Within lean manufacturing, companies seeking to improve flow, quality, and turnaround time while minimizing their capital spending use right-sized equipment. Instead of large product batches that must be stored, right-sized equipment produces just the amount of product needed and errors in the process can be quickly exposed and eliminated.
Part of the Shingo Prize winning Manufacturing Insights Video Series, this program gives the viewer an exclusive look into one of the Boeing Company's Commercial Airplane Plant and Integrated Aero Structures business unit to explain how Right-Sized Equipment fits with their Lean journey.
Right-Sized Equipment shares real-world applications of lean principles, including:
- How the production flow of parts used in de-icing airplane wings improved by making the assembly in a small cell.
- How the cost of some parts decreased by as much as 75% just by reducing floor space and changing to right size equipment.
- Analysis of the Japanese term chaku-chaku and what it means to utilize people rather than machines.
