Table Of ContentKaizen
Assembly
Designing,
Constructing, and
Managing a
Lean Assembly Line
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Chris A. Ortiz
Kaizen
Assembly
Designing,
Constructing, and
Managing a
Lean Assembly Line
Boca Raton London New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ortiz, Chris A.
Kaizen assembly : designing, constructing, and managing a lean assembly line
/ Chris A. Ortiz.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8493-7187-2 (alk. paper)
1. Production management. 2. Manufacturing processes. I. Title.
TS155.O77 2006
658.5’33--dc22 2006041794
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have been published if it were not for the support and
work of many people. First and foremost I want to thank my wife Pavlina
for encouraging me to write this book and putting up with my long week-
ends of writing. To my son Sebastian for reminding me every so often to
take breaks from writing and give him shoulder rides.
I would like to thank Deborah Riffin for proofreading each chapter of the
manuscript and providing me with better ways to explain my thoughts. Of
course I cannot forget to thank my editor Cindy Carelli at CRC Press/Taylor
& Francis for taking interest in this book and walking me through the
adventures of publishing, and Theresa Delforn, my production coordinator
at CRC Press/Taylor & Francis for her pleasant approach in getting the book
ready for publication.
I have to give thanks to Washington Ergonomics for their ergonomic input
contained in this book. And finally, I would like to thank every person I had
the pleasure of working with during the many kaizen events across the
country. Too many names to list, but you know who you are.
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7187_C000.fm Page vii Tuesday, May 23, 2006 10:56 AM
About the Author
Chris Ortiz is a senior lean consultant and
the owner of Kaizen Assembly, a lean man-
ufacturing training company in North
Carolina. Before starting Kaizen Assembly,
he worked for a number of Fortune 500
companies, holding titles such as senior
lean engineer, lean coordinator, kaizen
coordinator, and corporate lean advisor.
Chris has been featured in a variety of
engineering magazines and trade news-
letters such as Industrial Engineer, Indus-
trial Management, and Manufacturing
Engineer’s lean newsletter. He is a member
of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and
the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Chris is an active speaker on lean man-
ufacturing and kaizen and conducts
workshops and seminars all over the country. Today, he and his family reside
in Winston Salem, NC. He can be reached at www.kaizenassembly.com.
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Introduction
It is 9:30 a.m. and it is business as usual at the Company Z manufacturing
plant. Product is being pushed down the assembly line at a rapid rate. The
production supervisors are pacing back and forth, overseeing the interac-
tions between people and product like field marshals analyzing their troops
before battle. The constant sense of urgency forces operators to ignore stan-
dard operating procedures and critical quality responsibilities. Product
begins to pile up between workstations, and operators are witnessed hunting
for parts and tools.
Work instructions are scattered across the production floor, collecting dust.
Tools malfunction and parts do not arrive at the workstation when needed.
New employees stand around looking confused, not knowing what to do or
what to ask. Operators leave their workstations to talk on cell phones and
to interact with fellow employees working on other assembly lines.
The workstations are poorly constructed and do not adhere to any ergo-
nomic or safety criteria. Work content is severely imbalanced, forcing oper-
ators to stand around looking for something to do rather than working. Parts
and material presented to each workstation are so poorly organized that
operators spend a majority of their time wandering and searching, their faces
masked with confusion. Crisis management and volume are the primary
focus, so issues are resolved as they arise, rather than finding long-term
solutions. Every hour that passes is one step closer to the end of the day,
which will bring some form of relief. At last, it ends with the typical, middle
management production meeting that involves a semiheated exchange of
problems and quick fixes. Sound like your company? You are not alone.
Recognizing the problems that exist on your production floor is the first
step to success. Many manufacturers are fully aware of the issues and chal-
lenges that create roadblocks to success, yet do nothing about it. Rather than
attempting to resolve these issues, two things typically occur. First of all,
problems are addressed “on the fly.” Quick fixes, or bandaids, are applied,
allowing production to continue on in the short term while realizing that
the problem will resurface again, possibly in the same day. Also, these quick
fixes can often create even larger problems in the future. This inefficient
approach to problem solving creates a reactive thinking culture, one that
will never search for long-term solutions. This self-destructive mind-set sets
the tone for acceptance of problems and issues as a familiar part of the
process, while remaining focused on driving product through unresolved
situations, as the normal business practice. In simpler terms, it breeds a
common thought among all, as well as the familiar statement, “It has always
been this way.”
