Introduction
Lean operation refers to practices that are aimed at achieving manufacturing processes with minimum waste. This paper seeks to discuss aspects of manufacturing processes. The paper will explore definitions of terms that are used in manufacturing processes. It will also explain lean wastes in a manufacturing set up.
Definitions
Cycle time
Cycle time is the duration of time needed to complete a production process. Raw materials are processed into finished products within the period. Cycle time begins when production process starts with raw materials until the time when the necessary production activities are completed (Curry and Feldman, 2010).
Throughput
Throughput is the measure of the rate of production of a process. It measures the quantity of raw materials that are utilized in a production process per unit duration of time. Denis and Shock define ‘throughput’ as the mean rate of outcome from a process (Denis and Shock, 2007).
Throughput time
Throughput time is a total time that is taken to complete a production process. The period begins from the first step of a production process up to the process’ last step. Throughput time in a manufacturing industry is, for instance, defined as the duration of time that starts at the beginning of a production process until the time that the desired finished product is obtained (Reijers, 2003).
Work in progress
Work in progress refers to the value of raw materials that have been put in a production process but have not yet been completed. Example of work in progress in a manufacturing industry is the set of materials that are meant to be used in the production of commodities, but which are still under the manufacturing process (Dudbridge, 2011).
Job shop
A job shop is a production facility or a set of machines, which can only execute one activity at a time, but can be reused after every single operation. It defines a collection of facilities which functionalities are renewable (Lee and Choi, 2010).
Possible seven lean wastes in Kentucky Fried Chicken domain
The main aim of lean production processes is to minimize wastes that could be incurred during production processes. Possible lean wastes in a manufacturing industry include “overproduction, inventory, transport, processing, idle time, operation motion, and bad quality” (Dudbridge, 2011, n.p.).
Overproduction, which is defined as excess output of finished products, is a waste because it induces turbulence in a supply chain’s production flow. Further, overproduction means that resources that could have been used in other activities are tied up in stock that is not immediately useful to an organization.
Transportation, which is defined as the process of moving inventory from one location to another, is also a waste because it causes expenditure, but does not add value to the production process.
Operator motion, a process that involves movement of personnel from one manufacturing location to another, in cases where processes are executed at different locations, is also a significant waste. This is because the time and resources that are used in operator motions could be utilized in adding value to the production process (Dudbridge, 2011).
Inventory, which is a derivative of overproduction, is another waste in production processes. Like overproduction, inventory holds up resources and disrupts flow of production processes. While bad quality leads to poor sales, costly processing methods reduce availability of resources and idle time delays production processes (Dudbridge, 2011).
One of the possible lean wastes that Kentucky could face is overproduction. This could lead to held up resources and losses due to expired stock. The organization can avoid the waste through market research on demand trends. Transportation of resources such as raw materials is another possible waste for the company. This can be avoided by establishing the company’s own poultry firm within or around its premises.
Large inventory due to over production can also be avoided by monitoring market trends together with application of sales promotions. Idle time and poor quality are other wastes that the company could face and can be avoided by ensuring proper operations management (Dudbridge, 2011).
References
Curry, G., and Feldman, R. (2010). Manufacturing Systems Modeling and Analysis. New York, NY: Springer
Denis, P., and Shock, J. (2007). Lean production simplified: a plain language guide to the world’s most powerful production system. New York, NY: Productivity Press
Dudbridge, M. (2011). Handbook of Lean Manufacturing in the Food Industry. Oxford, UK: John Wiley & Sons
Lee, S., and Choi, B. (2010). Frontiers of Assembly and Manufacturing: Selected Papers from ISAM’09’. Barcelona, Spain: Springer
Reijers, H. (2003). Design and control of workflow processes: business process management for the service industry. New York, NY: Springer