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An essay on waste management
Compare and contrast Toyota’s manufacturing system with a conventional mass production system
Compare and contrast Toyota’s manufacturing system with a conventional mass production system
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Idea behind the theory
Muda is the Japanese term for waste and is a key concept in the Toyota Production System. The definition of waste is basically anything that does not add value. “Value and waste are opposites. "Value" is what the customer is actually willing to pay for the product or service. Economists define value as the ratio of the usefulness of a product or service to its costs. This includes the product's functions and features and it relates to the whole product, service or both. Costs include the price paid and also the cost in time and hassle in obtaining and using the product or service” (Sowards, 2005). “It is common to find that in a factory less that 5 per cent of activities actually add value, 35 per cent are necessary non-value-adding activities and 60 per cent add no value at all” (Jones, Hines, & Rich, 2006, pg. 154).
To truly be able to eliminate waste from a process you need to know what wastes you are looking for. There are seven wastes that were identified by Toyota’s Chief Engineer, Taiichi Ohno as part of the Toyota Production System.
1. Overproduction. Producing items for which there are no orders, which generates such wastes as overstaffing and storage and transportation costs because of excess inventory. Ohno considered this to be the fundamental waste, since it causes most of the other wastes.
2. Waiting (time on hand). Workers merely serving to watch an automated machine or having to stand around waiting for the next processing step, tool, supply, part, etc., or just plain having no work because of stock outs, lot processing delays, equipment downtime, and capacity bottlenecks.
3. Unnecessary transport or conveyance. Carrying work in process (WIP) long distances, creating inefficient transport, or moving materials, parts, or finished good into or out of or between processes.
4. Over processing or incorrect processing. Taking unneeded steps to process the parts. Inefficiently processing due to poor tool and product design, causing unnecessary motion and producing defects. Waste is generated when providing higher-quality products than is necessary.
5. Excess inventory. Excess raw material, WIP, or finished goods causing longer lead times, obsolescence, damaged goods, transportation and storage costs, and delay. Also, extra inventory hides problems such as production imbalances, late deliveries from suppliers, defects, equipment downtime, and long setup times.
6. Unnecessary Movement. Any wasted motion employees have to perform during the course of their work, such as looking for, reaching for, or stacking parts, tools, etc.
“We run to grab the wheeled carts...We run past each other and if we say something, we say it as we keep moving” (McClelland 400). A practically inhuman speed is expected from the workers, forcing them to rush from place to place. They do not have time to spare for walking. They are even deprived of socialization, which is essential to human satisfaction, due to a lack of time. There is not a moment of peace as long as they are clocked-in, no matter how hard or long they work. Enjoyment is impossible, and no effort is made to reduce the highly stressful environment of the workers. The company shows no concern for its workers’ mental well being.
For a company to have an excessive amount of inventory usually cause by poor managing skills. This will also result to not planning to keep track the life cycle of their products, forecasting stock demands, and also replenishing the inventory that’s out of stock. Excessive amount of inventory usually means there is a lost of profit being made someone. Where it is the consumers not purchasing the goods anymore or your company is hurting from not selling the goods and letting the inventory stack up.
Cycle time- The time needed for arrival of work units at a station is the cycle time.
Kuiper Leda lacks an effective Inventory Management to handle properly the increase in demand of stock and production. An inventory management plan would be capable of forecasting errors in production, client-required service levels, total lead time in manufacturing a unit or batch of the product, and demand priorities. Inventory control is a challenge currently because of the size of Midland Motor's order. In order to meet the demand the company needs to increase the inventory which increases the inventory costs. KL have an opportunity of using the Just - In - Time method of inventory control which eliminates waste by making the resources and labor available only in the time and amount required. It will help increase productivity, product quality and work performance while saving inventory costs for the company. (Curtin, 2008). Kuiper Leda also needs to keep in mind that they will still have to fill orders from other clients that have previously placed orders or even new customers.
Waste—‘The extravagant, careless, or needless expenditure of Air Force funds or the consumption of Air Force property that results from deficient practices, systems, controls, or decisions. The term also includes improper practices not involving prosecutable fraud.
Lean manufacturing refers to systematic identification and elimination of waste through CI processes in pursuit of perfection (Khan et al. 2013; Yang & Yang 2013). Lean production is now used worldwide in manufacturing plants to eliminate waste from all ar...
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A. (TMM) is deviating from the standard assembly line principle of jidoka in an attempt to avoid expenses incurred from stopping the production line for seat quality defects. This deviation has contributed to the inability to identify the root cause of the problem, which has led to decreased run ratios on the line and an excess of defective automobiles in the overflow lot for multiple days. If this problem isn’t fixed quickly, an increased amount of waste will continue to be incurred and customer value will be threatened.
Waste minimization is a critical mission to the entire automotive industry, which include General Motors, due to the massive waste created by the manufacturing process. In order to maximize the waste reduction, GM tailored their waste reduction strategy so it can address issues and risks vary from country to country. Another approach that GM took to reduce waste is to collaborate with a diverse group of academic institutions, nonprofits and government agencies such as Reuse Opportunity Collaboratory Detroit and U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development.
The business environment is increasingly becoming competitive and challenging. In the recent past, manufacturers have found themselves facing the threat of dwindling profit margins due to unfortunate global events such as the 2007 global financial crisis and the on going Europe economic crisis. The need to improve operation efficiency so as to ensure current and future investment yield the highest rate of return has therefore become extremely important. Manufacturers are now actively engaged in, managing their costs, Research and Development, adopting best procurement strategies, among other Actions. While such actions might eventually lead to positive results, additional business value can be achieved through proper management of the supply chain (Waymer, Ivanaj & Mussa 2009; Krivda 2004).
I. Significant amounts of waste is generated in society and that waste has a detrimental effect on society,
· Inconsistent performance levels, i.e., fluctuation of monthly sales levels or decrease in pace/speed of work output.
What did Ohno mean by the elimination of waste? As a general term waste refers to time, resources, and material. Over production wastes resources, a worker who spent time idle, waiting on the next item wastes time, and wastes associated with keeping stocks were identified as areas of waste to be eliminated. The concepts consisted of Just In Time meaning that the production system moves items only when and, as they are needed. Autonomation the automating of production systems for inspection sped up this process of eliminating waste by automatically detecting defects.
Motion Unnecessary staff movement to obtain information or supplies. Overproduction: Requesting unnecessary laboratory tests. Keeping beds or slots free “just in case”. Adapted from NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement: Going Lean in the NHS (2007).... ...
Traditional methods of waste disposal have proven to be ineffective and have caused harmful effects on the environment. The most popular and inexpensive way to get rid of garbage is burial, but burying your problems does not necessarily mean getting rid of them. Landfill sites pose as severe ecological threats as these mass garbage dump yards overflow with trash and frequently contaminate our air, soil and water with hazardous wastes. About 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated each year1. A large-scale release of these materials can cause thousands of deaths and may poison the environment for many years. For example many industrial companies around the world cannot afford to enforce the strict pollution regulations set by many developed countries. This usually forces these types of companies to move to developing countries where pollution regulations are very lenient. These developing countries knowingly accept environmentally hazardous companies usually because they are in desperate need of employment. The harmful effects of these companies were clearly illustrated in the 1960s and 1970s when residents living near Minamata Bay, Japan, developed nervous disorders, tremors, and paralysis in a mysterious epidemic. The root was later found to be a local industry that had released mercury, a highly toxic element, into Minamata Bay. The disaster had claimed the lives of 400 people1. Since 1970 you can bet that a lot more than 400 people have died as a result of waste disposal. If the type of waste disposal were cheaper and effective we wouldn’t have to deal with waste problems, which still plague mankind today.
America and Europe are at the top of the list for most waste generated according to Waste (4). This is very visible because there’s litter on every street in the towns and cities, as well in lakes, beaches, and rivers. The book Waste by Rob Bowden states that the amount of waste produced is increasing at a rate faster than population growth. About 1.5 million computers, in the U.K, are thrown away each year and most end up in landfills. There are 3 types of waste which are Municipal Solid Waste, Industrial Waste, and Hazardous waste. MSW includes waste from public garbage cans and local dumpsters. Industrial Waste includes massive amounts of waste water that is contaminated with chemicals. Hazardous waste is the most dangerous as it presents a danger to human health and the environment. Solutions for waste disposal take time because people need to consider their lifestyle and limit the amount of waste they generate. A good start is to recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic, and clothes. This way they don’t end up in landfills, beaches, or streets. Another solution is to join organizations that go around places to recycle, or organizations that demand the reduction in the amount of products that are being