What is Monozukuri?

A lot of Japanese phrases get thrown around in the business world, particularly in manufacturing. It’s no wonder why, since Japan is one of the most successful industrial societies of the past century. “Kaizen” is thrown around like a mantra, and the Kanban system is a great excuse to buy index cards. “Poka-Yoke” is mistaken for the Hokey-Pokey, while “Hoshin Kanri” and “Yokoten” are talked about at length, but usually viewed as distant cultural ideas. One concept that often gets lost in the intercultural commotion is “Monozukuri.” It carries with it the deceptively simple translation “making things,” but it represents a much larger concept. This concept extends far beyond modern Japanese industry. It speaks of a fundamental aspect of the human condition, and is a major reason why Lean management principles are so effective.

The Human Element of Monozukuri

So what does “making things” really mean? Does it mean manufacturing, craft, design, or engineering? You could extend the meaning even further, to art or even imagination itself. Monozukuri is all of these things. The deeper you look, the more your realize that a large part of what people do everyday boils down to “making things.” It is this ability that sets human being apart from other animals. Beavers might make dams, and bees might make hives, but only humans actively and consciously improve their inventions to fundamentally change their environment.

Monozukuri in Truly “Modern Times”

Since the industrial revolution, this ability to make things has greatly increased. However, as machines and assembly lines became more productive, people became more detached from the processes. They worried about becoming just “cogs in a machine,” tightening the same bolt again and again, like Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. This wasn’t just a problem for workers; it eventually led to overproduction, defects, and many other wastes. This is exactly what Taiichi Ohno and others at Toyota were trying to combat when they developed what is now known as Lean Manufacturing. Ford’s assembly line model wasn’t working. Toyota production leaders realized that restoring a sense of craftsmanship by allowing front-line workers to take ownership of their processes was essential. This not only restored dignity to the work, it created an environment for waste elimination, through creativity and improvement. In this way, without a sense of Monozukuri, there can be no Kaizen.

Monozukuri Beyond Manufacturing

The “things” you make don’t have to be physical objects. They might be designs, services, or even works of art. The most important thing is to have a sense of ownership over your work. People who have this sense of ownership improve their work, even if it is just one small step at a time. Managers who understand this can tap the natural creativity that all human beings share. Monozukuri has as much to do with creativity as it does with manufacturing. Even if what is being created is simply a new set of standard work procedures, the person creating them should see themselves as an inventor. This creative pride is an important aspect to consider when building support for Lean efforts.

At long last, we are releasing episode three of our our hit comedy series, “Everybody Get Lean”, the world’s first Lean themed comedy.

This episode, the Expira office crew struggles with the concepts of Visual Management, clashes with the neighboring office and learns the power of a 2-second improvement. Check it out below.

Everybody Get Lean is written and produced by üttana to demonstrate what happens with a Lean journey goes horribly off course. You can learn how to do Lean and Kaizen correctly using our hundreds of training videos available right here on uttana.com. 

Sometimes, for all your best intentions, Lean just is not catching on at your facility. You have tried workshops, trainings, and even conducted a 5S pilot project but you can’t seem to get people interested. It can be deeply frustrating — at its core, Lean is about making your work life easier and more satisfying — unfortunately, it has been anything but that. What can you do?

Invisible Barriers to Lean

There are plenty of reasons why your Lean efforts have yet to provide the results you expected. It might be that the Lean tools you are using are not the right fit for the needs of your organization, or it might be a lack of good information about how to do the implementation. However, most likely, it is simply a lack of support.

A Lean effort without the support of the employees involved will not be successful. You need everyone to be engaged, contributing ideas and involved in the process. When subordinates, coworkers and managers are hesitant or actively opposed to reform, it is essential to identify, and remove, these invisible barriers to Lean.

Toss the Anchor Draggers Overboard!

No, you cannot push your coworkers out a window if they are opposed to improvement efforts, as tempting as it might be. However, if they are stopping progress, consider reforming a process that does not involve them. You can use those results to help persuade a resistant coworker (or as they are known within the Lean community, “Anchor Draggers”)

Another tactic is to actually put the unconvinced employees in charge of a portion of the reforms. Although counter-intuitive, this might reduce their fear of change since they will control the implementation. Obviously, it will be essential to track goals in this situation so that everyone understands what is expected.

Building a Lean Team

You don’t have to do this alone. We believe that everyone wants to improve their working conditions. The key is helping coworkers understand that Lean allows them to do just that. Network with fellow Lean enthusiasts, share your favorite learning materials (hopefully from üttana) and share success stories among your peers.

Together, we will transform how people work, one person at a time.

Sherlock Holmes with his pipe and long coat would have looked a bit out of place at a manufacturing facility but he would have made a fantastic Lean manager. Like Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo and W. Edwards Deming, Sherlock made a name for himself by observing.

“You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.”  -A Scandal in Bohemia

The key to reducing waste is observation, but it is not enough to simply look. You must learn how to see waste. When you, or a coworker is conducting a task, actually examine the operation. How much do they move while doing the task? Could something be done ahead of time to speed up the process? Once you begin questioning these basics, you can become a detective of waste!

“There is nothing like first-hand evidence.”  -A Study in Scarlet

Sherlock understood that as a manager, you cannot rely on reports and second-hand impressions, you must get the information straight from the source. For a manager, this means going to the Gemba, the place where the work occurs. Take daily Gemba walks, interact with your workers and observe first hand if standards are being carried out. By seeing with your own eyes, you build a body of information by which you can assess your progress.

“I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?”  -The Sign of Four

Sherlock believed that the most powerful tool available to each and every person was the creative and analytical capabilities of their mind. It is never enough to just contribute your time and labor, you must apply your creative intellect to whatever task is set before you. This is at the heart of the true implementation of Lean.

While our favorite fictional detective might not be able to solve the mysteries of your facilities, you can take a page out of his book and become a Lean detective!

When Taiichi Ohno first outlined his 7 Deadly Wastes, he was focused on turning Toyota into an efficient workplace. As his ideas spread, an American publisher named Norman Bodek translated and published many of Ohno’s writings in America.

Bodek, described by others as the “Godfather of Lean” added an eighth waste to the list. This waste frequently gets overlooked because it is not external; you cannot see it, directly assess it or put a dollar value on it. It is the waste of non-utilized talents.

Why did this Waste only appear when Ohno’s concepts were applied to America? Part of this is the cultural mindsets of Japan and America. In Japan, there is a strong sense of responsibility on the part of all workers for the health of the economy, while American manufacturers believe in the role of the crusading entrepreneur; that problem-solving was exclusively the role of management.

As a result, American organizations have lost countless opportunities as workers were rarely involved in improvement efforts, their talents lying dormant. Bodek was very clear about the need for eliminating this waste in the workplace, “When you unlock this hidden talent, people become highly motivated and actually love to come to work.”

This waste even extends to hiring. Before a Lean Transformation, employees are often hired for one particular task that they then perform, in relative isolation, in the factory setting. Since Lean Manufacturing teaches us to break down the barriers between departments, form smaller cells of employees that work closely together and standardize the work of each job, this sort of single skilled employee is no longer ideal. Instead, you want a flexible employee that is able to adapt quickly adapt their job responsibilities to changing customer demands.

Employees come from all walks of life and often bring with them many more skills than their supervisors recognize. A former quality inspector might bring a high attention to detail and would be ideal for an accounting position, or a front-line customer service representative might be ideal for making good decisions under pressure. Never underestimate the skills and experience each individual brings with them to work each day that might not be fully utilized in their current position.

Accurately assessing your workforce’s skill level is only part of the solution. Training is an integral part of eliminating this waste. Part of the Lean transformation is ensuring that each worker is reasonably familiar with the processes in other departments so they can help prevent problems “downstream”. Cross-training your employees is making an investment in a flexible and adaptable workforce that can reconfigure to meet future challenges.

 

Never doubt that a quality instructor can train any employee. There’s a classic story taught in business school called “Sweeney’s Miracle.” In 1965, Dr. James Sweeney (above), a professor at Tulane University, was responsible for the Biomedical Computer Center.

He believed that anyone, regardless of education background, could become a capable computer operator. He began training George Johnson, a janitor at the facility; Johnson would sweep and clean during the mornings and in the afternoons, he would learn from Sweeney.

During this training the university gave Johnson an IQ test, set in their belief that no one below a certain level could learn. According to the test, Johnson should not be able to learn how to type, much less operate a computer. Sweeney was furious and threatened to quit unless Johnson was permitted to finish his training. Sweeney prevailed and Johnson successfully mastered the operation of the computers. Johnson was so successful that he was swiftly put in charge of the whole Computer Center, where he trained many others in their use.

This is a classic example of capitalizing on unused talents. Sweeney had faith in his own skills as an educator and believed that Johnson possessed more talents than his current job utilized. By investing the time and energy in Johnson, he gained a much more valuable employee that was then able to encourage others to utilize their full abilities.

The eighth waste often is difficult to identify but is just as necessary to the Lean transformation. Bodek often quotes a fortune cookie he once received, “You have the talent to discover the talent in others.”  Take a moment to think about the people in your workplace, could they have under-utilized skills? What are some of the ways you can use the full range of their talents?

Learn more about Norman Bodek and the Eighth Waste in our video series here.

When people think about removing waste, they start with wasted resources that they can touch and see; leftover scraps, machines left running, and energy-high processing techniques. In doing so they miss one of the expensive costs: Time. If a part of the process is waiting, it is an anchor dragging down the efficiency of your whole organization. Whether it is an idle fifteen minutes while a machine reboots or a component stored for weeks, these costs are pure waste and can be eliminated. Today we are going to examine the three things that should never be left waiting.

Your Employees

This waste is easiest to identify, when you see your employees standing around with nothing to do, there is a problem with your workflow. In the past, managers would try and “keep them busy” by having them overproduce products. This builds up inventories, which sap resources (storage, managing of the pieces, etc.) and are one of the seven deadly wastes to be avoided. Instead, task the workers with rearranging the workflow to avoid such a bottleneck. Do you need to split the production crew into two smaller teams with two smaller machines? Do you need to retrain some of your workers for another task that needs assistance? Getting employee buy-in on these sort of improvement activities is absolutely essential to eliminating the wasted time (see our article about employee buy-in here). By putting the employees to work on fixing the cause of the slowdown, you can prevent such wait times in the future and give employees a sense of investment in their own improvement.

Your Product

An essential part of Lean Manufacturing is arranging your factory layout so the pieces flow together, from raw materials to final product. In the old mass production model, a large machine would crank out huge batches of product, which would then have to be stored and slowly retrieved as they trickled through the remaining processes. However, with Lean Manufacturing, you reduce the size of your batches so that there is never any waiting time for the product. It flows through each process as steadily as the workers who are laboring on it. By eliminating the need to store these pieces in progress, you save money and space while drastically reducing your total manufacturing time.

Your Customer

With globalization becoming the norm, customers today can choose from a wide array of possible products, services and companies. A Lean Manufacturer will always stand out for its fast turnaround time. By remaining flexible to customer needs and reducing batch size, a Lean Manufacturer can produce the specific product requested far faster than a traditional mass production factory. This increases customer satisfaction, sales efforts and protects the factory from fluctuations in the market. A customer can request a product and receive it with as little wait time as possible.

Lean is a process of constant improvement. When eliminating wasted time from your processes, think about these three things that should never be kept waiting. This allows you to focus on all the parts of production that could become slowdowns and tackle them from the point of view of your employee, your product and your customer.

Learn more with our video series on the Lean Wastes by clicking here

Recently, we did a post about how you can apply Lean thinking towards something as mundane as a Thanksgiving dinner. The response was overwhelmingly positive, however a reader mentioned that we left out an important process: the grocery shopping!

According to a recent American Time Use study, the average American household spends 42 minutes grocery shopping every week. That may not seem like much each week, but add that up and you are spending 36 hours grocery shopping every year! Let’s put on our Lean thinking caps and see what we can do.

1. Make a List. 

Do you have a list or are you just grabbing what looks good? Just as a manufacturer only purchases the materials needed for the next project, you should look to only buy the materials necessary for the next set of meals you are going to make. From a Lean perspective, you do not want to build up Inventory, one of the 7 Deadly Wastes. By planning your meals and making a list, you can reduce this potential waste.

2. Does it Flow?

One way to reduce time spent shopping is the concept of flow. How do you flow through the grocery store? Are you running back and forth from one section to another trying to find what you are looking for? Try arranging your list so that it is in the same order as you walk through the store. That way, you can grab all the vegetables when you are in the vegetable section before moving on to the canned goods.

3. Question the Sale. 

Grocery stores use sales to reduce inventory that has built up. Why should you let them transfer their waste to you? Focus on what you really need.

4. Deliver your meal Just-in-Time.

Meals are one of the clearest examples of Just-in-Time. You want to ensure the freshest materials when making your dinner. If you reduce the amount of time spent shopping, you might find yourself able to make more frequent trips, so you can acquire the materials for your meals.

What are some other ways you can Lean your grocery shopping? Put your thoughts in the comments below and check out some of our courses on Just-in-Time and Flow by clicking here.

While Lean is usually applied to the workplace, once you have opened your eyes to eliminating waste and increasing efficiency, the possibilities are endless. Today, we will take an example of how you can Lean your Thanksgiving celebration.

From a manufacturing point of view, a Thanksgiving dinner involves producing several different product lines (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, stuffing) and delivering them all at the same time. What can you do to reduce turnover time for the kitchen area? You could sort out the spices you are going to use and make sure they are easily reachable. Consider creating extra workspace, would an additional cutting board assist in the preparation time or would it create more dishes (waste) afterwards?

Consider who is able to help prepare the meals, are there some skill gaps? Can some tasks be handled by small, independent teams (say providing the drinks) while the higher skilled employees tackle the main courses?

Think about the concept of standard work, and how it can be applied to setting the table for a large crowd. Can you create a standard place setting and have others replicate it?

What about waste? 

For a meal, that could mean too much food (especially if it overwhelms your capacity to store it) or it could mean too many dirty dishes. Can you cook a meal in the same dish you are serving it in?

While it might seem a little bit silly to apply this sort of rigor to a casual event like Thanksgiving dinner, it is amazing the benefits Lean can provide to a whole range of situation. What can you do to make your life easier and Leaner?