authorities. But Shingo San insisted and he drew up a solution and finally it was accepted. It ended with a solution where they moved the customs clearance to Xengdu and made a bonded stock and only when they pulled the components did they do the customs clearance. This had never happened before in China. So this was a first too.
