Simple FIFO

The targeted area consisted of one high speed machine and a machine with two rotary applicators. Orders average 39,018 pieces per day through this area. Due to this high volume of parts, it was important that we gave structure to orders as they were introduced to the area.

Problem: Cluttered area; long lead time

Root Causes:

(1) Early orders were delayed to run newer orders because operators were scrambling to decide which orders to run and in which sequence because the area was cluttered with blue roller racks filled with upcoming orders because there was a large volume of orders brought to machines because of no planfor supplying product to the customer and no min/max inventory levels (2) Finished good parts would sit on the machine for extended periods of time before getting received in by the route runner because operators were boxing their own finished goods because finished parts exited the machine near the operator because

there was no way to get boxes away from the machine to the aisle because we had no plan for outgoing finished goods.

Current State Map:

First In First Out (FIFO) is a system for keeping track of the order in which information or materials are to be processed. The goal of FIFO is to prevent earlier orders from being delayed in favor of newer orders which would result in increased lead time and unhappy customers regarding the earlier orders.

FIFO is shown to regulate a queue between two decoupled processes when a supermarket or continuous flow is impractical. The queue is filled by the supplying process and emptied by the customer process. When the queue is full, the supplying process must stop producing until the customer process has used up some inventory. This way the FIFO lane can prevent the supplying process from overproducing.

Goals/Targets: 100% on-time, consistent short lead time with predictable delivery

Implementation Plan: (1) The kaizen team would create incoming FIFO lanes for incoming orders from the supplying process (route runner/scheduling box) to the customer process (operators). (2) The kaizen team would design and implement outgoing lanes to improve flow of finished goods to the route runner, while eliminating all indirect work (boxing finished goods) from the operator.

Future State:

With the help of a few operators, route runners, and a fabricator, the team decided to insert simple roller racks to be used as FIFO lanes. Each was clearly labeled with min/max levels and instructions. The operator would run each job as they were presented to them on the FIFO lane. The route runner would only bring enough orders as to bring the lane to its max inventory.

After:
The team also designed a pneumatic system to carry the finished boxes from the machine up to the aisle where the route runner could weigh and box the parts, eliminating all indirect work from the operator.

Results:

Since the introduction of the FIFO lanes and outgoing pneumatic belt, lead time inthe area has continued to decrease. Min/max inventory levels are defined and clearly visible. The decision making process has been removed from the operator and all indirect work has been transferred to the route runner. Finally, we cleared out a lot of unneeded clutter allowing for better organization.

Next Step: FIFO Board