Multipurpose supermarkets are essential for
Lean Manufacturing. Applying the principle of manually
portable containers makes it possible to eliminate heavy
stock and replace forklift trucks with trains.
Supermarkets are particularly effective at addressing
the Muda caused by transport and unnecessary movement.
They form the single interface between the delivery
bay and the line-side. The muda caused by transport
is reduced by moving supermarkets progressively closer
to the line-side.
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As supermarkets come closer to the line-side
and reduce the muda caused by unnecessary movement
and transport, so the need for customization increases
and the configuration has to be adapted to the
location to ensure that workstation productivity
remains the priority.
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The supermarket principle can also be applied
to bulky components, as long as the key principles
of transport by trains and manual handling are
still applied.
The direct access to components offered by LeanTek
supermarkets also reduces the muda caused by waiting.
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Manual portability is essential for many reasons.
The first is that packing components into small containers
means that dynamic flow systems can be used. This is
achieved through the use of supermarkets and line-side
flow racks. The flow of components helps reduce the
key sources of muda. Secondly, transporting lighter
weights allows the use of small multipurpose trains,
which are much less costly than forklift trucks. |
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Reducing the various types of Muda in turn
reduces the need for capital investment and boosts
the return on investment through successive stages
of improvement. In this context, the operational
introduction of Lean Manufacturing requires patience,
team stability and the will to accommodate permanent
change.
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It is a good idea to make supermarkets mobile.
The Lean Manufacturing concept suggests that supermarkets
gradually move closer to the production site in
order to eliminate the muda caused by transport.
The configuration of mobile and modular supermarkets
means that they can be moved as the added value
production site develops.
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An illustration of why supermarkets need to be flexible.
LeanTek allows the addition of functions such as load
racks and a different ergonomic arrangement at the front.
LeanTek supermarkets are never fixed, but remain free
to change and reflect the Kaizen policy of continual
improvement. The technical definition evolves in terms
of storage capacity. LeanTek supermarkets adapt to keep
pace with developments in packaging.
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