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AIAG to drive implementation of LeanIts not just training anymoreby David LalainfromActionline Magazine, March/April 2007

Have you ever gone to a great class, spent a couple of days learning new ideas, doingexciting hands-on exercises, but when you got back to the same old grind, you were soburied in catching up on the work that all that learning simply disappeared from yourmemory?

AIAG is well known for providing great courses, and they have a solutionworkshops!Attendees of the Lean for Executives & Champions and Lean Project Team Leadershiphave rated the training very highly, but they face a significant challenge to help theirorganization implement the principles. Workshops answer the question, What next?

AIAG will soon begin offering Lean Workshops. The format is simple. Up to five

companies sign up for workshops that include two days of training in Lean concepts atAIAG for up to 5 participants from each of the five companies. This is then followed bya 3-day workshop, at each companys facility, where those 5 people, an expert facilitatorfrom AIAG and others (as needed) work at applying one or more of the tools. Togetherthey define the current state, envision a future state and complete a project plan for thetransformation. The tools are dependant on the project and may include continuous flow,pull systems, cellular manufacturing, TPM, SMED, 5S or a host of others.

One good example of Lean that is well executedin your facility can make all the difference indriving the use of Lean concepts. Thecombination of the training and the experienceof doing will provide the impetus to drivefurther projects. The success and clear processfor implementation will encourage otheremployees to come forward with potentialprojects and will give the company time toimprove.

Lean has proven itself. Whats been missingwas a cost effective way of getting started andgetting the expert assistance required to do itright. I remember starting Lean at one facilityand signing a contract for over $200,000 toprovide the training and assistance in implementing the first few projects. For a whole lotless you can train dozens of people and run many projects, developing the neededexpertise to continue to implement the process inside your own organization.

What competitive advantages would youhave if you could:

reduce manufacturing andoverhead costs by 20%?

deliver products in 50 to 80%less time?

free up capital through a 75 to90% reduction in inventories?

improve labor productivity by40 to 50%?

improve quality by a factor of10x or 100x?

reduce the cost of poor qualityby 50%?

reduce time-to-market by 50%?What advantage will your competitor

have if they do and you dont?

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One of the most significant ways this approach differs from typical training is that it isproject-based from the start. When your company signs up for the workshop you willreceive instructions on how to identify an appropriate project:

1. Justification Is this project going to add value for your customer base and willthe results translate to bottom line savings for your organization?2. Key players Who is critical to the successful transformation of this process?

3. Boundaries Where are the beginning and end of this process, and is the scopemanageable?

4. Obstacles What obstacles will need to be addressed before this process canchange?

5. Metrics What are the measurables of this process?6. Goals What level of improvement are you targeting for this, and what is the

timeframe?7. Participants Who should attend the training? This should include the process

owner, candidates to become leaders for future implementations and key people

needed to affect the targeted process change. Others may participate in the on-siteworkshop or can be identified during the planning stage conducted in the trainingsession.

The first two days of open enrollment training at AIAG include:

Introduction to Lean Lean Implementation Strategy Project Selection and Management Team Selection Team Management Introduction to Lean Tools

o Value Stream Mappingo Continuous flowo Pull systemso Visual Controls, Kanbano 5So Error Proofingo Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)o Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)o Quick changeovers (SMED)

Gap Analysis Future State versus Current State Performance Measuring the Savings from Lean Projects Executive Reports & Management Review Process

During the on-site workshop the participants will:

Day 1o Review methods to map, measure and analyze the current processo Identify waste, value added versus non-value added activitieso Process walk to identify waste, and document the current process

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o Review process metrics and set goals for improvemento Training, as needed, in the most applicable improvement toolso Release report on the opportunities to management and co-workers for

input

Day 2o Envision a process that eliminates the waste and exceeds the goalso Map the proposed processo Identify the steps to reach the new processo Develop a detailed action plano Release report on the proposed changes to management and co-workers

for approval

Day 3o Implement the action plan, get it started and keep it goingo Additional training as needed to support the action plano Next steps

Measure and report on successes

How to identify and improve the next process

Even if you have an active Lean process, this offering from AIAG can help. Get anobjective outside view of your process and additional resources at your disposal, and youmay find new opportunities or resources to get the successes you need. AIAG is planningto hold at least one workshop a quarter and will arrange the training and on-site scheduleto fit the needs of companies that sign-up. Please call the training registration office at248.358.3003 or visit http://www.aiag.org to enroll.