十几年前的Lean经历

一个偶然的机会面试机会让我想起了十几年前的推行Lean的经历。作为论坛的老人我自从2005年莫名的丢失账号之后，就没发过帖子，这个就当成回顾。帖子其实是一封邮件，我删除了一些名称。

I share personal lean experience.
I start try Lean in 1997, at that time, it is called JIT, as a quality manager of Wxxxx, I focus on 4 tools, they are 5S, SMED, QCC and one piece flow. At the same time, we published a lot of quality slogans around the plant. At that time, I am junior, I think those tools are previous successe methods and it must can solve our problems. It works at beginning, every body full of passion and glory. But after passion, I found that more and more employees are loose interesting about those tools. They stop thinking and just repeat the operation method we had established. I have to more relay on some key employees. Those youths eager learn more and try more. Then I try to solve this problem, after study some books, I think our system has problem, at that time, quality system is new thing to China, I study it and try it, I think it is very good and I become a preacher of quality system, I start it from Ford Q101, later, after GM SH established, we switch to QS9000 (Now it is called TS16949). To help Sales get order from GM supply Chain, we invite oversea 3rd party audit us and get the certification. We got order form GM second tie suppliers. We have a good quality system. Our employee understand how to do their work, how to work with each other understand process. Some of my team members are prompted. But, our quality performance is same with before. Later, more and more qualified employees quit. I remember in many farewell parties, my colleagues and subordinators told me he thanks for my training, and the knowledge and experience he get from me give him a opportunity to get a better job with better salary. Some existing colleagues persuade me what I teach them required them have to pay more on work but salary is same, it is unfair.
Now I review this phase, I think company, me, my core team member get feedback like knowledge, promotion, money. But common employees enriched experience but little finance feedback. To them this business is exciting and hard but no benefit. Industry benefit level decide employee salary level. Employee ability will push them go up to high level company. Now maybe the situation is changed, but how to keep qualified employee is a key element to Lean manufacture. Especially in this normal turnover rate 20%+ time.
Later, I setup sigma control OEE and shutdown line standard in 1998. This time I got great deal of resistance from MFG, top management give me oral support but not fully support. I was dissatisfied with them. But we are friends. I find a consultant job want to quit. My boss tells me I can be part time T&Q manager and they also can introduce customer to me. So I have two jobs and two salaries.
Now review this stage, I understand all of them include MFG, top management. Sigma and OEE will make MFG have to pay more attention to equipment and do some preventive even predictive maintenance and adjustment. But the key thing is shut down line. Before our employee has the skill and ability, shut down line will threaten company benefit. Employee is blamed. We can solve quality problem by customer service, we are better than competitor that is enough for now. But since then, quality level is never improved. All of us know sales are first. Defect is risk but customer difficult to find it. We should base on customer level to deal with quality.
My first time run Lean is in Cxxxx from 1999- 2001. At that time I am consultant of Lxxxx Company and later consultant their new plant xxx. Those two plants are best companies in Cxxxx city who supply VW Audi plant directly by every 2 hours with different SKU number mixed together.
I spend much time with their planning department to study customer annual plan, 3 month rolling forecast, weekly arrangement and daily adjust fax (no EDI). Structure planning regulation and open capacity, bottleneck, CT, spend many time on VSM, plant layout, material follow, component supermarket. But the key bottleneck is overall cost caused by quickly change and defect caused shutdown line. To support VW, the inventory even more than 2 years ago. Since 2000-2001, I spend most time with their MFG to study tooling, SMED, 5S, buffer volume reduce, lot size reduce.... I am lucky this company is best company in the city, so there is low employee turnover rate. So step by step, they can reduce WIP to minimum size, assembly line can mixing product printing, assembly line can one piece flow, but we can't fully use pull production. In assembly line we can pull production. But others workshop use push by minimum lot size (I think it is a kind of cell). But we still need a strong planning department to organize overall. Even when I step into Semiconductor company, they still keep big material inventory (almost all material are oversea) and about 3-5 days WIP as backup. But finish goods inventory is small. The first year of Lean, their profit is reduced and cost is increased.
Review this stage, Lean need high machine ability, setup ability, FTT... too many abnormal are exposure, all these requires high level employee, even employee want to improve, they need time. VW also send expert to their plant to help them, but the result is limited. Others successful experience is not work in this plant makes them begin to thinking, try their solution. Only after their employee begin to thinking, things begin to better and better. So thinking method and culture change is the key thing for Lean but need a condition that employee believe it worth to continue thinking or they have no choice, they must do it to keep their job. I even know employee resent destroying machine, tools, or hiding defect products cause material usage abnormal, but luckily, the standard and database, feedback system is easy to control because of their major product is big enough and self inspect time is enough.
I also help some other customer try Lean but not involve in too much.
In 2001 I work for Kxxxx. In this company, I know their system and part of their key employees. Their department managers always changed. In this company we run Lean with MRPII (Promise). Information flow is easy to define but data precision is a big problem, we spend many time on "in time" feedback, spend many time to balance different product mixing caused bottle neck slippage. Conduct many projects to short SKU change time and minimize lot size until to one pcs wafer. Reduce WIP buffer and DPPM, lot reject rate. This time run Lean is not so difficult; the major reason is not because I have experience but their high employee quality level and implementation. Also double manager backup keep the plant run smoothly. I remember the high employee turnover rate cause by huge pressure of improvement and high frequency adjustment force us build dorm, recruit employee from underdevelopment aero directly. At that time, China hasn’t labor shortage.
In other 2 companies, I just run some tools to solve some problem and tell them how to run Lean. I don't see the final result because only work for them 1 year. But most of them just do surface work or just can get a phase result then stop at there.
So I think Lean is easy, but if we really want to run lean, before we select supplier, we should review process, employee ability, culture and top management attitude.
I need highlight, to supplier, they need review risk. If local company, how to balance old honor hasn't ability but when boss deal with them will make most employee don’t trust boss. Team work and employee involve are basic requirement base on trust. Skill and knowledge is not the major problem, but the supplier culture and risk tolerance is major challenge. For example like professional manager's death in private company. In white appliance OEM industry, it is a red ocean. To some local private company, Revolution will caused death and no opportunity to revive. Waiting for death is better than Suicide.