Lean Manufacturing Strategy - Case Studies In Success & Failure

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Case Studies In Success & Failure

Case studies and stories are great ways to learn. Especially when the subject has the complexity and nuance that is inherent in Lean Manufacturing and Manufacturing Strategy.

Jamshid Gharajedagh mentions "The tendency to simplify everything to a level not requiring serious thinking." Several of the case studies below illustrate the consequences of this tendency.

Gharajedagh also quotes the Persian prophet Zeroaster who said "There ere elements of choice, chance and certainty in every aspect of our lives." Intelligent strategy requires that we recognize which elements involve chance and are not under our control; which elements involve choice so we can choose and choose intelligently; and which elements involve certainty so we can predict their effects.

References

Gharajedagh, Jamshid, SYSTEMS THINKING, Butterworth-Heineman, Boston, Massechussetts, 1999.

Name	Summary	Issues/Topics
The Great Nuclear Fizzle at Babcock & Wilcox (Heavy Fabrication)	Everything went wrong when the venerable boilermaker entered the nuclear pressure vessel business. The aftermath brought delivery delays, strikes, lawsuits, red ink and a bizarre suicide. This classic case study is an excellent way to introduce Manufacturing Strategy to your management team or classroom. It comes with notes on the most effective way to conduct the discussion.	Manufacturing Strategy Key Manufacturing Task
Competition In Substation Transformers (Electrical Equipment)	An illustration of how a manufacturer can move from a "Do everything for everybody" mentality to a more focused approach to competition, in this instance, *Delivery* and Quality.	Key Manufacturing Task Marketing/Manufacturing Interface Focused Factories
Blitzing To Disaster (Aircraft Machining)	How misapplication of the Blitz and designing workcells with slogans and edicts led this aircraft manufacturer into deep trouble.	Workcell Design Kaizen Blitz or Event Cellular Manufacturing
A Kaizen Blitz Overdose (Injection Molding/Assembly)	Shows the effects of too much reliance on the Kaizen Blitz approach combined with too little attention to Manufacturing Strategy.	Kaizen Blitz or Event Manufacturing Strategy
The Hidden Hazards in One Piece Flow (Investment Casting)	A precision foundry focuses inappropriately on One Piece Flow when designing workcells. The results are lower productivity.	One Piece Flow Workcell Design Cellular Manufacturing
A Successful Lean Manufacturing Implementation (Mechanical Control Cables)	How perseverance and thoughtful planning leads this manufacturer to success in Cellular and Lean Manufacturing.	Lean Implementation Cellular Manufacturing Manufacturing Strategy Assembly Workcells
Kanban System Design (Light Assembly)	Illustrates the 10 steps for designing a kanban system for production control.	Kanban
Successful Kaizen Blitz (Industrial Heaters)	The blitz approach is successfully applied to combined assembly/fabrication workcells that build industrial heaters.	Workcell Design Kaizen Blitz or Event Cellular Manufacturing
Kaizen Success II (Heavy Machining)	The difficult situation of short-run machine shops is attacked successfully by this manufacturer of specialized water pumps.	Group Technology Workcell Design Kaizen Blitz or Event Cellular Manufacturing

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