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4flow consulting supports industrial enterprises in implementing Lean Logistics successfully.
The Challenges
When implementing Lean Production without the simultaneous realization of Lean Logistics:
- In many cases the reduction of the production costs is higher than the increase of the logistics costs.
- Existing structures prevent the realization of improvement potentials. Old processes are perceived as personal property.
- One-piece-flow is often pursued as fundamental principle – no matter at what cost.
- Lacking imagination of the potentials that can be realized through logistics standardization.
4flow’s approach perfectly meets these challenges: Lean Logistics perfectly complete the Lean Production.
- The realization of a general concept for production and logistics involves additional opportunities.
- The development from inward to outward makes the process sustainable (coupling into the up- and downstream supply chain).
- The provision and logistics concept is carried out on the basis of standard processes and is geared to the general costs.
Our approach
4flow consulting’s project approch to implement Lean Logistics follows a clear strategy:
- Implementation of a production-synchron, flexible supply
- Elimination of handling stages and tape stocks
- Implementation of consequent controls
- Realization of flow-bases concepts
- Reduction of the variance
- Shortening of times and increase of the tempo
- Synchronization of the up- and downstream chain
- Orientation on the Total Cost of Ownership
The successful implementation of Lean Logistics with 4flow consulting is based on clear principles in the project:
- Priority is given to the implementation, only concepts when required and convenient
- Step-by-step realization (Line Audits)
- Successful pilot fields accelerate the general realization
- Formulation of all measures in teams with the involved departments/fields
 - The realization of Lean Logistics principles starts at the interface between the assembly/production and logistics
4flow consulting uses tested and in many cases successfully implemented concept constituents when realizing Lean Logistics:
Material provision (in-plant)
- Two-containers strategy
- Pull principle
- Line-back principle
- Kanban
- Andon
- Plant with few fork lifts
- Ergonomic supply principles
- Frame on Wheels
- Minimization of machine travel routs
Supply (external)
- JIS/JIT/SILS
- Warehouse on Wheels
- High portion of direct deliverers (FTL)
- Trailer Kanban
Packaging
- Waiving of containers if possible
- Small containers
- Range- and handling-optimized containers
- Delivery container = supply container
- Standardization of containers
- Optimized packing density
- Assembly of sets
Processes
- Synchronization of the process chain from the production/assembly to the supplier
- Route transports
- Supermarket principle
- Semi-automated small-parts warehouse
- Sequencing
- Minimization of the handling stages
- Transparent processes
Results
With the realization of Lean Logistics, 4flow consulting usually achieves the following results:
- Reduction of the needed logistics personnel, in some cases up to more than 50 %
- Well-balanced utilized capacity of the employees in the field of logistics as well as in production
- Significant reduction of the logistic areas, in particular close to the production – utilization of the areas that became free by the production
- Reduction of the inventory buffer within the chain up to 30 %
- Elimination of downtimes and standby times within the logistics and production
- Standardization of the logistics processes
- Transparency within the material flow
- Formation of clearly defined areas of responsibility
- Decoupling of logistics and fabrication (e.g. through the implementation of the 2-containers principle)
Return to the overview Processes & Structures.
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