Most of our prosperity and wealth is based on our ability to manufacture faster, better, and cheaper than ever before. To announce the publication of my first book “Faster, Better, Cheaper” in the History of Manufacturing: From the Stone Age to Lean Manufacturing and Beyond here is the second of a four post series where I would like to explore this story and tell you a brief version of the History of Manufacturing. In this second post I would like to explore how the middle ages prepared the industrial revolution and the appearance of the steam engine.
The History of Manufacturing – Part 1: Prehistory to Antiquity
Most of our prosperity and wealth is based on our ability to manufacture faster, better, and cheaper than ever before. To announce the publication of my first book “Faster, Better, Cheaper” in the History of Manufacturing: From the Stone Age to Lean Manufacturing and Beyond, I would like to start a four post series where I explore this story and tell you a brief version of the History of Manufacturing. In this first post I would like to talk about prehistory, division of labor, mechanization, and manufacturing during antiquity.
Good and Bad Ways to Calculate the OEE
There are different ways to calculate an OEE. I know of at least three different ways. However, some of them are easier and more practical than others.
Maybe you have seen a formula similar to OEE = A x P x Q. I see this formula often, but for me it is a very impractical way to calculate the OEE. Let me show you why by comparing the three different ways to calculate an OEE.
How to Prioritize Your Work Orders – Prioritization of Made to Order
In my previous posts I went into great detail on how to prioritize your work, with a focus on made-to-stock-type production. In this last post of my series on work prioritization, I look at made-to-order systems and mixed made-to-order and made-to-stock systems.
How to Prioritize Your Work Orders – Prioritization of Made to Stock
In my last two posts I described why and how to establish a system for handling priority work orders. This post discusses how to actually prioritize your different work orders.
Hint: It has a lot to do with the quantity of a particular product ordered. The more frequently a product is ordered, the easier it is to provide the parts through inventory rather than rush orders. But … I rush ahead 🙂 .
There are different strategies available, depending on your production mix – in particular your mixture of made-to-order and made-to-stock products. Let’s first focus on made-to-stock production.
How to Prioritize Your Work Orders – The VIP Lane
In my previous post I went through the basics of prioritization of your work orders. The easiest way to prioritize these orders is through a VIP lane: a lane for very important parts. In this post I will discuss what you need to make your VIP lane work – and how you can completely mess up a priority system. In my next post I will describe different prioritization strategies that can be used.
How to Prioritize Your Work Orders – Basics
Any manufacturing system has production orders, some of which are urgent, others of which are less so. Hence, you may need to prioritize some orders over others. There are different ways to prioritize your orders – and merely telling your people to rush a job creates more chaos than it helps. Luckily, in a kanban loop, there is one spot to prioritize your production orders: before the first process. Done correctly, this allows you to create a smoother and more efficient production system. Let’s go into more detail. In this first post of a longer series, I go through the basics: why, where, and how not to prioritize.
How to Make “Just in Time” Work – Part 2
In my previous posts I explained what “Just in Time” is, and started with different actions on how to make “Just in Time” work. As it turns out, there are a lot of things you can do, and one blog post was not enough. So here’s part two on how to make “Just in Time” work! As before, be warned that most of these methods or actions are not easy!