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Shainin
Dorian Shainin, North-American engineer who developed a set of techniques of Quality improvement, that includes Multi-Vari studies, Component Search, Pair Comparison, Variable Search, Best vs. Current, etc. Some of these techniques are one of the families of Design of Experiments. They are simple and versatile, applicable in various situations by shop-floor people.
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Shigeo Shingo
Japanese productivity specialist, he worked with several companies including Toyota. He is said to have developed and promoted the SMED method and the Poka Yoke systems. He wrote several books which continue to be important references.
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Shojinka
This term refers to production means using a flexible workforce.
The objective is to adjust the number of operators to changes in demand, usually translated into monthly adjustment of takt time.
Shojinka comprises several complementary aspects:
The development, through regular training, of multi-skilled operators, in a multi-process handling perspective rather than in a multi-machine handling one.
Production equipment designed for the shojinka concept (typically, the U-shaped line).
The definition of standard work taking into account flexible staffing.
The Shojinka line, unlike a conventional fixed number of operators line, maximizes labor productivity in varying conditions of demand.
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Six Sigma
Methodology of continuous improvement based on statistical data developed by Motorola in the 1980s.
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SMED
Single Minute Exchange of Die, meaning exchange of die in less than 10 minutes. Methodology developed by Shigeo Shingo, who worked in Toyota, for reducing changeover time. The steps of TPM implementation are:
1- Identify and quantify internal work and external work
2- Separate external work from internal work
3- Convert internal work into external work
4- Reduce the time of internal work
5- Reduce the time of external work
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Standard work
This is a Lean fundamental component that ensures material and information flows.
It is carried out by the mizusumashi, who besides ensuring the supply of parts and the withdrawal of finished products, also transmits takt time to the production lines, thus being essential to synchronize production with demand.
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Standardised replenishment
A key component of Lean Production, standardised replenishment ensures the internal logistics of materials and information.
The mizusumashi, carrying out standardised replenishment, supplies raw materials and components and withdraws finished product at regular intervals and following a predefined route. It also transmits takt time to the production line and is therefore instrumental in synchronizing production with demand.
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Stock turns
It is an indicator of how fast materials flow through an entire process, from raw material received from supplier to finished product delivered to customer. It is obtained by dividing the yearly value of sales cost by stock value. It surely is one of the best Lean indicators known
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Supermarket
Supermarket means a standardized inventory in which consumption by a downstream (customer) process triggers replenishment by an upstream (supplier) process, in a "pull" mode. In the supermarket goods are located according to FIFO, visual control and ergonomics.
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Synchronization
Production is synchronized when all process steps are synchronized with each other and with demand. This means that the value stream or production system is manufacturing the products (mix and quantity) at the same pace as the customer is consuming them. Synchronization depends on the creation of (one-piece) flow, on reliability and flexibility of production processes and on the use of pull.
