Lean Manufacturing: Optimizing Production Operations and Supply Chains

Production Planning. Okay, we've got the materials. Now let's build something. It starts with production planning. You need to align your production schedule with that demand forecast we talked about earlier. The goal is level production, avoiding those crazy peaks and valleys where your team's working overtime one week and sweeping floors to keep busy the next. Consistency is king here. Then there are the ever-important quality control practices—QC for short. You can't build quality into a product at the end. You have to incorporate this from step one. To help with this, use standardized checklists. If a defect happens, don't just toss the part. Find the root cause. Why did it happen? Fix the process so it doesn't happen again. So that's where lean manufacturing comes in. You knew it was coming. If you take nothing else away from this bit, remember: you want to eliminate the 8 wastes of lean— downtime— to remember them: defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, and extra processing. Lean is about flow. Keep things moving, keep value-adding, and cut the fluff.