(EN) Process Confirmation Standard for Kaizen at BMW Dingolfing—Part 2

In my last post I introduced the process confirmation standard at the BMW Group Dingolfing plant, which helps BMW to achieve efficiency on par with Toyota. In this post I will talk more about the actual process confirmation checklist, starting with a brief overview, followed by a deep dive into the first two sections of the checklist. Read on!

The Checklist Structure

As mentioned before, the checklist has five sections:

• Standards and Work Standard Documents: Three questions in this area focus on the documentation of the work standard.
• Gemba Standards: Seven questions look at the usage of the work standard (Gemba standard) and—crucially—its improvement.
• Material Supply Floor Area: Three questions look mostly on the use of 5S.
• Digital Dashboard: Three questions check whether the digital dashboard with information on the product sequence and the installation details is good.
• Material Supply Shelves and Carts: Similar to the material supply on the floor, these six questions look at the 5S and other topics on the shelves and carts.

At the bottom is the usual documentation: who checked and filled out the checklist, when, and for what work content (the „Takt“), to follow up if there are any issues. So, let’s go though the sections one by one and look at the daily questions. I’ll do it in a slightly different sequence than the original, simply because I like this sequence better.

Questions on Material Supply Floor Area

There are three questions on the way material is stored on the floor. These are, for example, pallet cages, shelves, carts, and similar items that provide material for (and occasionally receive material from) the operators. The main focus of this section is on 5S.

The first question checks whether all floor markings are present and up to date. Is the beginning and the end of the workstation properly marked? Is the space for shelves, boxes, carts, and other storage items properly marked?

The second question is to check whether all markings are followed. The markings on the floor indicate what should be where. Is it really there, or is it missing or somewhere else? This is somewhat redundant with the third question, which checks that there are no boxes outside of the marked areas.

Questions on Material Supply Shelves and Carts

The six questions in this section check the tools used for material supply, like carts, shelves, boxes, as well as some tools itself. Similar to the floor area, this looks a lot at 5S, but also checks some quality aspects.

The first question is whether all boxes, drawers, and tools have a clear and unambiguous label. It should be obvious what goes where, which in turn avoids messing up your workspace.

The next question checks whether the fill limit of boxes is followed. Many other plants fill boxes until they are completely full and you cannot fit any more parts inside. However, as lean manufacturing aims to reduce inventory, a full box may be too much. Often, a partially filled box may suffice until it is replenished. Old-school logistics may say that a full box means less movement, but in lean, less inventory is usually worth the extra inventory movement. BMW does follow up on that with this question.

The next question checks whether the tool cart has no unnecessary tools or other parts. This is straight out of the „Sort“ of the 5S. Only have on hand what you do need for the actual task. Anything unnecessary should be removed to reduce the clutter.

The next question is on quality: Are the scratch protection measures on the tool carts and the tools good? In automotive, scratching the new car is a constant threat, and companies go to great lengths to prevent or at least reduce the likelihood of scratching the car. This question checks these measures.

Next they check whether the tool cart is intact, or in good shape. I mentioned the tool carts already a few times. Automotive often uses tool carts in assembly, often moving carts. BMW (and Toyota) does this on a master level, and you can find tool carts moving along with the car for one station all over the plant, providing parts and tools for the assembly. Improving these tool carts is a major aspect of their improvement, and this question checks if the cart is in good shape or whether there are issues.

The final question checks whether the color coding on the digital work instructions and the tool carts and shelves match. As we will see in another question, BMW tries to avoid referencing parts by number in assembly, and instead uses easier-to-visualize color coding. This is part of visual management, and makes it easier and faster to find the right part. This question checks for mismatches (and would fix them afterward if there should be a mismatch).

In my next post I will continue the deep dive with the next item on the checklist, the Gemba standards. These are, in my view, the key driver for continuous improvement, as one element of the checklist is to create one improvement idea. Fast and frequent continuous improvement cycles are only possible if they are driven directly by the shop floor. Now, go out, look at the 5S of your material supply areas, and organize your industry!

PS: Many thanks to Thorsten Ahrens, Head of Assembly iX, i7, 8, 7, 5 Series in the BMW group Dingolfing plant, for showing me his very well managed shop floor!