Tag Archives: manufacturing

Nokia upwardly mobile….#pmot…#in

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  • “We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven’t been delivering innovation fast enough. We’re not collaborating internally. Nokia, our platform is burning.” – Stephen Elop, CEO Nokia.

nokiaThe recent internal memo “leaked” from Nokia & published on technology website Endgadget.com demonstrates the need for any corporation, but particularly those in the Technology arena, to have a continuous stream of new product developments flowing to the market. This is the direct result of a new product routemap which clearly identifies Customer needs, market trends and technology requirements.

New Product Development should not be a haphazard process but one which is planned years in advance. It should also be adaptable to allow flexibility in the case of new technological or market developments.

Not so long ago Nokia held pole position in the mobile phone market with huge market share. Now they are languishing behind Apple & others in the
Smartphone arena and are struggling to compete with Chinese manufacturers at the bottom end of the market.

However, all is not doom and gloom. The new CEO Stephen Elop obviously
recognises the problems and is keen to address them. This is the key important step in any recovery. Rather than just bury his head in the sand he is tackling the issues head on which is good news for Nokia empoyees and shareholders.

If you need help with your product development process get in touch NOW!

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project managers and business consultants

10 tips for faster leaner new product development #in #pmot #lean

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new-product-development

Bringing New Products to Market faster & more efficiently is even more critical as product life-cycles shrink so here are 10 tips for faster, leaner New Product Development:-

1) Nail the spec early – the sooner the product spec is finalised the smoother & faster the development will be. Less time & effort will be wasted debating the minutiae if the spec is closed early.

2) 5s the area – Apply the Lean principles of 5s (see earlier post) to remove unnecessary distraction and promote “clear thoughts”

3) Promote re-use in Design – to reduce design effort and make best use of proven and qualified technology.

4) Parallel Planning & Design – Design is normally the longest phase in New Product Development so why wait until the end of Planning to start Design. Start Design in parallel and adapt the plan when more is known about the length of the design phase.

5) Arrange Regular Reviews – during the Design phase and break the task into smaller “chunks”. Design is one of those tasks which has a tendency to expand to fill the time allowed for it.

6) Structure the Innovation process – ensure that Innovation board reviews are scheduled well in advance and board members have suitably qualified deputies so that stage gate reviews suffer no delays due to the absence of key personnel. The Innovation process should become Institutionalized.

7) Dedicated multifunctional Teams – are more effective than matrix teams  If resource allows.

8) Design for Manufacture – manufacturing & production engineers need to be involved in the product development process to ensure a smooth transition from development to manufacture.

9) Minimize interruptions & noise – in the product development area.

10) Promote a democratic involving Management style – to increase free discussion and mutual respect.

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5 #Lean principles….#in #pmot #6sigma

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value-stream In their iconic book “Lean Thinking” Womack & Jones identified 5 Lean principles of fundamental importance.

1) Specify Value from the End Customers perspective. What does the End Customer actually want from the product or service. The only way to ascertain this is through the Voice Of Customer. We will expand on this in later posts.

2) Identify the Value Stream. This is the sequence of processes from raw material to the end customer which comprises Value Adding and Non Value Adding steps.

3) Make value Flow. The process should be continuous, avoiding batch production and queues, or at least minimizing them. Aim never to delay a value adding step with a non value adding step. If NVA steps are unavoidable they should be done in parallel with VA steps.

4) Operate via Pull not Push. The system should be driven by the customers demand avoiding unnecessary over production.

5) Strive for Perfection. Minimize defects and aim for Total Customer Satisfaction.

Adopting these 5 Lean principles leads to a Kaizen journey of Continuous Improvement.

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7 deadly wastes……. #lean #6sigma #pmot #in

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7muda

Toyota’s Taichi Ohno identified seven main sources of waste to be minimized in a Lean production system:-

Transportation

– the unnecessary movement of parts or materials. In our modern system of globalization where components are manufactured in many different parts of the world and transported to be assembled in a geographically remote location the opportunities for unnecessary transportation are endless. To minimize transportation waste we need to carefully analyze the origin of constituent parts and to identify opportunities for re-sourcing more local to final assembly.

Inventory – unnecessary inventory may as well be bags of cash. The operation needs to be streamlined to create a continuous flow minimizing inventory.

Motion – Any motion which is not adding value is Muda (waste) – for example if an operator has to repeatedly bend down to pick up a component this is unnecessary waste. The workstation should be designed to minimize unnecessary motion.

Waiting – time wasted whilst waiting for components, instructions, tools, indeed anything which is needed to maintain continuous flow is waste. If your organization is a service provider bear this in mind when designing systems to interface with customers. We all know the frustration of time wasted in a phone queue.

Overproduction – any production over and above the exact quantity the customer ordered is waste. The manufactured quantity should be pulled by the customer order.

Over-processing – the over embellishment or addition of none functional packaging is waste to be avoided and eliminated. What does the customer really want ?

Defects – all are waste and should be eliminated by the judicious use of 6 – sigma tools and Kaizen.

There are many other kinds of waste, which ones have you observed in your organization ?

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#Lean is #Green #in #pmot………………………

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One of the key benefits of adopting a LEAN strategy is the positive environmental impact it brings.

LEAN is Green

LEAN is Green

LEAN is all about minimizing waste and inventory and increasing flow in the workplace. LEAN is equally applicable in a manufacturing environment or in an Office.

If a LEAN strategy is adopted consistently then costs will be reduced by eliminating unneccessary waste and reducing inventory, this will have a direct impact on energy use and overall Carbon Footprint.

Value Stream Mapping allows process waste to be identified and Kaizen busts offer the opportunity for significant improvements in efficiency and further reduction in Carbon footprint.

Adopting a LEAN & Green process roadmap is a great way of ensuring that the strategy is uppermost in corporate minds and ensured of delivery.

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Insource or Outsource ? #pmot #in

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Far East manufacture should not be the default option

Far East manufacture should not be the default option

Over the last 14 years Manufacturing in the U.K has shrunk from a respectable 28% of GDP to today’s all time low of 10%.

So maybe it is time to rethink our outsourcing strategy ?

Over the years we have become very complacent in the U.K about manufacturing, and in many respects have given up the ghost. We have blithely subcontracted all of our manufacturing operations with no long term view of the consequesnces. We have given away millions of jobs for a short term monetary gain and are now reaping the rewards of an economy built on sand.

Outsourcing to the Far East should NOT be the default option. We need to look at the alternatives and take the following into consideration:-

1) Compare Apples with Apples – just because the Direct labour Cost may be cheaper in the Far East what about the support costs. It is inevitable that a subcontracted operation will need more indirect suppport, sometimes more than you could possibly imagine, and this cost needs to be accounted for somewhere.

2) Is the Quality of the product really going to be the same ?- how will you ensure this ?

3) Cost of shipping – with rising fuel costs have you taken this into consideration ? you need to understand the cost per unit shipped.

4) Environmental Policy – How does the transport and distribution of products across the world fit in with your Environmental Policy – if you want customers to “buy in” to your Environmental Policy it needs to be credible and any offshore manufacture and transport should be accounted for in your overall Carbon Footprint.

5) Time of shipping – can you afford to delay initial deliveries while they are on the Sea for 5 weeks or do you want to pay extra for air freight to ensure fast delivery ?

6) Have you considered the cost of Import Duties ?

Consider the success of some of our best industries in the U.K – auto manufacture, Aerospace, telecommunications, mobile phones etc etc

Outsourcing should remain a key component of our manufacturing strategy but should note be the default option. We need to challenge the assumption that manufacturing will be subcontracted by asking the right questions.

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LEAN doesn’t work….

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LEAN workers need training

LEAN workers need training

…unless the workers on the “front line” are given the autonomy and authority to make key decisions about product quality and the structure of their work. They also need the authority to be able to stop the line should a quality issue occur.

LEAN only works when the workers are enmeshed in the decision making process and their responsibilities rewarded with more secure contracts and conditions.

Some organizations try to introduce LEAN on a piecemeal basis but this will only lead to disappointment. In order to implement a LEAN strategy successfully workers need extensive training in order to exercise their autonomy effectively. This means a real commitment from Management to Training and personal development.

An effective LEAN strategy depends on a complimentary commitment from workers and management.

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The Jaguar roars…..

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Jaguar XF - a great example of new product development success

Jaguar XF - a great example of new product development success

This weekend jaguar Land Rover announced that it had reversed its threat to close one of its U.K plants and, even better, said that it would create thousands of new jobs including 1500 at it’s plant at Halewood on Merseyside.

Barely 2 years after fears that Jaguar Land Rover might fold Q2 profits of £233 million have boosted confidence in the future of the luxury car market.

A large part of this success is due to innovative new product development and in particular the success of the new XF range.

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the number of Jaguar’s being registered in Western Europe in April rose 70.3 per cent year-on-year – way above any other volume manufacturer.
Jaguar have addressed one of the main concerns amongst luxury car consumers – the trade off between performance and fuel consumption. The XF does a staggering 0 – 60 m.p.h in 5.3 seconds and still manages a meagre 47 m.p.g.
Jaguar have demonstrated how investment in innovation and new product development can bring success even in the most difficult of economic climates.

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Stop trade with China Now ?

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Today’s news that the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Price for his peaceful resistance to Chinese oppresion and work for Human rights has raised the heat on the debate – “Should we stop trade with China now ?”

Most people are aware that the vast majority of Western companies outsource manufacturing operations to China for cost reasons and perhaps it is time we began to seriously question this strategy. Have a look at any company’s website and you will find a description of the company’s environmental policy but you will be hard pressed to find any information about the company’s attitude towards democracy or human rights.  If we are so concerned about Global Warming and it’s impact on the planet perhaps we should also be paying more attention to which regimes we do business with.

Of course the opposite argument is that by doing business with China we are helping to raise living standards which will inevitably lead to greater pressure for democracy and human rights.

However it would be nice to know that the debate had at least taken place and to see some kind of clear policy on company websites regarding human rights policy.

What do you think ?

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Stop corporate abuses - Amnesty International

Ed – tell us what you will do for manufacturing ?

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Ed Miliband

Now that Ed Miliband has being elected Leader of the Labour Party perhaps we should expect some real policies to revive the U.K manufacturing industry.  Ed has mentioned “broadening the industrial base” but there is precious little on the official Labour Party website to illustrate what this means.

The last Labour Government presided over the biggest decline in manufacturing industry EVER ! from 28% GDP in 1996 to a pathetic 10% in 2010.

“So what ?” you may ask.

Well, manufacturing is important for the following reasons:-

1) Jobs tend to be higher paid than those in administrative rolls.

2) Every job in manufacturing creates 10 others in the Supply Chain.

3) Products manufactured in the U.K generate important foreign income and reduce the trade deficit.

4) Making things generates a sense of self worth and pride.

5) Manufacturing provides valuable Tax revenue.

If we seriously want to reduce the current account deficit and claw our way out of recession we need some real policies to revive the manufacturing sector based on new product development and innovation.

So Ed – tell us what you will do for manufacturing ?

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