Lean playbook for automotive plants

1. 1

   One stopped station stops the line

   On a paced line a fault at one station soon starves or blocks the rest. Operators wait for help, the repair is quick but the cause is not found, and the same stop happens again next week.

   Lean methods

   • Andon
   • Total productive maintenance (TPM)
   • Breakdown analysis
   • Mean time to repair (MTTR)

   First moves

   1. Give every station an andon signal and agree who responds and how fast.
   2. Log every stop with the station, duration, cause and fix.
   3. Run a why-why analysis on every stop longer than an agreed time and record the countermeasure.
   4. Start a daily operator care routine on the stations that stop most.

   Number to watch: Downtime minutes per shift, and mean time to repair.

   Andon response logEquipment downtime log (MTTR and MTBF)Breakdown analysis reportDowntime cost calculatorMTBF and MTTR calculator
2. 2

   Standard work that drifts between shifts

   The same station is run three ways on three shifts. Work instructions go stale after an engineering change, and nobody checks the method until a defect shows up.

   Lean methods

   • Standard work
   • Leader standard work
   • Standard work audit

   First moves

   1. Write a standard work sheet for each station: sequence, key points, takt and safety.
   2. Give team leaders a daily leader standard work routine that includes checking one station's method.
   3. Audit standard work on every shift and fix the cause of each gap, not just the person.

   Number to watch: Standard work audit score, and cycle time spread between shifts.

   Standard work sheet templateStandard work audit checklistLeader standard work template
3. 3

   Layered process audits that keep finding the same things

   Audits are done, but on the same easy questions, and findings are closed on paper without changing anything. Leaders cannot see where findings cluster across lines.

   Lean methods

   • Layered process audit (LPA)
   • Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
   • Pareto analysis

   First moves

   1. Base audit questions on the high-risk steps in your PFMEA and control plan.
   2. Rotate questions and auditors, and close each finding within an agreed time.
   3. Chart repeat findings by line and question every month and treat repeats as problems to solve.

   Number to watch: Audit completion on schedule, and repeat findings.

   Layered process audit (LPA) checklistPFMEA template (process FMEA)Control plan template
4. 4

   Defects and complaints that come back

   A customer complaint gets containment and an 8D, but the corrective action is a reminder or extra inspection. A few months later the same failure mode returns.

   Lean methods

   • 8D problem solving
   • Containment action
   • Poka-yoke
   • Quality alert

   First moves

   1. Contain within the shift and post a quality alert at every affected station.
   2. Run the 8D with the people who do the work, and verify that the action worked before closing.
   3. Prefer error-proofing that makes the defect impossible over checks that rely on attention.

   Number to watch: Internal defects per million (or first pass yield) and repeat complaints.

   8D report templatePoka-yoke worksheetQuality alert formFirst pass yield (FPY) calculatorDPMO and sigma level calculator
5. 5

   Stations over takt after a mix or volume change

   Volumes and model mix change, but the line is not rebalanced. Some operators run over takt and catch up with overtime, while others wait.

   Lean methods

   • Takt time
   • Line balancing
   • Yamazumi chart

   First moves

   1. Recalculate takt time whenever demand or shift pattern changes.
   2. Time each work element and stack them by operator on a yamazumi chart against takt.
   3. Move work from overloaded stations, remove waste from the bottleneck first, and update standard work.

   Number to watch: Cycle time against takt for every station.

   Time study sheetStandard work combination tableProcess capacity sheet templateTakt time calculatorLine balancing calculatorCycle time calculator
6. 6

   Certified operators on critical stations

   Safety- and quality-critical stations should be run only by people trained and signed off on them. When someone calls in sick, supervisors fill the gap with whoever is free.

   Lean methods

   • Skills matrix
   • TWI Job Instruction
   • Cross-training

   First moves

   1. Mark the critical stations and list who is certified on each in a skills matrix.
   2. Train with job breakdown sheets and certify with a competency check on the floor.
   3. Plan cross-training so every critical station has enough certified people on each shift.

   Number to watch: Certified people per critical station, per shift.

   Skills matrix templateTWI job breakdown sheetCompetency assessment form
7. 7

   Supplier parts and unflagged changes

   A new material lot, a supplier process change or a repaired tool arrives without warning, and defects rise. Supplier problems are chased by email for weeks.

   Lean methods

   • Change point management (4M change)
   • Production part approval process (PPAP)
   • Supplier scorecard
   • Supplier corrective action request (SCAR)

   First moves

   1. Flag every change of person, machine, material or method on a change-point board and add first-part checks.
   2. Hold supplier changes to your approval process before parts reach the line.
   3. Score key suppliers monthly on quality, delivery and response, and raise a SCAR for repeat problems.

   Number to watch: Supplier defects per million and on-time delivery.

   4M change management sheet (change point)PPAP checklistSupplier scorecardSupplier corrective action request (SCAR) form
8. 8

   Tier meetings without follow-through

   SQDC boards are filled in by hand, each level works from different numbers, and actions agreed on Monday are forgotten by Thursday.

   Lean methods

   • Tiered meetings
   • SQDCM
   • Daily huddle

   First moves

   1. Hold short team, area and plant meetings in sequence at fixed times, on the same SQDC measures.
   2. Give every red measure an action with an owner and a date.
   3. Agree which problems move up a tier the same day, and report back down.

   Number to watch: Actions closed on time, and problems escalated and solved.

   Daily huddle agendaEscalation matrix template

More small fixes in the production, quality and maintenance sections of the kaizen idea bank.

Free templates, calculators and buyer's guides

• Andon response logEvery andon call with response and fix times, flags against your targets, and counts by type and station.
• Equipment downtime log (MTTR and MTBF)A breakdown and downtime log, with MTTR, MTBF and downtime by machine and cause worked out in Excel.
• Breakdown analysis reportOne equipment breakdown from the stop to the 90-day check, plus a breakdown log with repeat flags, MTBF and MTTR by asset and a Pareto of causes.
• Standard work sheet templateTakt time, each element's manual, machine and walk time on a time chart, key points and standard WIP.
• Standard work audit checklist24 checks of a job against its written standard, ten timed cycles, and each gap sorted by cause before anyone acts.
• Leader standard work templateA team leader's daily, weekly and monthly routine with a box per day, follow-ups and a weekly review.
• Layered process audit (LPA) checklist20 yes, no or N/A checks at the station, a fixed-on-the-spot box, scores by group and a findings table.
• PFMEA template (process FMEA)Failure modes, effects and causes rated for severity, occurrence and detection, with RPN before and after action.
• Control plan templateWhat is checked at each step, against which limits, how, how often, and what to do when a result is out.
• 8D report templateD0 to D8 on three pages: team, is/is not, containment, occurrence and escape causes, actions and closure.
• Poka-yoke worksheetEach step's possible errors, prevention or detection, the method, a device idea and a verified box.
• Quality alert formA quality alert to post at the line, a sign-off sheet for every shift, and a log of open, expired and closed alerts.
• Time study sheetTime each element over 10 cycles and work out the average, lowest repeatable and standard time. Excel does the sums.
• Standard work combination tableOne operator's manual, machine, walk and wait time on a time chart against takt, with machine cycles and a process capacity sheet.
• Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
• Skills matrix templatePeople by skills, a 0 to 4 scale, a training column and a coverage row that shows the gaps.
• TWI job breakdown sheetThe TWI Job Instruction breakdown of a job into important steps, key points and reasons, with a worked example and the four steps.
• Competency assessment formEach task rated 0 to 4 on the skills matrix scale with the evidence seen, then the gaps and a training plan.
• 4M change management sheet (change point)A shift log of every change to Man, Machine, Material, Method or Design, the extra checks after it and when normal checks resume, with a change point board.
• PPAP checklistThe 18 PPAP elements with owner, due date and status, the five submission levels and a readiness count.
• Supplier scorecardMonthly PPM, on-time delivery and SCAR measures turned into points, a weighted score and a rating per supplier.
• Supplier corrective action request (SCAR) formA SCAR from the problem and containment asked for to the supplier's 8D-style response, verification and closure.
• Daily huddle agendaA 15-minute start-of-shift stand-up in six timed blocks, with yesterday's SQCDP results, today's plan, actions and escalations.
• Escalation matrix templateWho is called for each type of issue and after how long, with severity rules, contacts and an escalation log.
• Downtime cost calculatorWhat an hour, an event and a year of unplanned downtime cost, from lost output, idle labour, scrap and overtime.
• MTBF and MTTR calculatorMean time between failures, mean time to repair and availability from operating time, failures and repair time.
• First pass yield (FPY) calculatorFirst pass yield at each step and rolled throughput yield (RTY) across the whole process.
• DPMO and sigma level calculatorDPMO, defects per unit, yield and sigma level from the defects found, units checked and opportunities per unit.
• Takt time calculatorThe pace a line must hit to meet customer demand, from shift time, breaks and daily demand.
• Line balancing calculatorLine efficiency, balance delay and the minimum number of stations from station times and takt.
• Cycle time calculatorCycle time against takt, units per hour, capacity per shift and the gap to daily demand.
• OEE calculatorOverall equipment effectiveness from shift time, downtime, ideal cycle time and part counts.