Archive for July, 2009

We’ve spoken about Lean Manufacturing many times on our blog, and it’s a term that most people are familiar with. There are many different ways that lean manufacturing can be implemented in a business; Takt Time is one of the fundamental aspects of it.

But what exactly is Takt Time?

It can be used in all areas of business, but is more relevant in manufacturing – specifically in production lines. The basic definition of Takt Time is the maximum amount of time allowed per unit for production in order to meet customer demand. So, if there is a lot of demand for the unit, then your maximum allowed time to make the unit is very small, however, if there is not a lot of demand for the unit, the maximum allowed time to make it is a lot larger.

To discover exactly what your Takt Time is, you would need to figure out the amount of time in total that you have to work on your order – remembering to take into account employee breaks, lunches, machine downtime, etc. – and divide it by how many units you need to produce (again taking into account the fact that there may be test parts and defective units).

So how does Takt Time help you implement lean manufacturing? Simply, once you have Takt Time in place, you can look at your process and see what is inefficient and non-value-added, and decide from there what can be improved upon. Ways that this can be done include reducing idle time, set-up time and eliminating waste. One of the biggest benefits of Takt Time is that you will easily be able to see where any bottlenecks are in the production process and can quickly fix that.

Workplace safety should be a top priority for all businesses. Not only do you want to protect your employees from injuries, but it can also be quite expensive for compensation towards any injured parties. There are some simple ways that you can help to make your workplace safer.

1. Keep all work areas clean. Whether you work at a desk, or on the line, a clean workspace is the easiest way to prevent a lot of injuries.
2. Make sure that all machinery has been installed correctly, and that it is in proper working condition. Both installing equipment improperly and missing a maintenance on the machine may cause mechanical problems that could have been easily avoided.
3. Label all products and materials correctly. Know the products you are working with, and know what could be hazardous to mix with these products. Keep compounds that react badly to each other away from each other.
4. Install fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Also, have fire extinguishers on hand if there is ever a need to use one.
5. Make sure you have an alarm system installed on your facility. This is an easy way to prevent break-ins. If possible, also include security cameras.
6. Give clear instructions to all employees. This will allow all employees the knowledge of how to do things properly and safely.
7. Consider forming a safety committee. This committee should be responsible for keeping an eye open for any potential dangerous situations. The committee would also be responsible for making processes and equipment safer.
8. Use proper signage to inform employees of any potential dangerous places and activities. This could range through everything from signs to indicate a wet floor to signs that indicate hazardous materials.
9. Enforce safety procedures and requirements. Safety regulations such as wearing safety glasses or work boots can do a lot to prevent injuries.
10. Report any and all dangerous situations to your superior or supervisor. If you ever see a potential dangerous situation that is about to happen, let the right people know.

I remember in the 90’s when during the tech boom there were countless new programs and technologies being introduced. Silicon Valley was the Mecca for all tech companies. Everybody thought that they had the new and best thing that would make them bigger than Microsoft. This all occurred in recent memory and we all know how this story played out.

Things are different now. People no longer invest blindly into technology companies that are not declaring any profits. The technology and specifically the software marketplace has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. There is still development going on but you do not hear too much about Silicon Valley anymore, but you do hear about great technological advances in other places that were previously unknown – such as Waterloo, Ontario.

The Canadian marketplace now has the chance and the advantage to become the leader in technology development. There are companies wanting to come here just because this environment is conducive to R&D efforts in funding and educated, creative employees. Soon we might have a silicon Ontario, but only time will tell.