Process Downtime Reduction How to Minimize Waste from Breakdowns, Set-Ups, Supply Chain Issues, and Staffing Constraints

List of Figures

Foreword

Preface

About the Author

1. Introduction - "Your Order is Going to be Late"

Downtime = Lost $$

Other Costs of Process Downtime

Process Downtime

The Course to Zero Downtime

2. Process Set-Up Reduction

Pit Stop

Basic Concepts

Reduce the Set-up Time with a Team

New Processes

Summary

3. Breakdowns

Designing the Process to Prevent Breakdowns

Preventing Breakdowns and Recurrences

Total Productive Maintenance – TPM

Spare parts

Summary

4. In-Process Downtime

Delays Built Into the Cycle

Poorly Programmed Tool Paths

Getting the Process Ready/Time to Reach Steady State

Machine Speed is Slowed Down

Loading/Unloading the Process

Walking

Extra Operations, such as a second rinse

Operator Needed to Start the Process

Scrap

Excessive Recycle/Rework Loops

Assembly Line or Cell Start-Up and Shutdown

Conveyance Issues

Unbalanced Operations

Summary

5. No One to Run It

Automation

Dealing with Breaks, Lunchtime, Shift Change, and Meetings

Dealing with Downtime Due to Meetings/Projects

Dealing with Quality Checks

Covering for Absences/People Scheduling Issues

Absenteeism for Sickness/Health

Attendance Metrics/Attendance Policy

Poor Safety

Culture Change

Summary

6. Supply Chain Problems – "For Want of a Nail…"

Getting Product to the Line

Poor Planning

Supplier Problems

Unreliable Shipping Companies

Inconsistent Customer Orders

Waste Disposal

Summary

7. Managing the Effort

How Much Downtime Do We Have?

Identifying the Vital Few

Attack the Downtime

Monitor Downtime Going Forward

Keep Learning

Glossary of Acronyms

Glossary of Terms

Biography

Mike Beauregard is the founder of Resource Engineering Consulting LLC, a consulting and training firm located in Manchester, Connecticut. Mike is an international consultant and lecturer on the application of lean manufacturing and quality improvement techniques to manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations. He has successfully applied improvement techniques in companies ranging from 10-person start-up companies to Fortune 500 manufacturers. Mike has co-authored twenty-one published books and training systems on quality improvement and lean manufacturing tools including A Practical Guide to Statistical Quality Improvement published by Van Nostrand Reinhold and the highly successful SPC in Action series published by Quality Resources. Also among his works are The Basics of FMEA, published by Productivity Press, and 5S, an interactive computer-based training system on workplace organizational techniques.

Mike graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park in chemical engineering and has held engineering, manufacturing, and plant management positions in the discrete parts manufacturing, plastics, and chemical process industries. As plant manager for the Rogers Corporation’s Elastomeric Products Unit, he led his site to win the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award. Winning this award was based on the results the unit achieved by integrating lean manufacturing and quality improvement techniques into its overall business approach. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Quality Engineer. He is an eight-time member of the Board of Examiners for NIST’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and served the two Connecticut quality awards as a senior examiner, team leader, and instructor for examiners. Mike is certified in lean implementation by the Supplier Excellence Alliance (SEA), the aerospace supply-chain consortium.

While living in Japan on an extended business assignment, Mike spent half a year studying and applying the Toyota Seisan Hoshiki (Production System) with tutelage from Ohno san. 

Mike san and I studied the Toyota Seisan Hoshiki together under Ohno sensei many years ago. In Downtime Reduction, Mike san provides readers the benefits of his learnings from applying techniques to eliminate wastes and downtime in manufacturing operations worldwide.

– Chiaki Umeno, President and CEO, Otalite Company, Ltd., Fukuoka, Japan

As the former president of seven food and consumer product companies that would have benefitted from this book, I found it a well-written, easy-to-read, and practical discussion on how to improve Operations. It  includes numerous "real-world" situations experienced by author among varied customers and ends with a very practical summary of specific steps on how to manage the downtime reduction process.

– Robert A Fox, retired president of Canada Dry, Continental Can, Clarke Hooper America,  Del Monte,- Foster Farms, Nabisco International, Revlon International.