DIGITAL MANUFACTURING MAY/JUNE 2020
DIGITALISING LEAN
As the world recovers from COVID-19, lean manufacturing techniques – especially
those incorporating strong digital strategies – can fuel growth in the sector
BY LUCY PAMMENT, HEAD OF MANUFACTURING AND SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS, ACCESS GROUP
To say the past few months have been
challenging for manufacturers would be
an understatement. Almost overnight,
COVID-19 derailed even the most solid
businesses as demand for some products
fell sharply, leaving factories mothballed
and workers furloughed for the foreseeable future.
But we should avoid being pessimistic about
what the coming months have in store and
instead remember the agility and innovation
fi rms demonstrated during the crisis, with many
ramping up or switching production to deliver
essential supplies.
Engineering fi rms began manufacturing face
shields and ventilator parts; textiles companies
made NHS scrubs and food factories increased
production by as much as 50% to keep the
supermarket shelves stocked and the nation fed.
Qualities like speed, resilience and innovation
will stand them in good stead for survival and
success, helping to fuel economic recovery and
safeguard thousands of jobs in the UK. But in
what feels like an increasingly uncertain world,
they know they must prepare for anything.
One possible consequence of the COVID-19
“We have seen two years’
of digital transformation
in two months.”
Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
lockdown is that materials and components
are harder to come by due to international
lockdowns, so manufacturing costs increase.
Industries worst-hit by the pandemic may
see lower demand for their products, which
means their suppliers are forced to pivot
quickly to fi ll their order books.
work on shift due to social distancing,
while strict border controls (coupled
with Brexit) could lead to profound skills
gaps. With resources in short supply, and
margins tighter than ever, manufacturers
will need to break down the barriers
currently holding them back.
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Making the case for lean
If ever there was a time to
leverage lean manufacturing, it
is now. Born in the aftermath of
another global crisis, the Second
World War, Japan set out to
rebuild its manufacturing sector
with scarce resources. Famously
pioneered by Toyota, the model
enables businesses to do more
with less without compromising
on quality, nor losing the
‘human’ touch.
Manufacturers that have
adopted lean can see remarkable
results, with some reducing
times by as much as 75% and
defect rates to almost-zero. But
there is only so much human
endeavour and machines can
achieve, and the once-rapid
progress eventually plateaued.
Thanks to advances in
digital technology, the case
for lean has become more
compelling in recent years – and
more so in light of COVID-19.
Manufacturers yet to embark
on digital transformation were
already at a disadvantage,
long before the pandemic.
Now those unable to operate
with maximum effi ciency and
productivity risk falling even
further behind.
Before looking at the
technology in more detail, it is
important to debunk some
of the myths around lean
manufacturing. While
most businesses strive to
be lean, the mistake they
make is viewing it as a
toolkit for individual
projects rather than
a comprehensive
company-wide strategy
that demands buyin
from senior
managers.
Teams, as
well as
practices such as just-in-time,
should not work in isolation
but through cross-departmental
collaboration, otherwise
progress will quickly stall.
Unlike traditional management
structures, where decisions
tend to be made retrospectively
in offi ces and workers are told
what to do, lean advocates
shop fl oor decision-making
based on real-time metrics, and
empowering staff to develop
skills that deliver value.
Big wins come along
occasionally but what
matters most is continuous
improvement (or kaizen) where
costs, duplicated work and
defects are collectively reduced.
It is a process, not an endpoint,
which makes company
goals more achievable and
sustainable.
Taking lean to the
next level
Data-driven systems (including
AI, IoT, robotics and MRP, APS
and ERP software) are crucial
in taking lean to the next
level, enabling manufacturers
to fi nally get on top of longstanding
challenges.
Automation has long been
one of the most eff ective ways
of speeding up production
and reducing human error.
Now analytics, based on data
too complex for many of us to
compute quickly enough, are
readily available to authorised
staff via real-time dashboards,
on a mobile device.
Digital technology
facilitates optimal workfl ows
and evidence-based decisionmaking,
both on the shopfl oor
and in the boardroom. It means
every valuable resource (labour,
equipment and materials)
is geared towards fulfi lling
We might also see fewer staff able to
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