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(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) S.M.I.L.E(sm)
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Setup Minimization Improves Line Efficiency
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) The Lean Changeover e-letter
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Published monthly by Changeover.com
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Written by John R Henry, CPP
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### FEBRUARY 2007
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If you have not done so yet, don't forget to buy Henry Ford's classic
book on lean manufacturing "My Life and Work" now in newly formatted
edition with a forwad by yours truly. Buy direct from the publisher
and save.
https://xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=32476


SOME THOUGHTS ON...
FERRARI PIT STOPS

I have long used the auto racing pitstop as a metaphor for lean
changeovers. See, for example, my presentation "Pitstops in your
plant" at www.changeover.com/pitstop.ppt Usually I use a NASCAR
pitstop because my audiences are more familiar with them. Formula 1
does it even better. Or at least faster. Typical NASCAR stops are
around 15 seconds. Formula 1 does them in 8-9 seconds.

I was thinking about this the other night while watching a program on
the history of Ferrari on the History Channel. It had some great race
footage including some pitstops. The first race in which Ferrari beat
its arch-rival Alpha-Romeo was in 1951. The two cars were running neck
and neck throughout the race until the final pitstop. The Ferrari team
was able to pull off an incredibly fast stop and get back on the track
to get and keep the lead.

Time for that stop? One minute and forty seconds.

Actually, this was pretty fast. Most pitstops at the time took over 2
minutes and some as long as 3. Watching the footage, it seemed more
akin to taking my car to the garage for service than a pitstop. The
car would pull in, the driver would get out, stretch, walk around, get
a drink of water and chat with the team manager. A crewman would
unscrew the gas cap and place a funnel into which fuel was poured.
Tire changing seemed positively leisurely.

Some of this may have had to do with the rules governing cars and
racing at the time. Even so, it seemed incredible to me. What were
these people thinking? It should not have been hard to cut the time at
least in half using the same number of people and techniques. The only
explanation I can come up with is that nobody figured out that a
second saved in the pit was a second gained on the track.

These were not stupid people. The folks who designed, built and raced
Ferraris and the other cars were geniuses.

Perhaps they were too close to the problem. Perhaps their focus was
too much on making the car go fast down the track and viewing other
issues as irrelevant. The car was not moving during the pitstop so
what happened there was not seen as very important.

Most of us would probably watch this program with some bemusement, as
I did. But in how many plants does a similar attitude occur? Many
plants focus on making a quality product in a highly efficient manner
and this is a good thing. Is too much emphasis placed on production at
the expense of non-production time such as changeover?

It is not enough for a plant to be highly efficient when it is
running. It must be highly efficient when it is stopped as well. When
a line stops for changeover (or for whatever other reason, it is
important to get it back up and running with as little delay as
possible. The pitstops were not long because they did not have
techniques for shortening them. They were long because nobody tried to
apply them. Look at your changeovers and ask yourself:

Do people know exactly what they are supposed to do and how?

Is the changeover sequence optimized to eliminate as much walking
around as possible?

Are all parts, components and materials available ahead before the
line stops so that downtime is not lost while looking for them?

Are proper tools available and being used correctly?

Can better, perhaps more specialized, tool be used to improve changeover?

These are fairly simple questions but, in my experience, not asked
often enough.

Are adjustments and settings being made precisely?

Just as it is important to get the car back on the track as quickly as
possible, it is important to get the production line "back on the
track" as quickly as possible. The key is to realize this and identify
opportunities to do so.

TIP OF THE MONTH...
WALL WASHING (revisited)

Last year I had mentioned a client's need for a better way to wash
walls in a manufacturing area. In looking about I had found a system
designed for washing billboards that seemed like it would do a pretty
good job. See
www.tuckerusa.com/model_x.htm Recently I found an even better system.
This is the Core2Clean from VAI see
www.sterile.com/pages/products/products-core-2-clean-system.htm
This is a system purposely built for the pharmaceutical industry.
Instead of hoses, it has a pressurized tank in which the cleaning
solution can be batch mixed. The cleaning wand has a variety of
quickly demountable end attachments. Flow of the cleaning solution is
controlled by a comfortable hand trigger.

The Tucker system will be valuable in many uses. For those who need
something more, take a look at the VAI system.

John R Henry CPP