Boeing’s “PTQ” (Put Together Quickly) videos show a time lapse of an airliner in production. They have been producing the for years – certainly since I was working there. This one, though, shows something a little special. When I first started working there, the idea of a line stop was unthinkable. The plane moved on [...]
Now and again someone wonders out loud why, in this lexicon of Japanese terms, we have the word “takt.” I had always passed along what I had heard – that the word was German, short for taktzeit and used in their factories to represent the pace of production. During WWII, the Germans had helped the [...]
One of the questions that comes up frequently in “lean” discussions is the issue of non-repetitive work. This is especially an issue with complex information processes such as bid proposals, estimates, etc. While it is true that breaking down and understanding truly repetitive work is easier, the same principles apply to more complex tasks. But [...]
Why can’t we get a more accurate forecast from sales? Manufacturing managers the world over have the same complaint. Maybe the word “forecast” is tripping everyone up. A forecast is a prediction. Maybe it is based on some kind of market analysis, maybe even asking the dealers what they think they will sell. It could [...]
My friend Tom poses an interesting question to production managers: “If I ask you to produce different quantities and types of products every day, what quantity of people, materials, machines, and space do you need?” Of course the answer is usually, at best, inarticulate and, at worst, a blank stare. There isn’t any way to [...]
One question I see coming up a lot in various forums is how to deal with issues unique to very long takt times. By “very long” I usually hear about many hours, sometimes days, occasionally weeks. Because it comes up fairly often, I thought I would take a shot at addressing it here. I think [...]
