Lean Manufacturing

I embarked on a career 50 years ago in manufacturing and spent most of that time running the Personnel/Human Resources functions for US manufacturing companies.  In 1993, I was kidnapped by the electronics companies in Atlanta to operate a private consulting practice that allowed me to contribute to the advancement of product design and manufacturing. 

My emphasis during this career has always been to gain efficiency, reduce costs, enrich jobs and place employees in jobs they loved.  Automation and process redesign have been at the center of my strategies.  As technology allowed, I pushed to automate to reduce costs and worked with like-minded managers to improve their operations.

In the 1960s, equipment designs were done on drafting boards and copied as “blue prints” and sent to the manufacturing floor.  Manufacturing equipment needed to be set up and measuring devices were manual calipers and micrometers.  Batch processed chemicals had more advanced test equipment like gas chromatographs and mass spectrophotometers.  Computers were used to replace manual clerical work, but the big advances required more automation.

In the 1970s, computer aided design equipment was available to make design drawings with electronic transfer capabilities.  Business computers handled bills of materials.  Poor US automobile quality and lagging US productivity made it clear that better methods were needed. 

In the 1980s, it was possible to send designs from the CAD stations directly to the machine shop equipment and computer integrated manufacturing became possible.  CAD software developed to allow schematic capture of bills of material on electronic drawings to replace manual entry of bills of material. Robotic welding machines and material moving devices were beginning to appear, but design functions were not integrated to develop a single, seamless process.  Lean manufacturing process improvement would prove to be the solution.

In the 1990s, more chemical analyzers were developed and deployed.  Industries developed their own processes based on their own experience.  Lean manufacturing was being used in all industries and product testing for high volume products was custom designed and deployed. Manual measuring tools were replaced by Coordinate Measuring Machines using lasers to measure 3D machined parts.

In the 2000s, high speed automated processes were used to make paper diapers, light bulbs, in bottling operations and in most developed manufacturing industries.  The 2000 Toyota Prius hybrid had been developed using high speed Lean Manufacturing processes and set a new standard.  Robotic metal fabrication equipment, robotic welders and robotic material handling equipment allows for computer controlled placement of parts that allows for no variation in tolerances.  This makes the rest of the manufacturing process much easier than it had been in the past and produces a perfectly manufactured product.  The automotive quality problem has been solved.

All complex, quality-sensitive products are now able to be designed and manufactured using robotic assembly for high quality products. Over the past 30 years, computer aided manufacturing has evolved into computer integrated manufacturing.  Design tools have advanced to allow products to be designed to be manufactured more efficiently and reliably.  You can now watch your crown being made on a miniature milling machine at your dental office from a tooth impression photograph.

Tesla Manufacturing

Tesla uses the same high speed Lean Manufacturing techniques made popular by the Toyota Prius, but this is not a high volume operation.  It is a high priced electric car, but if they are able to reduce the price, they will increase their sales.  See the Tesla video below:      

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_lfxPI5ObM?re

Manufacturing’s Return to the US

The new manufacturing technology model is set and is better staffed in the US if we can get government and unions out of the way. It will require capital, but it will also solve our current quality problems with overseas-made electronics and many other products. It will also require the best engineering teams we can create.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader