Which of the following would be an example of lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing methods, tools, and philosophies in operations have allowed companies to better optimize processes, reduce waste, and speed up production times. Implementing these techniques in operations depends on which lean production tools you use, and what you want to accomplish.

Many times, a company may be confused or wary about whether a technique will work for them or not. Checking out real-life examples of lean manufacturing in action can provide a deeper level of understanding, and build up the confidence that these same lean thinking philosophies can be successfully implemented in your processes. To help you see this, we’ve compiled a list of nine companies with successful lean manufacturing operations.

1) Harley-Davidson: Continuous Improvement

Harley-Davidson adopted nine lean manufacturing tools to help streamline operations and empower employees to see continuous improvement in their operations. The company named their lean thinking strategies “The Continuous Improvement System.”

They used Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) along with the 5S system and Standard Work as the main foundations of their strategy, to keep their techniques stable. Then, they added the other lean tools, such as kaizen and Six Sigma, to help improve operations and problem-solve issues.

The company also adopted just-in-time inventory management as well as value stream mapping. This helped ensure that they have the right inventory levels at the right times, all the while providing value to their customers. With these tools, the company was able to automate processes to increase productivity and improve lead times. They were able to make their processes more efficient while also reducing their transportation expenses.

2) Nike: Continuous Improvement

Nike uses somewhere in the ballpark of 785 contracted factories in their manufacturing processes, almost all of which are located overseas. Ensuring that these overseas manufacturers maintained product quality, abided by labor standards, and cut waste, Nike adopted continuous improvement practices.

They placed great value in their employees while also building sustainable innovation capabilities. With these lean manufacturing strategies, the company was able to reduce waste, improve working conditions and morale, and maximize value for their customers.

3) Toyota: Jidoka & Continuous Improvement

Toyota, a Japanese auto manufacturer, is credited with the birth of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Created by Sakichi Toyoda, the goal of TPS was to eliminate waste from the manufacturing process. Nowadays, TPS is known as a fundamental lean manufacturing methodology.

But Toyota didn’t stop at TPS. They also used a methodology called jidoka to minimize faulty products, and kaizen to pursue continuous improvement. They focused on automating several processes to lower human error and recheck product quality. Then, they implemented the just-in-time (JIT) model, so that they would only begin working on a product when there was a demand for it. This helped them to better control inventory levels and prevented overproduction.

4) John Deere Production System: Continuous Improvement

Lean manufacturing methods can be applied to many process areas. John Deere started their lean thinking with production processes before moving on to improving their logistics and their supply chain. For John Deere, adopting continuous improvement processes took the form of automated quality control mechanisms.

These mechanisms could check more products in less time, allowing for workers to spot defects — and subsequently fix them — more quickly. They were also able to get more products out the door and into customers' hands. They realized the value of their production processes to customers, and leveraged this advantage. The company lowered prices to develop a strong existing customer base and to draw in new customers.

5) Kimberly-Clark: Continuous Improvement

Even with budgets in place, it can often be hard for businesses to stick to them — particularly when it comes to operations. Kimberly-Clark felt that they were overspending on their transportation management system (TMS). The company believed that their analysts were wasting too much time trying to use the system, which did not add any value to the company.

Kimberly-Clark sought continuous improvement to further automate the system, which freed up more time for analysts to perform proactive work that benefited the company. The automation also allowed them to perform more processes with less clicks and fewer steps within the application.

6) Intel: Eliminate Waste

Intel’s components are unique in that they have to be produced with the highest quality with no bugs — and have extremely high customer demand. This high demand could have caused Intel to lower their cycle times, which would increase output — but would also result in poorer quality and increase the chance of product defects.

Instead, the semiconductor company turned to lean techniques to reduce works-in-process (WIP) and get rid of process waste without hampering workflow. Then, they implemented quality control methods. These lean tools helped to boost productivity without sacrificing quality for their products.

7) Ford: Creating Flow

The Ford Motor Company has attempted to produce the highest quality products and innovations in the industry. They adopted kaizen, lean manufacturing methodologies, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management (TQM) to create continuous improvement in their processes. The Ford company understood that its operational strength lay in its assembly line.

Adopting automation and standardization allowed the company to create production lines that flowed efficiently as products moved from each workstation. Using these methods, Ford was able to improve quality, reduce costs, and reduce waste that could impact the environment. Sakichi Toyoda often credits Ford's standardization strategies for the improvements made to the Toyota Production System.

8) Bank of America: Improve Quality

Bank of America is one of many financial institutions that apply a hybrid of lean manufacturing principles and Six Sigma to their operations. Before employing these principles, the organization was experiencing low customer satisfaction rates due to their process quality.

They had many issues with customers' statements including encoding errors, late posting transactions, and omissions. With lean Six Sigma, they improved operational efficiency while meeting the customer needs. They also were able to continuously assess performance using the right performance data metrics.

9) General Electric: Continuous Improvement

While some companies have adopted lean for over 10 to 20 years or more, other companies are just now adopting these principles. General Electric (GE) recently took on lean management when obtaining their new CEO and chairman in 2018. When the company first started adopting lean techniques in their project management operations, they made proactive steps in improving their operations by adopting newer innovations.

However, these innovations ended up creating bottlenecks in other processes, leading to downtime and too much inventory — which led to waste. Instead, GE’s management team turned to Genba. Genba is a lean manufacturing tool used to evaluate the processes on the work floor and learn more about the issues. They sent work operators and support team members to obtain lean training, then performed value stream mapping to identify process value and potential areas of waste.

Improve Your Factory with Lean Manufacturing & Enhance Your Process with Amper

The number of ways that lean manufacturing is applied to company processes is vast. The above case studies show that with the right lean tools and techniques, it’s possible to overhaul systems, equipment, production lines, and worker output to continually improve operations. These are just a few success stories within their industries that can inspire other manufacturers to pursue similar tactics.

Here at Amper, we offer OEE and machine monitoring to further automate and enhance lean manufacturing system strategies that you adopt within your operations.

Contact us to learn more about our tools and resources, or schedule a demo today!

What is an example of lean manufacturing?

Which of the following describes lean manufacturing?

What are the 3 types of lean production?

What are the 5 steps of lean manufacturing?