Continuous flow 2

Misunderstandings and difficulties:

1. "One piece flow", explained in my last post, continuous flow is the process flow in a most cost-effective flow. It depends on what is quantity is the reasonable and efficient in running the process. The quantity also can be changed in the processes. During the improvement, we are encouraged to invest new equipment, in other words, we should use the existing equipment to re-design a new process. "One piece flow" is not always can be achieved but make the process flow smooth and continuous is much easiler. Therefore, once you started to setup a continuous flow, do not constrain by the flowing quantity. Just make the flow as smooth as you can. No concept can suit for every industry, but after your analysis and adjustment.

2. "False continuous flow", the concept of continuous flow or single piece flow, we are always encourage to re-layout the processes in U shape or L-shape. I would like to explain the concept here, both U-shape and L-shape layout can easily assign a operator to handle more than one processes. For U-shape layout, the start point and end-point are in the same location, it is good in feedback of non-conformance. The false flow is meaning that they just put the processes in the U or L-shape layout but without any concept of tact time. All the WIP still stored in the process in same quantity and the flow was still flowing in station by station. The only difference is the layout of process are much close together and in the suggested shape. The flow looks like improved but actually is not continuous and smooth. I called it false continuous flow.

3. The concept of continuous flow looks simple, but it is almost using all the concepts in lean manufacturing, such as mistake proofing, pull system (Kanban system), TPM. Actually, you will find that it is very hard to implement because once you change the layout, all the problems will come out, such as the material issue, quality issue and process issue, The situation forms a extreme high pressure for improvement leader. Sometime, they are forced to go back for old process flow due to the pressure of delivery. Eventually, the implement project may be idle or delay, the situation is caused by lack of preparation and analysis before improvement actions.

Therefore, before implement the changes, we should well analysis the overall effectiveness of re-design, even, we need to prepare enough inventory of finished goods for line stop. Avoiding the situation, I suggest to implement the changes step by step. That's meant we only improve portion of processes in overall flow, seperate the improvement action in different phases to prevent disaster on your way to go.
Finally, setup a continuous flow is absolutely not a simple job. You need to fully understand all the concepts of lean manufacturing to support the actions. It is combination of all lean concepts and is the most critical factor of success.

Continuous flow 1

Concept:
Continuous flow is the most important concept in lean manufacturing system. Sometime it was called "one piece flow" or "single piece flow" to present the process must flow by batch in one piece or small batch. As we know, lean manufacturing concept came from Toyota and we all know how big the car was. We can imagine that if the car was making in conventional mass production, the workshop would be many ten times bigger than the modern automotive manufacturing factory. Applying one piece flow in automotive manufacturing is the only choose. "single piece flow" looks very similar to "one piece flow", but at my point of view, "single piece" not likes "one piece" to represent absolutely one. It can represent a very small batch size of flow, such as 5 pieces or 100 pieces, the most suitable size in the flow. In making potato chips, can we fire the chip in one piece by one piece? For some industries, the parts is very fine and the process time is very short, such as small plating parts, may be we need to use a small batch instead of one piece concept. Offcause lean manufacturing came from automotive, the concept is good, but we need to analysis and adjust the concept to suitable with your industries rather than just meaningless "copy and paste". Personally, I like to call the concept in simply, "Continuous flow", it is no need to identify how many pieces in the flow, we only need to make the flow in lowest quantity, continuously and non-stop. In this kind of flow, the processes can be operated in more economically and cost-effectively.

Benefit:
From here, I don't want to repeat the benefit for you to apply "continuous flow" because there are so many books to describe the advantages detailly. I stress again here that the most important and powerful function of continuous flow to define value-added and non-value-added process and identify the "7 wastes" in the processes or between the processes in order to shorten the delivery time, improve quality and efficiency. If we want to establish a good continuous flow, we need to eliminate them in the flow. You can also reference to my previous post 7 wastes.

Tact time:
Sometimes, we called it "takt time", in Germany. We often identified tact time as the speed of the process flow and the rhythm of all process. Orchestra needs a conductor to direct when the music rhythm, start and stop. The production leader is working as the conductor to direct rhythm of manufacturing, ensure that the process in the flow working in same speed by tact time. The tact time is calculated by the demand from customer, the other feature of tact time is matching the production output and customer demand. Make sure that we can provide the demand quantity to customer, no more and no less. Ideal situation, the flow is really in one piece, we can explain tact time like this. Unfortunately, not all the process can be put in L or U shape and easily to flow in one piece. I would like to explain the tact time in another way to suitable for the non-one piece flow.
In the situation which all processes can not flow in one piece in every stations. Especially some of the process have a big gap in process time, it is hard to avoid and adjust the process, it is very easy to find the overall process combined with manual assembly and automatic. At this moment, the tact time is using to control the flow rate. Refer to the picture above, the flow rate in process 1 should equal to process 2 and process 3. As we know, the flow speed is high, the flux is low. For example, in process 1 for making parts, the rate is 1 piece / s, 1 piece/s X 20 = 20 piece / 20 s and flow to supermarket 1 for temporary storage. In process 2, the sub-assembly rate to assemble 10 pieces of parts from process 1, 1 piece /10s X 2 = 2 pieces/20s, and flow to supermarket 2 for storage. In final assembly process 3, the process time is 20s to assembly 2 pieces sub-assembled parts from process 2, 1 piece/20s. Every stages of processes have the same flow rate in 20s and formed a good continuous flow. You can find that actually, the process 1 is only one machine and made the 20 parts one by one. The condition in process 2 is the same. At this example, the critical concern is how to setup the quick change-over, the tact time is the flow rate to balance the processes.
In simply say, tact time is same as the heart beat of human, every beat represents a cycle of blooding system.

In the next post, I will discuss some misunderstandings and difficulty for continuous flow.

选择精益还是六西格玛?

许多推行六西格玛的公司大概都不知道，近几年来业绩差强人意的摩托罗拉是六西格玛的“鼻祖”。而在已跃居世界汽车行业第一的丰田公司，却还有工程师连六西格玛都没听说过。这里完全没有厚此薄彼之意，因为不论是学六西格玛还是学丰田，都既有成功者，也不乏失败之例。
　　彼得·德鲁克说：经营者就像15岁的少女一样对流行特别敏感，也就是说，如果发现其他公司采用新的经营革新技法，大多想在自己的公司应用。对于正处于学习饥渴期的中国企业，这个描述还是很贴切的。摩托罗拉如日中天时，我们学摩托罗拉；戴尔霸气十足时，我们学戴尔；IBM向服务转型，我们的企业紧随其后……从市面上流行的类似“向×××学习管理”的快餐式管理出版物中，我们也不难窥其一斑。
　　那么，我们到底应该向谁学习？其实，许多企业都忘了，最能取到管理真经的地方恰恰是在企业自身。向别人学习——不论是向其他企业还是向所谓的管理大师——最终目的是要解决自身的问题。既然是自身的问题，差异性就必然会存在。这就意味着，企图生吞活剥地用一种方法去解决不同的问题，不仅会徒劳无功，某些情况下还会适得其反。
　　在战场中就有类似教训。罗马军团东征失败后，部分失散的罗马军队进入西域，并曾作为雇佣军与西汉军队交战。罗马军队沿用其一贯的战法，身穿沉重的盔甲，排成方阵前进。这种重装步兵的战法曾经纵横欧亚大陆，但西汉军队以骑兵击之，结果大败罗马军队。
　　企业管理也如此。适用于某家公司的管理方法未必能适用于其他公司。六西格玛在GE能取得较好的效果，在家得宝却以失败告终。ERP在某些企业行之有效，在另一些企业却成为沉重的成本负担。据说，在中国实施ERP的企业中，大约只有20%成功。于是有人戏言：不上ERP是等死，上了ERP是找死。
　　向自己学习管理并不是说不需要向其他公司学习或应用最新的管理研究成果，而是要学其精髓，灵活应用。70多年前，毛泽东在《反对本本主义》中就一针见血地指出：“马克思主义的‘本本’是要学习的，但是必须同我国的实际情况相结合。”套用一下，我们也可以这样说：丰田（或德鲁克或×××）的本本是要学的，但必须同企业的实际情况相结合。
　　正如日本米其林轮胎公司生产总监原贤治（Kenji Hara）所说：“精益生产是丰田公司自身的本质。它就是一种基础，一种使你公司中的员工尊重人，尊重其发展、动机、不断进步的求索精神，尊重其特殊利益和抱负的基础。”在他看来，“这样的公司不管运用什么样的生产方式，都能取得成功”。很多企业花了很长时间才明白这个很浅显的道理，比如华晨金杯就花了漫漫的8年。
　　造成企业出现上述情况的一大原因是急于求成的心理。他们以为，既然实践证明是行之有效的，拿过来用就是了。一种办法不行，再换另一种。几年前，某大型国有企业决定推行六西格玛，结果花了不少钱，仅推行两年就不了了之；之后不久，该公司又决定推行精益生产。广东某年产值数亿元的企业从去年年初起引入平衡计分卡，一年过去之后，平衡计分卡不仅没有得到顺利实施，反而引起不少抱怨和怀疑。该公司一位经理无可奈何地说：“我们发现有些公司遇到的情况和我们差不多。因此，我不知道这到底是我们的问题，还是因为平衡计分卡真的不适合中国企业。”类似这样的企业，学什么都是不会成功的，因为他们不明白自身情况的特殊性，也不懂得应用过程中的灵活变化。华晨金杯在学习丰田精益生产模式多年之后才认识到，有许多问题是中国具体环境决定的。比如，日本人工费用很高，可能占整个成本的20%，而中国企业的人工成本仅占整个成本的2.6%。如果一个机器人能替换下来5个人，在日本使用机器人实现的是精益生产的省人化，在中国使用就是浪费。所以，企业领导者要知道管理没有万能药，要懂得像中医那样辨证施治，戒除运动式的学习和本本主义式的学习。
另外，领导们也应注意，企业是一个复杂系统，影响企业成败的因素很多，因此要从系统的角度来分析企业的问题。寄望于运用某一种管理工具或管理理论来解决企业的所有问题，使企业获得长久的成功是不现实的。

This article was supplied by my friend Steed Wei, thanks for his effort!

精益生产或是六西格玛?

精益生产的理念最早产生于20世纪40年代的日本丰田汽车公司,而六西格玛的诞生相对于精益生产要晚一些,它产生于20世纪80年代后斯的摩托罗拉公司。作为一种先进的企业管理理念,精益生产要比六西格玛更早地传入中国。虽然精益生产与六西格玛虽然产生的背景和时期都不同,但精益生产和六西格玛就像一对孪生兄弟一样备受世人关注,在对精益生产品头论足的同时总忘不了带上六西格玛,在谈论六西格玛长短之时也不忘与精益生产沾上边儿。
两者就像黑暗中的两盏灯,精益生产和六西格玛指引着制造领域前进的方向,但究竟是走向精益还是六西格玛呢?精益在一边摇旗呐喊,但六西格玛也鼓声如雷,双方毫不示弱。于是很多人迷茫,很多人犹豫,越来越多人感到困惑甚至痛苦。往左还是往右?本来就是一个方向,精益生产和六西格玛究竟是什么关系,究竟是谁优谁劣,还是精益六西格玛最厉害?我想很多人都想看看精益生产和六西格玛正面交锋的一场龙争虎斗,过程和结果都一样精彩,一样令人期待。

1. 精益生产与六西格玛产生的历史地位。
精益生产称为世界第三次工业革命,是颠覆传统生产方式的彻底变革,虽然传统工业工程方法的烙印很深,但精益生产提出的以小批量多品种频繁切换的灵活生产，以小型专业设备取代大型通用设备来应对市场需求的模式是全新的理念,七大浪费的概念也完全不是传统观念的延伸.精益生产方式是一种"方式"的变革,是"新方式"替代"老方式",是"先进"取代"落后"的世界工业发展的里程碑。
六西格玛的核心DMAIC[DMAIC是指定义（Define）、测量（Measure）、分析（Analyze）、改进（Improve）、控制（Control）] 是延续传统的PDCA,或者是ISO体系中持续改善的思维模式,整合了原来很多解决问题的思路和方法,演变得更系统、更完整、更严密。且六西格玛的根本在于财务成果,注重财务表现的六西格玛出现之后,一切都改观了。因此六西格玛其本质还是解决问题的方法和工具。

2. 让精益生产和六西格玛比武过招。
其实精益生产和六西格玛已经正面交锋过，而且还没有停止。六西格玛不论是其创导者摩托罗拉公司还是将其发扬光大的GE,在运用六西格玛的若干年后的今天，他们都在尝试精益生产而且取得了突出的成效。而精益生产的创始者丰田公司则声称他们没有运用六西格玛,包括很多能把精益生产做好的优秀企业，其精益生产能实现六西格玛的目标。也许这些不足于证明交锋结果的“成”和“败”，但或许可以给大家一些思考。

3. 精益生产和六西格玛实施过程和状态。
我不敢说对六西格玛有多深的了解，但和很多有六西格玛经验的朋友交流。很多公司在实施六西格玛项目时，很多被冠于六西格玛名称的项目，其实是在已经取得成果的基础上套用六西格玛的框架，按照结果收集或设计需要的数据，最后做出一个漂亮的报告。（当然，有些黑带级项目确实按照六西格玛步骤实施并取得不错的绩效）。另一方面，很多公司为了六西格玛，什么项目都用六西格玛命名，有时就会弄得有些啼笑皆非(比如曾经某公司有人力资源部门把改善前台接电话的方法用六西格玛来改善)
精益生产实施也是步履维艰，其真正成功者也微乎其微。问题的根源是大部分人仅仅把精益生产当成一种工具，用于解决面临的某个具体问题，但问题总是层出不穷，老问题解决了，新的问题又出现，这本来是一种非常正常的现象，其实企业就是在解决问题中进步的，如果没有这种理念，很多人就对精益生产会失去信心或者没有兴趣。然而精益生产或者说持续改善是一种企业文化。
作为解决问题的思路和方法，也许精益生产和六西格玛在某些方面也许异曲同工，但作为变革的必然，虽然举步为艰，但最终精益生产必将成为生产管理的主流方式，不可逆转。就像市场经济是社会发展的必然趋势一样，不管你认不认同，其结果都是无法跨越和回避的。而如果仅仅是工具，如果不好使你当然可以换别的工具。

4. 精益生产和六西格玛本身的特点。
精益生产强调现场，强调“做”，全员参与改善用持续改善,其方法本身通俗易懂，从高级经理到一线员工，都很容易参与。
六西格玛是建立在统计学的基础上，需要大量的数据统计和逻辑分析，要充分运用电脑、软件等，不是每个员工都能掌握和参与的。
六西格玛的特点决定了其是一小部分的工具，而精益生产将普及到各个待业各个领域，具备广泛性和普遍性。

5. 精益六西格玛 ？
Lean sigma是最近比较流行和热门的说法，精益六西格玛真的是结合了精益和六西格玛的精髓的结晶吗？武林宗师告诫学武之人，如果两股真气贯入体内相撞后，如果不能很好的驾驭就很容易走火入魔。有时候两个最聪明的男女结合也不见得生出的小孩就绝顶聪明，也有可能是个傻瓜。
不管是作为工具或者方式，精益和六西格玛都有其独到之处，当然也会有不足（没有十全十美的东西）。我个人的感觉是精益生产是新的市场竞争形势下的应对方式，是一种简单有效的方法，大部分问题(也许是95％)都能通过精益生产解决。六西格玛其逻辑本身很容易理解，但其实施过程必须投入更多的资源（如数据收集和分析、花费更多的时间），对于一些复杂的问题非常有效。

如果借人生病作为一个例子，如果生病只是闹肚子，只需要医生问诊后开药方，而不需要先拍CT、照X光,再分析检查结果，最后再出药方，虽然这样做更仔细，但最终医院得到的只能是抱怨。
因为,精益和六西格玛其实是存在结合的，比如Nokia推行几年的六西格玛努力之后，将六西格玛纳入精益生产系统中，成为实现精益生产两大支柱之“自动化－－零缺陷”的重要工具。这样也许能比较充分发挥精益生产和六西格玛的长处，这难道就是精益六西格玛？
备注：部分文字摘于自《精益六西格玛》一书

The article was supplied by my friend Andy Song, Thanks for his effort!

Why we apply lean in China?

I got some information about why South China short for labor for a long time, but I lacked of time to summarize the information because I was busy with MBA course. The original information is talking about the problem of future development of China, it covers all the range of resource which is important of continuous development of China included manpower, natural resource and policy of government. From here, I only summarized some points which related to lean manufacturing and shown us why it would be important in China near future.

As we knew, the objective of applying lean manufacturing in company is eliminating wastes and shift the resource to create more value for development. Let us focus on labor intensive manufacturing industry in China, I think it is also the most important industry in last 20 years in Pearl river delta of South China. The such kind of industry was going through a high speed development but is faceing a serious problem in labor shortage in recent years. Lean helps the company to save resource and the manpower is the most important of resource in labor intensive manufacturing. Therefore, let's us have a scan what are the causes of labor shortage and see is that lean manufacturing a solution on it.

1. Family planning:

We called that "one child policy" in China and meant one family only can has one baby. In period around 1950-1970, recommended by Chairman Mao, government encourage family to have more child. It was becuase China lost many many poeple after the war, at that moment, all kind of development needed manpower. 30 years later, the population of China growed in high speed. Afterward, in 1980, government turn around to setup "one child policy" to control the high speed of population increasing. We look backward, born rate increase is one of the factor, on the other hand, low dead rate is also the factor why the population increasing. When a country became more stable and without influence from war, the average year of life changed from 35 to 68, from year 1949 to 1980. The "one child policy" also "helps" the country aging in these 20 years. A simple thinking, two people "produced" one people but the population keep stable and a light increasing, it means the people is aging in high speed as well. Therefore, the range of golden labor dismissed and keeps decreasing today.

2. Expansion of college:

Look at the data below, in 1998, the number of college matriculation is 1,080,000. In 2006, the number ramp up to 5,300,000. The number of matriculation keeps increasing and meant more people went into college for professional education. However, do we need that so many professional manpower in short time? Can our society absorb those professionist in a short time? So many people became "double lost" in recent moment, double lost meant "lost job" and "lost education" after they just graduated from college. It is no way to let them back to factory be a operator. The expansion of college absorbed part of people in such low born rate and make the problem more seriously. From here, I am not object the people to learn more knowledge and I always encourage my friends to have continuous education all the time oppositely. However, expanding the matriculation too fast will influence the whole structure of manpower in society. One old Chinese saying, "too many is similar to not enough".

3. Price of food:

Started from 1998 for several years, the production of food decreased continuously. It made government nervous, and then the food prices was increased including rice, oil, meal and vegetable. There were also some policy setup to encourage the people to stay in agriculture such as low taxation for agriculture. The people stay in home village can earn more than working in factory. Offcause, most of people work on farm are aged people, but it also attract part of the young people to stay in their home village to help their family.

Due to the reasons above, it forms a labor shortage in Pearl river delta zone, even in overall manufacturing environment in China. In recent years, I am studing lean concept and finding a way to support the manufacturing industry. Those concepts of eliminating wastes, create value, continuous flow, JIT and takt time can help the labor intensive industry to defense the impact of long term labor shortage in later 20 years. Think that in another way, why Japan and US push so much for lean? It is because they faced the similar problem 10 or 20 years before, and they believed Lean is the solution to sustain their competition ability. Review ourselves in China, so many companies still know nothing about lean manufacturing. Now, it is the best time to find a continuous improvement tools to defense the long term issue. And, it is never too late to do so.

Things to Do Before You Turn 40

Did you think about this questions before? Actually, this question can be asked like "things to do before 20, 30 or 100?" I believed a life planning is a important activity for anybody. You no need a offical planning document but you need a moment to think about it. Attached is some samples copied from website for your reference, I find some of them are so interesting.


1. don't die!
2. Write a book.
3. Learn a new language.
4. Visit a new country.
5. Pay off all your debts.
6. Sponsor a poor child.
7. Get back in shape.
8. Quit your dead-end job.
9. Stop smoking.
10. Go outside for your comfort zone.
11. Move into the house of your dreams.
12. Meet a new friend.
13. Call your father and mother.
14. Stop speeding.
15. kill your road rage.
16. Take a cruise.
17. Host a funny dinner party.
18. Setup a website or blog.
19. Live and live and live some more!
20. Live and let die.

At recent moment, I had a email from my friend Lily. From her words, I found she felt so upset for her life in lost of direction. For human being, we must have our goal for our life, without this, we will fall down somehow like a bird which was flying but it did not know where to go. Therefore, I recall my elder post in my blog and sent to her, and hope she can find out something want to do. At the same time, it was the time to review my targets as well but I found that the 3 things, which I wanted to do before 40, were just started. I am so sorry that I am already 37 right now and only 3 more years to complete them. I don't want to transfer the targets to 50 anyway.

Wow, keep working hard, Fat Man ... ... ... ... ...

7 wastes - Over-production

In lean manufacturing concepts, the top waste of the seven wastes is "over-production", but I consider the term of "over-production" was relatively closed to manufacturing industries, so I like to use the term of "Overabundance" to represent the true meaning of the stated waste. "Overabundance" is meaning that the supply is more than demand. This is the other end of JIT manufacturing where products are manufactured when a specified quantities required. Below, I listed out some questions for you to think about in different cases.

For product development, I called it in "over-design",

For Mobile phone, how many features of your owned mobile were never used?

For Software (CAD or office), how many functions of the software were never used in working?

For Digital Camera, how many features of your owned camera were never used?

All the cases above were in the same concept, "over-design"! Let us think one more question for the above cases, if we calculate the un-used features or functions in percentage, how much money we pay for the non-value-added features? Nowaday, total cost leading is a most important marketing strategy in commercial world. If a company is still suppling the product in over-design, it is no doubt that the cost of the product development was claimed on the expense of consumer, what is the affect of her competitive force?

For manufacturing, we called it in "over-production",

Why discount promotion was always found at the end of season in retail?
Why we need to write off the inventory when product change or at the end of product life cycle?
Why we have to handle many WIPs everytime when we change the product line?

When goods are manufactured without real demand for them the work in progress and inventory levels goes high. This ties up capital since the goods are in stock not making cash. If the manufacturer does not have the demand, they have to create it. This involves cost in the form of advertising costs, costs of discounts etc. on the other hand over production greatly reduces the flexibility of the system. If one process has manufactured extra items generally manufacturing needs to be carried out until the stock is over. This takes time and hence it is difficult to change from one to another product quickly. Problems of the system are hidden in inventory. Problems will never get highlighted and hence will never get removed from the system.

For services, we called it in "over-service",
How many channel you never watch in the package of cable TV program?
How many features you never use in the package of mobile service combination?

Nowaday, the service provider are always using the embedded service package to attract their customer. In a normal package of service, they covered all basic features no matter in mobile service or cable TV programme service. The most important point is that they counted all cost of the different features no matter you used or not. We have to pay on them once we signed the contract. I am sure that we can not 100% uitilize all the services and meant it caused waste in our payment. You can give them the basic service they are looking for and then if they are interested can provide the additional services. In this case there is no need for the service provider to be ready with all the possible services at any given time. They can call for the expertise when the customer wants it. Here you will save your money since you are not going to invest in something there is no real requirement. On the other hand customer will pay for what he is actually using.

7 wastes - introduction

In Japanese, "Muda" is meaning waste. There are 7 kinds of waste targeted by the lean manufacturing. From here, I will summarize them and give some possible solutions or methods to eliminate those non-value-add process. Before reading this post, we should have enough knowledge of value-added and non-value-added concept, refer to the VA & NVA 1 and VA & NVA 2.

1. Over-production; takt time concept is not considered in the case so they produce more than demand. From lean concept, this is the top waste of a company, takt time studing and JIT can solve this problem.

2. Motion; process is not good design so that operator will waste more time to handling the process. The operator needs to move or turn himself around and around to handling the process. We always use brain-stroming in Kaizen event to improve the work station process.

3. Waiting; because process flow is not balanced, too many motion in last process but waiting in next process. We need to record the process cycle in all process and well balancing in takt time analysis.

4. Conveyance; it means the WIP move a long way to next station, but it is totally not necessary. Re-design the process layout by 2P event is a effective way to solve the problem.

5. Processing Itself; the process station is not design or choose in the best way. As we knew, it always has many methods to produce the same product, the best way is also use brain-stroming in Kaizen event to choose the best method.

6. Inventory (raw material); because production plan issue or the cooperation of supplier, we have too many raw material inventory. At this moment, lean suppy chain and JIT are the ways to solve the problem.

7. Correction (rework & scrap); if the product or WIP is not made in good quality, rework or scrap is the only way to correct them. In lean concept, we need to make it good at once. For this waste, we need to choose the suitable tools to solve the problem in different causes. TPM is the most important factor in this case.

For 7 kinds of waste, they affected the productivity, cash flow and ontime delivery. Those factors are the root of NVA process or material flow. As my experiance, lean manufacturing concept is a best way to eliminate them. Offcause, use lean manufacturing tools skillfully is a very important element for improvement.

Lean manufacturing is popular!

From industryweek: Ranking Continuous Improvement Methods

Nowaday, the lean manufacturing is used to be continuous improvement method so popular. If we included the ranking of "Lean and six sigma" and "Toyota production system" to lean manufacturing, we can say more than half of the companies are using "Lean" mothod!

中秋节快乐

明月几时有
把酒問青天
不知天上宮闕
今夕是何年
我欲乘風歸去
唯恐瓊樓玉宇
高處不勝寒
起舞弄清影
何似在人間
轉朱閣 低綺戶 照無眠
不應有恨何事長向別時圓
人有悲歡離合
月有陰晴圓缺
此事古難全
但願人長久
千里共嬋娟

我亲爱的朋友,中秋快乐!

Mindset of lean

Refer to the above mind map, the structure of lean manufacturing can be disassembled as below,

1 Lean spirit
1.1 Continuous improvement
1.2 Respect to people

2 Objectives of lean
2.1 Eliminate waste
2.2 Create value

3 Main duty of lean
Create a continuously flow of process, material and information.

4 Lean tools
4.1 Standardization and Standard works
4.2 Just in time (JIT) and Pull system
4.3 Mistake proofing and autonomation
4.4 Visual management and Kanban system
4.5 OEE and TPM
4.6 5S
4.7 Tact time
4.8 Value-added and non-value-added, 7 wastes

If we need to describe LEAN in simply, I would like to describe that as,

"Continuous improvement and Respect to people are the spirits of lean. All the actions must be taken under the guideline. The improvement activities are carry out through setup the continuously flow to eliminate the different kinds of wastes, and use the saved resource to create value. During setup the continuously flow, it needed to apply different kinds of lean tools. "

思维图是一种帮助理解及记忆的工具,最近因为要协助各部门加深了解精益生产的概念与结构,已绘制一个精益生产思维图如上.

思维图解释:
于图的上部,代表精益生产的最主要两个精神,即是(一).持续改善;(二).尊重人性(以人为本);这种精神必须贯通整个精益生产的运作,才能有效的发挥其优点.
于图的中部,从左到右代表从精益生产推动开始,以建立一个无间断的流程为手段,以达到精益生产的两个主要目的.(一)消防浪费;(二)创造价值.
于图的底部,就是代表各种用以建立无间断流程的主要工具,其中各项工具已于日常生产运作中应用,如全员生产维护,快速换模系统,防错系统,自动化,目视管理,看板系统,拉运系统,生产预备,生产均衡化及标准化等.而各工具之间,亦起了紧密的协同作用.若无间断流程欠缺了这些工具,都不能达到理想中的要求.

各位,若能理解此思维图的意义,基本上对于精益生产就有一定程度的理解了.对于以后各位推动精益生产亦有不少帮助.

Visiting of Snow Brand Milk Products 2

Mar 7,2008, Steed, Andy (my partners of lean implementation) and me visited a milk products company in Japan. The company located in Yokohama of Japan with historical operation. Before we arrived the factory, the guide of the visiting explained a little bit of the background and news of the company.

Personally, I felt that the visiting for this company is not related to lean manufacturing. Also, I believed that trip is arrange by the tourist agency or Japan government by the relationship of benefit. However, after the visiting, I still found something useful for the lean implementation, even lean thinking. Simply say, I got some thinking of the attitude to face the problem.

The web-link od Snow Brand http://www.snowbrand.co.jp/ (this is more details for the company and absolutely not a advertisment.

According to introduction of the guides, we understood Snow Brand faced two serious problem before and the affection still existing right now,

1. year 2000, the milk they produced caused more than 10000 people food poisoning. Nobody explain what is the root cause and as my understanding, it may be caused by human mistake in process or maintenance. The result is the company stop producing milk.

2. year 2002, there was a affiliated company of Snow Brand sold a beef with incorrect labelling. The marked the beef was domestic goods but actually it was imported. The domestic produced beef was much expensive and better than imported. The problem was affecting her honesty and the image of brand name.

Once we sat in the conference room, the guide of the company introduced the problem they have before. I can say the they faced the problem nakedly in front of us. One of my colleague asked a question, "why you not consider to quit the market and use another brand to operate?", the answer was, "we liked to face and solve the problem! it was agreed by all employee in the company." Wow, what kind brave attitude they had in front of trouble?

It is a culture different between China and Japan. Japanese encourage brave, enjoy challenge and they never give up. For Chinese, they more prefer to escape. When we hold the kaizen projects, how many time we heard the member to give themselve a excause to stop the improvement action? "It can't be worked!", "if we did that, there is another problem on...", ...etc. The point of your member wanted to tell you is that, we do not like to face the problem. All of this, it is the attitude problem and culture problem.

I am sure that if the situation of Snow Brand happen in China, the company will stop for a moment to change it brand name and start to product again in short moment. Actually, the critical problem of quality is stll not fixed. The story would be happened again and again.
For improvement project, the most important thing, is the attitude of facing problem.

1. Brave to face problem, (it proves the value of you to exist)

2. Enjoy the challenge, (it helps you to grow up)

3. Never give up, (It is the main factor of success, no matter how much you pay on the job, once you start to think to give up, you lost everything you have paid.)

The visiting of Snow Brand looks no relation to lean, we can not find any lean concept in such material and process flow. However, we found a important and useful attitude for everything you want to success. It is a good lesson for me.

And finally, I bought one to share with my sons, so far so good...

Visiting of Snow Brand Milk Products 1

This is the article which wrote by my partner, Andy Song. Good for your reference.

***** *****
我们在日本考察的最后一个企业是雪印乳业.因为雪印是从事食品生产的企业.和我们的行业根本搭不上边儿,当时心里就特别纳闷,组织方怎么安排我们去参观他们呢?

去雪印的路上,组织方就介绍:‘今天去参观的企业很特别,这种公司是从1925年开始的生产的,而且在整个日本信誉极好.是乳品业的王牌企业.但这家公司在2000年的夏天发生了一件让全日本震惊的大事:‘日本各地相继出现顾客因饮用雪印乳业公司大阪工厂(也就是此次参观的工厂)生产的低脂肪牛奶及牛奶饮料而发生中毒事件,中毒人数超过１.４万人.’使得雪印关闭4家制造工厂,公司大幅裁员.

到雪印后,发了一些关于雪印的简介.接着雪印公司的领导---工场厂(相当于国内工厂的厂长)对公司简介讲解.作完公司介绍后说:“我们公司在2000年发生一起让公司信誉大受损失的事件---顾客饮用本公司生产的牛奶及牛奶饮料发生中毒,导致公司失去消费者信任、公司严重亏损.制造工厂关闭,大幅裁减员工…”当时听到这儿就懵了,那有这样对客人介绍公司的,我们中国不是有句俗语叫---家丑不可外扬,对我们这些去考察、参观、学习的企业来说就更加不能如此表白.

而接下来的讲述更加意外:‘公司经历了此次事件后濒临倒闭,公司董事长在日本媒体(电视)对日本所有人公开道歉.并且公司高层领导和员工集体讨论是否继续将雪印这个品牌保留下去,经过激烈的讨论.公司员工强烈要求保留雪印品牌,就这样雪印上下一致决定继续使用此品牌,接着雪印公司请著名专家、普通的消费者,连同本公司自己的技术骨干组成一个团队.共同寻找发生问题的根源,解决发生问题的原因.并且为了防止类似问题再次发生,公司将生产产品的所有流程(除了部分保密外)放在公司网页上,并组成团队定期检讨.接收消费者建议,就这样一直坚持改善下去,经过将近7年的奋斗,雪印逐渐在消费者心目中取得信任.赢得失事前客户源的30%.今后雪印一直持续改善下去,最终取得消费者的信赖.’

我们作为一个旁观者,一个毫不知情的参观者,雪印在对待问题的态度着实让我们感动,就象雪印工场厂说的:’我们在以前犯了错误,并且为此付出沉重的代价.我们要做的不是逃避问题,而是勇敢的面对问题.解决问题.为了雪印在以后的成长路上不会再犯同样的错误,我们将发生的这起事件当作我们公司的座右铭.让每一个雪印的员工都铭记于心.’这正如我们经常说的---知耻而后勇.

反观在我们的工作中、在生活中同样也面对这种问题,在我们这个社会中的企业也经常发生如此错误,当我们出现这些问题,我们的企业出现这种错误.我们是如何去对待去处理的呢?是否象雪印一样,勇敢的去面对问题,最终解决问题,和长期预防类似问题再次发生呢?

小时候老师教导我们,犯了错误并可怕,可怕是我们不去寻找犯错误的原因.可怕的是我们不去面对问题、逃避问题.继续让这种错误再次发生.

Kaizen planning 2

There are four factors which are important of setup kaizen project as below,

1. Focus:
For a wide range of product categories and model, we can not fix the problem in one shoot. We need to select a representative scope to improve and use the selected target to spread the lean improvement by copy and paste, we have to remember that resource is limited all the time. Once we success improved the scope, we can spread the improvement ideas to the other area smoothly.

2. Resource:
We need to consider the capability of the owner for improvement. Also, consider do we need support from senior management? Is that cross-department supporting project? Can investment balance with the saving? so, what is the investment needed? What is the organization of the team? External consulting service needed?

3. Objective:
Can we clearly define the baseline of improvement? What is the reasonable target or goal? Can we effectively collect and measure the data? If no clear target of project, there is no direction of improvement. Is that correspond with the vision and mission of company? Is that meet with the business strategy?

4. Significance:
The improvement project need to setup related to current situation. What is the most important issue needed to solve for the company or your department? If the project is simple, just do it immediately and no need to make a plan to "delay" the action. That's meant the project should meet a degree of complexity.

Hope the above concepts can help you to setup a good improvement planning in future.

Natural swimming pool

That's my dream... Natural swimming pool

Kaizen planning 1

Here is a Kaizen planning schedule for your reference. Usually, we need to complete the kaizen program within one week, due to time limit, we have to change some mind in our outdated thinking.

Day 1:
Kick off meeting: Program leader need to well present what is the objective for the program and what is the problem right now. To let all members have a clear direction to go.
Team training: Because of members may not have enough knowledge of lean manufacturing, usually, we need to provide a basic rules of lean to improve their way of thinking.

Day 2:
Team investigation: Full team to audit the target area, preliminary, we can have some ideas how to improve the area. Afterward, the team can have a brain-storming to setup the goal for this program.
Brain-storming for action: Team setup a preliminary action plan and starts to implement.
Site presentation preparation: Prepare the preliminary presentation to the head of that production area. It aims to get the support for the area including the supervisor, line leader and operators. Without this step, we will have resistance of the area because they have no idea what you do.

Day 3:
Site presentation: Present the objective of the program, goal and preliminary action plan to the area to get them support and sustain.
Improvement actions implement: Fully push the implement action and keep checking the result. Adjust and fine tune the actions if necessary.
Review the implement status: Summarize the action implement status at that day and review.

Day 4:
Enhance improvement implement: According to the review of day 3 and setup a enhance improvement plan. Implement afterward.
Review the implement status and sustain status: Review the actions again and check are there any item can not be improved immediately. Setup 30 days follow up action plans and request for more resource or supporting from other departments.
Final presentation preparation: Every members needs to make their own page and pass to leader to summarize to be a presentable file.

Day 5:
Rehearsal of presentation: All members present their own page. Team leader and consultant to improve their presentation skill.
Team presentation: Present the result to all department managers to let them more understand the benefit of lean manufacturing. It aims to culture change and get more support for next program.

Some main factors need to be consider for the Kaizen program will be post in next article.

Value-added (VA) and non-value-added (NVA) - 2

As my discussion in last blog about value-added, all the processes can be classified as value-added and non-value-added process. From here, we can also segment the non-value-added process in necessary non-value-added and unnecessary non-value-added process. I will explain the classification, and to see how to improve here below.

Sometimes, without the supporting of non-value-added process, the value-added process can not be executed. For instant, refilling gas for car, the value-added process is only the period of gas refilling into oil tank. The action of moving the car the gas station is not a value-added process, or we can say it is non-value-added process. However, it is no way to refill the car if the car is out of gas station. Therefore, we are going to classify the non-value-added process to see which part is necessary.

1. We can seperate the processes into two parts. The car move from the existing location to gas station is necessary, otherwise, it is no way to refill, but we can find a closer gas station or a shortcut to go to the gas station. It reduces time because of short distance travelling but it is no way to eliminate. Therefore, we can say the car moving to gas station is necessary non-value-added process, it can be reduced but can not be eliminated.

2. The second part, when the car go into the gas station, the driver needed to found a suitable stop for moving in for refill. The time consumed in this process is not necessary, or we can say it is unnecessary non-value-added process. The gas station would be designed to reduce the time of the driver to find the suitable stop by clear visual identication and layout. If you drive to refill before, you should remember you always needed to stop a moment to see where was the suitable place to stop. I did that every time in China because the gas station in China is really big. Those time of seeking position can be eliminated or reduce it trend to zero. Therefore, the non-necessary non-value-added process should be removed or eliminated.

In simply say, reduce necessary NVA and elminate unecessary NVA. It is the thoery of process improvement but we can to clearly identify them. According to the explanation above, it makes us more easiler to handle the improvment during the kaizen project.

Value-added (VA) and non-value-added (NVA) - 1

This is the first concept and is the most important concept of lean manufacturing because many activities of improvement are based on this concept. If we can not fully understand and identify which process or action is NVA. Nothing can be improved in Kaizen event.

VA and NVA, which has a special lean definition. An activity is "value added" if, and only if, these three conditions are met:

1. The customer must be willing to pay for the activity
2. The activity must change the "form, fit, or function" of the product (physical change), making it closer to the end product that the customer wants and will pay for.
3. The activity must be done right the first time (in good quality, rework process is not a VA process).

I give an easy example for your reference, COOKING STEAK.

The process flow of cooking steak is below, (1) take out steak from refrigerator, (2) unfreeze, (3) prepare stove, (4) put butter on the pan and heat, (5) cook steak, (6) put the steak on dish, (7) put the dish in front of you.

What is the customer requirement? They want a cooked steak only. What are the VA processes? According to customer requirement (remember that the VA process only identified according to customer requirement), the VA process are only (4) and (5). For the others, they are all NVA process. Customer only wants a cooked steak for eat, they don't care how you prepare to cook and how do you handle it after cook. They just want a cooked steak place in front of them, and that’s it.

Off cause, without the non-value-added (NVA) process, the steak can not be cooked. Therefore, we also classified the NVA process to necessary NVA and non-necessary NVA. Let discuss that in next topic.

Panorama of Nanjing

Attitude decide everything

Long time ago, this is the most impressive event which I want to share with you. It is sometime about China soccer...
The last China national soccer team coach Bora Milutinovic said, "Attitude decide everything!", it means that positive attitude provides positive performance and negative attitude provides negative result! During the period Mr. Milutinovic was busying to prepare the training for China national soccer team in world cup, at that moment, all China are not optimized our team can attend the final stage of world cup. Some team players and reporters asked him that “if we draw the match in next round, your class will be dismissed. What do you think?” The magic coach was so surprised that why Chinese people and team always came out a negative for thinking and passive in attitude. He questioned, “Why you guys always issued some passive question without any constructive?”
“Attitude decided everything” became golden words of magic coach and I always used it for my self and suggested to my close friend.
For the implement of lean manufacturing, the members of program always did the same just like the reporter for sports. They would say, “The actions will cause a problem for what, I think it will not work…” something like that. At that moment, we always remind the golden words!
In China, you can find banner anywhere shown a passive thinking, like what you did wrong, what kind punishment you got. I believed it is a traditional culture but I believed that it is the time we improve it.
Off cause, my point of view, Mr. Milutinovic is not only a great coach of soccer; he is also coach for me altougth I am not professional soccer players...

-----------------------------------------------------
态度决定一切
很久以来，我就想和大家分享一件令我感触很深的事件，它是关于中国足球的……
前任中国国家足球队教练博拉·米卢蒂诺维奇说过：“态度决定一切”。它的意思是说，积极的态度引领积极的表现，消极的态度导致消极的结果。在任期间，米卢先生一直致力于国家队备战世界杯的训练。当时，中国人都不看好我们的国家队能参加世界杯的决赛，一些球员和记者问他，“如果我们在下一场输掉了比赛，您的游戏就会结束，您有什么想法？”这位神奇足球教练对国人持有如此消极和被动的态度感到不可思议，他质疑道：“为什么你们这些家伙总是散布一些消极而毫无建设性的言论呢？”, “为什麽不往好的方向去想? 赢了这一仗, 下一仗将面对什麽样的对手, 以什麽策略取胜?”
“态度决定一切”成为神奇足球的金玉良言，而我也一直把它作为我的座右铭，并以此鼓励我的朋友们。
在精益生产执行的过程中，我们团队的成员有时候出现一些消极言论，就和那些看热闹的记者如出一辙。例如“这次行动将导致一些什么问题，我认为我们不应该去做…..”，这样的时候，我们经常提醒和警醒自己的就是这句金玉良言——态度决定一切。这句话是我和我们的团队在前进中保持不懈追求的动力。
在中国，到处可以看到一些消极警告的标语，比如如果你做错什么，将会得到什么惩罚之类的, 全是消极及负面的思想. 我觉得这是国人传统的习惯性思维，而现在就是我们改变它的时机。
当然，我个人认为，米卢先生不仅仅是一个优秀的足球教练，虽然我不是一个职业足球队员，但他也是我的教练和老师。他教会我们一句让我们受益终生的工作思路——态度决定一切！

Lean spirits

For this year, I joined the MBA course in Hong Kong and I just finished my dissertation last week. The studing of lean manufacturing was stop for a moment, I believed that it is the time to continuous my long term studing of lean.
The first topic I want to review is the "lean spirit", it includes “Continuously improvement” and “Respect to people”. They are the soul of lean implementation and the core element of lean culture, without them, all activities of lean manufacturing are only the eyewash.

Continuous Improvement:

The "Continuous Improvement" mindset is driven by the notion that no matter where we are or what we have achieved. We should always think about the questions no matter what is the level we reached. Can we find and remove more waste? Is that the existing situation already the best? No, it is no perfect at all, and we must improve our mindset that it is no way to become perfect, but it always has opportunity to improve the situation better.
Peronally, I had a experience in lean training for my underlings. I asked them what did they do after working hours, they replied that they gone to watch moive on internet, read comics, ...etc. I mentioned them those activities are not value-added. There is nothing help for their career and why don't we spend it on studing? I told them I am 36 years old right now, I am the operation manager of the company as well, but I still joined the course of MBA, why? This is the concept of continuous improvement. No matter it is the process in production, the procedures of company operation, even our grade of living, those things should be in continuous improvement. It is also the way to improve our life.
The mindset stated above is the most important idea of lean manufacturing. It is the energy of all improvement actions of lean. Without this, lean never can be well implemented and nothing we can do by the lean concept.

Respect to people:

This concept is really important as like as “continuous improvement”, but it was always ignored in many books from United State. For instants, eliminate wastes of the motion of operators, so that they can work easier and faster. Push the operators to work faster is not the way to eliminate wastes. The employee worked together as continuous improvement team to improve the process. Saving came out from the project but company absorbed all the benefit. The wastes in process are eliminated, but the company was going to layoff the exceed manpower.
The highest value of asset in a company is “people”, they learned lean concept and are improving the company and themselves continuously. Push the people working faster, absorbed all benefit for the improvement and layoff people are all the negative factor of success in lean implementation. Therefore, respect to people is another spirit of lean manufacturing, as human being, who want to work for a company not respect to people?

History of LEAN

This article modified from the info of website
Start from…1800

Eli Whitney (1799)
While Eli Whitney is most famous as the inventor of the cotton gin. however, the gin was a minor accomplishment compared to his perfection of interchangeable parts. Whitney developed this about 1799 when he took a contract from the U.S. Army for the manufacture of 10,000 muskets at the unbelievably low price of $13.40 each.
Next 100 years, our system of engineering drawings developed, modern machine tools were perfected and large scale processes such as the Bessemer process for making steel held the center of attention.

Frederick W. Taylor (1890's)
Frederick W. Taylor began to look at individual workers and work methods. The result was Time Study and standardized work and he called his ideas Scientific Management. The concept of applying science to management was sound but Taylor simply ignored the behavioral sciences. In addition, he had a peculiar attitude towards factory workers.

Frank Gilbreth (1900's)
Frank Gilbreth added Motion Study and invented Process Charting. Process charts focused attention on all work elements including those non-value added elements which normally occur between the "official" elements.

Lillian Gilbreth (1900's)
Lillian Gilbreth brought psychology into the mix by studying the motivations of workers and how attitudes affected the outcome of a process. There were, of course, many other contributors. These were the people who originated the idea of "eliminating waste", a key tenet of JIT and Lean Manufacturing.

Henry Ford (1910).
Ford and his right-hand-man, Charles E. Sorensen, fashioned the first comprehensive Manufacturing Strategy. They took all the elements of a manufacturing system-- people, machines, tooling, and products-- and arranged them in a continuous system for manufacturing the Model T automobile. Ford was so incredibly successful and put the world on wheels. Ford is considered by many to be the first practitioner of Just In Time and Lean Manufacturing.
Ford's success inspired many others to copy his methods. But most of those who copied did not understand the fundamentals. Ford assembly lines were often employed for products and processes that were unsuitable for them.
Ford production depended on a labor force that was so desperate for money and jobs that workers would sacrifice their dignity and self esteem. The prosperity of the 1920's and the advent of labor unions produced conflict with the Ford system. Product proliferation also put strains on the Ford system. Annual model changes, multiple colors, and options did not fit well in Ford factories.

Alfred P. Sloan (1930's)
At General Motors, Alfred P. Sloan took a more pragmatic approach. He developed business and manufacturing strategies for managing very large enterprises and dealing with variety. By the mid 1930's General Motors had passed Ford in domination of the automotive market.

Taichii Ohno and Shigeo Shingo (1950)
At Toyota Motor Company, Taichii Ohno and Shigeo Shingo, began to incorporate Ford production and other techniques into an approach called Toyota Production System or Just In Time . They recognized the central role of inventory.
The Toyota people also recognized that the Ford system had contradictions and shortcomings, particularly with respect to employees. Toyota soon discovered that factory workers had far more to contribute than just muscle power. This discovery probably originated in the Quality Circle movement. Ishikawa, Deming, and Juran all made major contributions to the quality movement. It culminated in team development and cellular manufacturing. Shingo, at Ohno's suggestion, went to work on the setup and changeover problem. Reducing setups to minutes and seconds allowed small batches and an almost continuous flow like the original Ford concept. It introduced a flexibility that Henry Ford thought he did not need.

Norman Bodek (1970's)
Norman Bodek first published the works of Shingo and Ohno in English. He did much to transfer this knowledge and build awareness in the Western world. Robert Hall and Richard Schonberger also wrote popular books. By the 1980's some American manufacturers, such as Omark Industries, General Electric and Kawasaki (Lincoln,Nebraska) were achieving success.

James Womack (1990)
James wrote a book called "The Machine That Changed The World". Womack's book was a straightforward account of the history of automobile manufacturing combined with a study of Japanese, American, and European automotive assembly plants. What was new was a phrase-- "Lean Manufacturing."

To now…2007

What is LEAN?

From many books and training material, they always introduced LEAN in the meaning from dictionary. Lean was explained in THIN and NO FAT. I do not want to repeat the explanation here but I want to explain it by sporters and believed my readers would be more interesting to read and easiler to understand what I am going to say.

The company which is running in lean concept, she looks like a long distance runner. There is no fat in their body but only has muscle. As we know in biology, muscle gives us the power of motion but fat is using to store the extra enegry. For a long distance runners, there is only less than 1% of fat in their body. Fat is only a burden or loading of their motion and waste more enegry to carry it to run. Let say if the runner has 20% of fat in his body, they need to spend 20% more enegry to carry the extra weight to run. They can not exchange the fat to energy immediately during their running because it needs much time to do so. Therefore, we found that all the long distance runner were thin and lean, they are only carrying what they needed on the way. If we only explain lean as thin, it is not correct, because thin can be consider as morbid and healthy. Lean is one kind of healthy thin and can support you for long term success.

On the other hand, some aged company has a extreme big size. Explain this case by sumoist, the big company looks like the sumoist in Japan. The sumoist has more than 50% of weight is fat and it gave them a heavy and big size, their competitor is not easy to move them in wrestle. The traditional manufacturing company has the same characteristic, and is working everything in mass batch, there is so many inventory in warehouse, on production line, even in the store of distributor. Running business is more similar to long distance running instead of sumo. Offcause, if the long distance runner fight with sumoist in wrestle, the long distance runner will be thrown out just like a little bird. In modern business world, how often the competitors fight in face by face likes boxing or wrestle? They are fighting more likes long distance running, who run slower, who will be the loser! If you are carrying 50% of weight to run, I believed that you can not be the winner. Therefore, that's why so HOT of lean implementation of different kind of industries. The only objective of those companies are only to run faster than their competitors by eliminating their useless weight.

Nowaday, lean concept is appling in different industries such as automotive, service and logistic. Actually, I applied lean concept in my life too!

Introduction of Tony Wong

Year 2008, I have 15 years of working experience of manufacturing field.

My first job position was assistance engineer for product development, and now I am an operation director. I am looking after engineering department, production department, quality department, product development department and lean sigma department.

I just completed the project in year 2006, setup a 22000 square meter new site in South China, and now I am going to setup another new site in East China.

Those above is only a brief of myself and is not worth to waste your time here but I found that the way I am going to develop LEAN MANUFACTURING is a meaningful topic which I hope I can share my feeling and experience with you through my blog.

Off cause, I want to learn something from you as well.