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Is lean production a viable concept - or just the latest catch-phrase |
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Written by John Yoswick
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Monday, 04 June 2007 |
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Page 2 of 3
Key elements
Although Feltovich repeatedly points out that “lean production” is more of an ongoing improvement process rather than specific actions, there are elements of shop operations that can indicate a shop is “going lean.” This includes:
• Blueprinting. When a frame rack or a paint booth becomes an “expensive parking space” for a vehicle because of a delay, or when in-process cars sit untouched for days waiting for a part, that is a sign of a process that needs to be improved to eliminate waste, Feltovich said. Lean production calls for adequate damage assessment up front, by completing the necessary teardown to determine all necessary parts (one parts order should be the norm and goal) and obtain all insurer approvals before the vehicle moves into non-stop production.
• Equipment in use. Feltovich said that during two consecutive days he spent in one shop for which he was doing some consulting work, two of the shop’s four frame racks sat unused. But eliminating the problem of cars tying up a rack waiting for insurer approvals, for example, can often mean a shop can get by with fewer racks. Shops that go lean, Feltovich said, often find they can sell such excess equipment without any loss in productivity and throughput. Too often in the past, he said, bottlenecks have been solved by buying more equipment while the current equipment in the shop isn’t being used to its full capacity.
• Quality in process, not just at final inspections. You can’t inspect quality into a job, Feltovich says; it has to already be there. Many shops do a final inspection of a vehicle just before the customer arrives, but by then it is too late to avoid the expense of fixing any problems found. The expectations for quality must be adequately communicated so such problems ideally, don’t occur in the first place, or at worse, are caught and corrected before the vehicle has moved forward in the process.
• A facility and employee headcount that are in line. If a technician is not apt to have any delays once he has a vehicle that has been put in process, how many vehicles and stalls does he need at any one time?, Feltovich asks. If your shop has more than two stalls per technician, look at improving your processes long before you look at adding more space (and the overhead expense that accompanies it), he suggests.
• General cleanliness. Improving quality to reduce costs doesn’t mean polishing vehicles more; it means reducing the need to polish. That may mean understanding that good housekeeping in a shop is a lean-style investment in improving quality and reducing rework and wasted time and materials.
• Training. Quality isn’t about sanding a panel more or grinding a weld smoother, Feltovich said. It’s about knowing how to use the right sanding technique and materials the first time, It’s about welding more effectively so grinding isn’t necessary. Lean shops have well-trained employees, Feltovich said.
Lean isn’t mandated, but…
Feltovich and others touting “lean production” generally don’t go so far as to say it is necessary for survival in the collision repair industry. But they point out you will likely be competing against at least some repair businesses that have moved to get lean.
“You can dig your heels in deep and hard and say, ‘I’m not changing. I’ve been at this 35 or 40 years, and this is the same way we’ve always done it and I’m not going to change.’” Feltovich said. “But guess what? I can tell you your future then is getting dim.”
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