After lean manufacturing was introduced, the majority of organizations started measuring motion waste and changing processes to minimize motion waste. This waste is mostly not visible in the operational process; measure motion waste with the help of work measurement techniques. Many repetitive tasks are visible during product production in various industries these days, and if we do not systematically analyze and minimize non-value-added activities, their main impact will be on productivity.
Certain work measurement techniques can help to systematically measure and minimize motion waste. To improve productivity, many industries are using time studies to analyze work in detail.
The most frequently asked question about the eight waste categories is the distinction between transportation waste and motion waste. So in transportation, waste measures material movement from one place to another, and in motion waste, it deals with manpower movement from one workstation to another.
What do you learn from this article?
- Ways to measure motion waste
- What are the practical steps to minimize motion waste?
- Practical implementation guidelines are provided for each measure of motion waste.
- benefits for minimizing motion waste.
Practical steps must be followed to minimize motion waste.
- Identify the proper measure for motion waste.
- Monitor motion waste on a timely basis and based on the above-listed measures.
- Analyze the manpower movement and identify ways to generate motion waste and use lean tools such as the 6 “S” (workplace management), SMED, and kaizen for motion waste minimization.
- Examine the difference in motion waste before and after the process.
- Conclude the study of motion waste and standardize the updated process.
- Measure the motion waste KPI on a continuous basis to easily identify out-of-control processes.
We now have a practical understanding of how to measure each motion waste and have implemented it in operational processes. Many organizations do not measure motion waste and do not systematically work to minimize it. The main reason is that, from the outside, motion waste appears to have a minor impact on operational processes, but in reality, a minor impact has a larger impact on overall productivity loss due to ignorance.
1. With time study
Time study is a very simple concept that is used by most industries to reduce motion waste. The time study can easily measure manpower movement within a workstation or within premises. Perform a time study of operational processes and track manpower movement in various areas. Discuss the various causes of manpower movement and generate a proposed plan through brainstorming.
In the improvement activity, plan to rearrange workstations with the help of the 6 “S” methodology. Plan internal improvements to minimize motion waste. developed the system in such a way that the worker is capable of doing all the tasks while standing or sitting in the same place possible.
2. With video time study
A video time study is a method of capturing all operational activity in great detail. Video time study can aid in the more precise study of processes. A video time study can also assist the majority in identifying the causes of manpower movement. Conducting a time study involves two activities: the first is a shop floor study, where an operation or process is performed, and the second is analyzing each detail activity to be performed.
According to the time study, the improvement plans are similar. The important things are to understand the basic requirements for operator movement and identify alternate plans to minimize the motion of workers.
Advantages of reducing motion waste
- Operational productivity improvement
- worker morale improvement
- Manpower fatigue reduces
- cycle time reduction
Conclusion
Monitor and develop a motion waste minimization plan on a regular basis; this is critical for every organization. With the help of video time study, single minutes of exchange dies practice can also help to minimize motion waste. For managing any workstation, systematically arranging required items is very important; otherwise, it generates a lot of waste. The Six-S Methodology helps a lot with rearranging workstations in a systematic way.
If you require a more precise study, you can use method time measurement and Maynard operation sequence techniques to analyze individual processes in microsecond mode, which also gives better accuracy for operational processes. Other lean manufacturing tools can also be helpful, like kaizen and poka-yoke, to minimize motion waste from processes.