5S’s Tips from Brad Schmidt, President of Gemba Japan

“5S Training - Insist on giving people training about kaizen and the 7 types of waste before doing 5S with them. If 5S doesn't make sense to them, they will oppose it.

Tops of Cabinets - Always check on top of machines and cabinets. A whole bunch of stuff is up there.

Nest of Vipers - Wires, air hoses, and hydraulic lines on the floor make cleaning it hard. Get them off the floor. Think of these as a nest of vipers.

Less Self-discipline -Encourage people to do a good job on the first 4S so you don’t have to rely heavily on the 5th (self-discipline), which no one likes anyway.

5 Star Hotel - Treat 5S in the workplace just like a 5 Star hotel idea. You don’t spit in a 5S hotel.

Make Drawers Visual - Put photos of what’s in the drawer, so you don’t have to open it to find out.”

Muda Walk for a Month is On for September 2009

What would a 5% improvement in productivity in the field mean to your company? In today’s economy 5% could be BIG and it is possible by just investing some time. Do you have the time – no! But you can make the time. The opportunity is yours. There may never be a better time to invest your time in your company’s success.

The third annual Muda Walk for a Month is coming in September. The challenge – Do a Muda walk in some part of your operations (jobs site, office, fabrication shop, materials warehouse, etc.) for one hour every workday for a month.

The target - Implement at least one improvement each day.

How it works – Each week I will email you a Muda Walk theme that you will apply while doing your Muda walk. You will look for opportunities to drive out waste related to that theme. I ask that you keep a list of improvements you have implemented and share those with me at the end of the month. If you miss a day then just start again the next day. If you can’t do it every day – do it every other day or at least once per week.

Your Investment – About an hour a day to do what managers should do every day – drive continuous improvement and document your successes.

See ContractorMag for an article about it. If you are interested in driving out waste (Muda) and improving your operations this may be just the ticket.

This is a free service but you must sign up by August 31st. The first week of the Muda walk will start on Sept. 7th. To register to do the Muda Walk for a month just email your request to me.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Beyond Sensors and Scopes - Use lean tools to see the solution that’s right in front of you by Annie Dodson, Quality Progress, April 2009



“Technicians working in a testing lab at Solutia Inc.’s facility in Pensacola, FL, had access to some of the most powerful microscopes and analytical technology available. But they still couldn’t see the solution to a problem that had challenged them for years.



“One of the tests performed in the lab required that samples be kept in a freezer for a specified period of time and then tested while they were still cold. Unfortunately, the freezer was at one end of the room, and the testing apparatus was at the other. The reason? Years before, the test was added to the work being performed in the lab, and the freezer was put in the only open space large enough to hold it.



“The technicians simply couldn’t cross the room with the samples and keep them cold enough to comply with the standard. They tried several tactics, from transporting the samples in ice chests to snatching the samples from the freezer and sprinting across the room—right across the paths of other researchers working on other projects.



“The lean tools quickly revealed to the techs how inefficient their processes had been. When they started drawing spaghetti diagrams, their feet started to hurt because they realized for the first time how much extra walking they had to do every day.



“When we got to the question of how to get products from the freezer to the testing apparatus without letting them get warm, the light finally came on: Why not move the freezer? The technicians started laughing. ‘We’ve been struggling with this for years,’ one said. ‘It never occurred to us to move the freezer!’



What is in your shop, office or even at a job site that causes waste but has always been that way? What do you need to move to reduce waste?

Visual Management

Here is an idea for visually tracking designs, details, drawings approval, submittals, purchase orders or similar tasks that need review, approval or action.

First-Run Studies Help Improve Projects

“Work methods appear simple enough when presented in the estimate, but that design is seldom detailed or explicit at the step or sub-cycle level. The design of an operation may be specified in front- end planning, but more design work will remain to be done in the engineering phase and within the look-ahead process when the work package is released to the crew.”



The Lean Construction Institute developed the term ‘First-run study” to help project teams learn by doing. Doing a First-run studies should be a routine part of planning a project. They should be conducted four to six weeks prior to the start of a new operation. In a first-run study the crew actually performs the operation in as realistic manner as possible. The intent is to learn how to best perform the work involved, identify skills and tools available or needed, remove waste and determine how this process will interact with other processes.



“First-run Studies speed the evolution of an operation as the movement between stages is not left to chance. The crew and entire production team comes to grips with the details of the operation in planning before mobilizing in the field. Areas of uncertainty can be identified in advance and decisions made on the coping and learning process to be employed.



“Often the crew can reduce the time spent in the initial learning phase of the operation by thinking through the details in an open discussion aided by simple graphics. The idea of interaction can be added to the study by drawing a process chart showing sub cycles and then exploring where intermediate inventories might be placed at the outset without risking quality.



“First-run operations design are not limited to repetitive operations. Indeed, all operations should be subjected to a design stuffy on each project. Typical studies include process, crew balance and flow charts, as well as space schedules that show how resources move through space and work progresses. It is of utmost importance to measure and understand variability in arrival rates of inputs and processing durations. Construction operations usually begin with a significant uncertainty but First-run studies will reduce it.



“First-run studies result in identifying a good way to do work, thereby setting a standard against which all those conducting the work can gauge performance. They are subject to examination and improvement to result in a new and better standard when appropriate.

Standards are very important, however, in that they make it easy to delegate responsibility for execution and control to those conduction the work, and they facilitate learning by clearly defining a process that can be mutually agreed upon and critiqued.

An additional benefit of First-run studies comes with involving safety and quality control in the design of the operation instead of trying to inspect it in later. The documentation prepared in the course of completing a First-run study provides a way to capture best practices and “remember” them for future projects.”



Source: The Last Planner production System, 2007 Lean Construction Institute

* Last Planner System is a trademark of the Lean Construction Institute.

Learning Opportunities

You may be interested in attending one of these training seminars:

• Sept. 17, 2009 - Customer Loyalty by Design, – Phoenix, AZ – Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy at pipetrust@qwest.net
  
• Oct. 6, 2009 - Lean Works in Construction – Milwaukee, WI – Sponsor: Plumbing Mechanical Sheet Metal Contractors Alliance, Contact: Dajen Bohacek at 414/543-7622 or dajen@pmsmca.com Must be a SMACNA member company, associate or sponsored by one to participate.
  
• Oct. 15. 2009 - Introduction to Lean in Service, – Phoenix, AZ – Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy at pipetrust@qwest.net
  
• Oct. 29, 2009 – Lean Construction Overview – Phoenix, AZ – Sponsor: Arizona Lean Construction Institute – details to follow

Contact Dennis Sowards if you want a customized workshop exclusively for your company.

Other Lean Construction Events:

• Aug 25, 2009 - Can Toyota's Culture be Successful in a Construction Environment? Sponsor: LCI National Capital Region Chapter , Arlington, VA. http://lci-ncr-08-2009.eventbrite.com
  
• Sept. 9, 2009, - Nor Cal Lean Construction Institute Chapter Meeting, Rancho Solano Clubhouse, Fairfield, CA - 6:00 PM-9:00 PM - Pacific Time, Contact: Theresa Robinson at trobinson@tcco.com or 916.554.7944
  
• Sept 10, 2009 - Lean, Leaner, Leanest, Sponsor: LCI Texas Chapter, Houston, TX, http://lci-tx-09-2009.eventbrite.com
  
• Sept 24, 2009 - Integrated Project Delivery IPD Education Program + an Owner's How-To Meeting, Sponsor: LCI Los Angeles Area Chapter, with DBIA Western Pacific Region, Culver City, CA, http://lci-la-09-2009.eventbrite.com
  
• Oct. 13, 2009 - Kaizen Events – Improving Your Business’ Efficiency in Just One Week (A New Horizons Foundation Project), 2009 SMACNA Convention, Palm Springs, CA, details at: https://www.smacna.org/events/annualconvention/
  
• Oct. 20-23, 2009 - 11th Annual Lean Construction Institute Congress, Boulder, CO. Details to follow

A Quick Thought

Time waste differs from material waste in that there can be no salvage. The easiest of all wastes and the hardest to correct is the waste of time, because wasted time does not litter the floor like wasted material.

- Henry Ford



For more information about Lean applications to construction and especially the 5S’s contact Dennis Sowards at his office at 480-835-1185 or his cell at 602-740-7271 or at his web site: www.YourQSS.com

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