There are different solutions for different types of improvement opportunities.
Perhaps a changeover requires a template to ensure alignment or correct orientation of packaging material on the production line – Poka Yoke. Do maintenance activities require a visual schedule? T-cards.
Does employee turnover require extra training time? Do work stations require visual instructions? Pictograms.
Add a visual element to your production team meetings? White board.
The Solution Module will guide the selection of the appropriate improvement tool for your project.
Selecting the Solution
There may be several approaches to the solution. The better solution – particularly for your first project – is the low risk, high reward solution. 5S for example, is a visual workflow tool that requires a larger effort. Sometimes a small change on the production line may yield more immediate and measurable results. Use the Value Graph to prioritize your Cause-Effect items and identify high value/low risk items to create a solution for.
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Make it Visual
Meet with your team – their input is vital to the selection of the recommend solution.
“It was good to concentrate on just one part of the line, gather data, analyze it, put it into chart form and be able to present it to production supervisors/maintenance. It really put it into perspective what was actually happening, how often and how it affected the rest of the line. Like a domino effect.
The value graph was a great way to get opinions on the highest priority issues. I feel doing it as a group helped see things from other points of view and gave a different outlook on something we may not have thought was wrong or couldn’t be fixed.”
Alisa Pavlicic
Engineering Analyst
Ippolito Fruit & Produce Ltd.