Circuits Assembly - December 2007 - (Page 41)

develop a comprehensive view of the future state – typically six to nine months out – and our action plan to achieve it. Typically, value stream mapping takes four weeks of planning. It involves assembling the right people, engaging in continuous communication, defining overall objectives and gathering data. Following this, three to five days are spent creating the value stream maps and action plan. The maps are created using icons taped to large sheets of paper to show the flow of information and material, and the relationship between the flow of information and the flow of material. The scope of the map includes the customer (icon in the top right corner of the map) back to the supplier (icon in the top left corner). Between those icons, the upper half of the map shows the flow of information, while the lower half shows the flow of the product – from raw material to finished product. The map also contains processing information that helps reveal opportunities for improvement. When completed, the maps are posted near the value stream to communicate with employees and build commitment toward action plan execution (Figure 1). Once improvement priorities are established, the team can leverage the rest of Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) approach to drive the success of the plan: • Plan: Develop an action plan using value stream mapping. • Do: Using Kaizen and Six Sigma to make improvements, execute the action plan. • Check: Check that the actions are sustainable and deliver the expected results based on the measurement metrics identified in the action plan. • Adjust: Determine if any adjustments are necessary to the actions being taken. • Anything that’s not effective should be adjusted. To determine whether changes are necessary, the team must ask itself: What did we learn about the actions we’re taking? Are they sustainable? Are they happening on time? Are they delivering the desired results? To optimize action plan deployment and in turn achieve company strategy, it is important to understand the following considerations: 1. To truly understand the real situation on the manufacturing floor, management needs to go to the place the work is being carried out to observe progress. In Japanese, this is called genchi genbutsu. Roughly translated, this means “go and see at the actual place.” Genchi genbutsu is vital to the “planning” and “check to confirm results” aspects of the deployment process. Often, numbers and data in reports don’t tell the whole story. The cause of a problem might be something different than management had originally presumed. Perhaps it’s poor ergonomics that’s driving quality issues and causing a bottleneck. Whatever the Lean Manufacturing Current State VSM 6 – 9 month plan Future State VSM Action Plan • • • Understand which operation/process needs a breakthrough (the bottleneck) Balance of daily measures and targets defined covering Quality, Delivery, Inventory, Productivity, Morale Communication to inspire the participation of those affected Figure 1. A value stream map for how to drive improvements in their factory. real cause of a manufacturing problem, genchi genbutsu helps identify these issues so that action plans target the real issues. 2. To achieve sustainable results, employees need to be the drivers of the action plan. Value stream mapping is an excellent tool that helps them to understand priorities, get involved in the plan’s execution, and most important, understand the role of their team or function in supporting the company’s strategy. By learning from successes and failures, they learn to develop and deploy more effective and attainable plans. 3. An organization’s customers benefit greatly from strong links between strategy and deployment. This is because the strategy, and action plans that drive it, always have the customer in mind. If your company is aligned and focused on moving the needle toward specific strategic objectives that improve efficiency and effectiveness, you’ll be better positioned to support customers’ needs. 4. Companies that don’t make the proper connection between strategy and action can face significant challenges. Resources may not be well allocated. Multiple internal teams may unknowingly be duplicating efforts – wasting energy and achieving two different outcomes or processes. Employees may be working on conflicting projects and goals and may be distracted by pet projects that do not support the strategy. 5. In a competitive and continually changing business landscape, effectively deploying strategy and sticking with action plans requires a great level of persistence and intestinal fortitude on the part of management. In business, there is only constant change. Fluctuations occur in markets. An organization’s structure changes. Priorities shift. Customer needs evolve. While priorities can change based on what’s happening “now,” the focus must remain on executing the established plan. It’s a long-term process of determining what works and what does not. When it comes to executing strategy, the definition of success is making improvements that drive the strategy; completing the plan; and of course, learning from the experience. Once the action plan is complete and results achieved, it’s time to celebrate and then start the process anew. ■ Circuits Assembly DECEMBER 2007 41 circuitsassembly.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - December 2007

Circuits Assembly - December 2007 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Global Sourcing Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Metalization Options for COB Assembly A Test Comparison of SAC and Non-SAC Pb-Free Solders An A-to-Z Guide to X-Ray Inspection BEST: A ‘Funky Chicken’ with an EMS Niche Tech Tips Wave Soldering Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Eastern Approaches Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - December 2007

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