ch 14

In Lean process design what is the ideal lot size in numbers of units?

1

Select the best definition of Lean Operations.

A flexible system of operations using fewer resources than a traditional system

What is the most important organizational/cultural aspect without which Lean implementation is doomed?

A spirit of cooperation and mutual respect among management, employees, vendors

Select the best definition of Value Stream Mapping.

A visual tool to systematically analyze the flow of materials and information involved in bringing a product or service to a customer

The success of a lean system relies heavily on which of the three items that follow?

Achieving a lean thinking culture Leadership commitment Effective teamwork

Which of the following attributes are characteristics of lean systems? (Select all that apply.)

Continuous improvement Waste reduction Quick changeovers

Which of the following is not a benefit of lean systems?

Economies of scale

True or false: Any production system can convert to a Pull system, regardless of volume, mix or product design.

False

True or false: When converting to Lean, management must decide, "All or Nothing"--there is no incremental approach.

False

Match the four aspects of Product Design which support the goals of Lean/JIT systems with their definition. Standard parts Modular design Capable production quality Concurrent engineering

Having fewer parts across product lines which reduce procurement, inspection costs Standardized sub-assemblies (clusters of parts) to simplify bills of material, training, and assembly of final product Production systems where product and process design have reduced/eliminated defects Team approach involving each group in product design from the beginning instead of serially from development to delivery

What are some of the benefits of cross-training workers, a personnel management method often used in a Lean organization? (Select all the reasons that apply.)

Helps with system bottlenecks for line balancing purposes Adds flexibility when a co-worker is absent

How do small lot sizes support Lean process design? (Select all correct answers.)

Inspection and rework costs are less More flexibility to meet customer demand Work-in-process inventory is reduced

Identify the true statements about Kanban. (Select all that apply.)

It requires workers to signal when they have run out of parts at their assembly operation. It replaces material or parts only when needed, so as to avoid overproduction.

Which of the following statements is true about Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing started in Japan at Toyota.

In what ways does JIT (Just-In-Time) impact the supply chain? (Select all correct answers.)

Loading docks busier from more frequent orders Suppliers are under pressure to deliver on-time Vendors may charge more per unit for smaller shipments

In order to make a JIT/Lean system flexible to handle a variety of products, what two things must be reduced?

Long setup/changeover times and long lead times from vendors

When converting to Lean/Just-in-time operations what are workers usually most concerned about?

Loss of their job as production efficiency increases

What are some of the benefits of Lean Operations?

Lower costs, greater productivity, higher quality

Which of the following statements is correct about planning a successful conversion to Lean/Just-in-time operations.

Management and employees must be convinced of benefit and receive training prior to conversion to avoid obstacles.

What is the most serious obstacle to Lean conversion?

Management commitment of resources required for conversion

Select the four building blocks which support the goals of Lean/Just-in-Time systems from the following list:

Manufacturing, planning and control Product design Process design Personnel & organization elements

Value Stream Mapping is a technique that originated at Toyota, where it was referred to as _____.

Material and Information Flow Mapping

Which of the below statements best describes the difference between a push and pull system of production?

Push: work is sent to the next operation upon completion. Pull: the subsequent operation takes from the preceding.

In order to achieve a balanced, rapid flow through a Lean system, disruptions must be minimized. What are some causes of disruptions in production? (Select all that apply.)

Quality problems Equipment breakdowns Late deliveries from suppliers

What characteristic of lean systems enables equipment flexibility and output variety without disruption in a lean system?

Quick changeovers

The benefits of Lean are most easily realized in which Process type?

Repetitive assembly

Which of the following is an example of standardized parts supporting Lean.

Same hard drive casing is used in all Dell Computers so assembler learns how to install one part number across all models of computers.

What are the two common threads across all the building blocks of Lean/JIT systems.

Speed and Simplicity

What are some of the major obstacles encountered when converting to Lean/Just-in-time operations from traditional methods? (Select all that apply.)

Suppliers may resist for various reasons--frequent deliveries, burden of quality, etc. The organization's culture may not be compatible with the Lean philosophy. Management may resist because Lean shifts some of their responsibilities to workers.

When services adopt Lean operations what is usually the main focus of improvement?

Time to perform a service

Which of the following is an example of "elimination of disruptions" for Lean services. (Select the best answer.)

Try to avoid having workers who are servicing employees also answer telephones

Lean, which originated at Toyota, uses many Japanese terms for its concepts. Match the term with the definition. Muda Kanban Heijunka Kaizen Jidoka

Waste and inefficiency A manual system to control the movement of parts and materials using containers and signals Leveling volume and variety of work to reduce variation in the process Continuous improvement in the system "Quality at the source"--work is stopped immediately when a defect occurs.

At Toyota Lean Manufacturing is focused on Waste Reduction in every aspect of process. What is meant by "waste" in this context?

Waste is anything that does not add value to or interferes with production.

In a Lean organization workers are treated as assets. What does this mean in a lean organization? (Select all the examples that apply.)

Workers are given authority to make decisions that effect their work. Workers are well-trained in Lean philosophy and methods.

Supply chain ______ can inhibit operations due to minimal inventory levels in lean systems.

disruptions

Direct suppliers must be able to support _____ just-in-time deliveries of _____ of parts.

frequent, small batches