Deck 13: Lean Systems: Eliminating Waste Through the Supply Chain

Question 1

A pre-requisite to understanding lean is recognizing its overriding objective of inventory reduction.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Few businesses have succeeded without concentration efforts to eliminate nonvalue-adding steps in processes.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

One of the most significant benefits of reducing inventory comes from not having inventory to cover up problems.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Five out of the seven categories of waste have substantial impact on inventory, workforce, capacity and facilities.

Question 5

One of the categories of waste targeted by lean systems is excess interest

Question 6

A kaizen workshop is a one-week marathon of tearing down an entire department and completely re-designing its processes.

Question 7

Kanban systems are best suited for manufacturing environments where there is great deal of customization and variability from one product to another.

Question 8

Reduced changeovers is a necessary pre-requisite to paperless transactions.

Question 9

For U.S. manufacturers that have embraced lean thinking, one of the most difficult changes has been to eliminate excess inventory by increasing capacity.

Question 10

Processing waste can be traced to

A) Ineffective job design resulting in excess worker motion.
B) Products that do not meet customer specifications.
C) inventory above that which is necessary.
D) Nonvalue-adding production steps.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding lean systems?

A) The overriding objective of lean systems is to reduce inventory.
B) Lean systems accomplish waste reduction by improving process productivity, reducing inventory, . improving quality, and increasing worker involvement.
C) Lean systems are a prerequisite to quality management.
D) Quality management is completely unrelated to lean systems

Question 12

Which of the following is not a waste reduction focus of lean systems?

A) Waiting time waste
B) Information processing waste
C) Unnecessary motion waste
D) Product defect waste
E) Transportation waste

Question 13

The type of waste resulting from ineffective locations of suppliers or warehouses is referred to as:

A) Waiting time waste
B) Information processing waste
C) Unnecessary motion waste
D) Product defect waste
E) Transportation waste

Question 14

The most significant waste-reduction effect of component standardization:

A) A reduction in inventory
B) An improvement in process efficiency
C) A reduction in information processing
D) A reduction in waiting time

Question 15

In lean systems, a process focus refers to

A) A factory that produces products that are all in the same market
B) A factory that uses a functional layout
C) A factory that produces products that require similar processing methods
D) A factory that produces liquid products

Question 16

An example of a "lean" technique that has enterprise-wide implications is:

A) Quality Management
B) Kanban
C) Paperless transactions
D) Small batch production

Question 17

The fundamental principle behind inventory reduction is

A) Kanban systems
B) Accurate inventory records
C) Matching production rate to demand
D) Frequent deliveries

Question 18

Those lean techniques that affect virtually all resources by their effects on the values of the business are described as:

A) Enterprise-wide lean techniques
B) Inventory-focused techniques
C) Workforce-focused techniques
D) Improved supplier relationships

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true about waste reduction techniques?

A) All lean techniques must be narrowly focused in order to be effective.
B) Most techniques are geared towards waste reduction within a particular resource group.
C) In most cases, U.S. businesses have found that these techniques are interrelated and must be implemented as a system.
D) All waste reduction techniques are compatible with services and manufacturers.

Question 20

Which of the following statement is not true about kanban?

A) Kanban is Japanese for "visible record" or "signal."
B) Kanban systems utilize small buffers of inventory between work centers, departments, and manufacturing plants.
C) Kanban systems are used to link the production rate to the demand rate.
D) In Kanban, the demand pulls products through the system.
E) Kanban systems can only link work centers together that are physically adjacent to each other.

Question 21

Small batch production

A) Is not an effective means of matching production rate to demand rate.
B) Increases the number of times equipment must be changed over.
C) Drives the average inventory level up.
D) Harms quality

Question 22

Workforce-focused waste reduction techniques include:

A) Cross-training
B) Kaizen
C) Automation
D) Process focus

Question 23

One approach to determining the appropriate production batch size that will minimize inventory is

A) Match batch size to customer order quantity
B) Use all excess capacity for changeovers
C) Start with a batch size of 1 and adjust as necessary
D) Increase the time for each changeover

Question 24

A technique that increases the flexibility in responding to market demand changes is

A) A process focus
B) Automation
C) Using protective capacity
D) Smaller batch production

Question 25

Which of the following statement is not true about workforce-focused techniques?

A) Human resources can be wasted as much as any other and knowledge and talent are just as likely to be wasted as labor.
B) Lean systems use employee involvement in all aspects of the business to ensure that nothing is overlooked.
C) Cross-training offers an alternative to having idle employees.
D) Explicit in the utilization of employee improvement teams is a commitment to train employees in . improvement processes and problem-solving techniques.
E) Employee improvement teams utilize employee knowledge and talent to achieve kaizen.

Question 26

Capacity-focused techniques

A) Sometimes incorporate automated processes for repetitive or dangerous jobs.
B) Result in increased levels of inventory
C) Eliminate decoupling that may have been accomplished by the inventory between work centers.
D) Reduce flexibility

Question 27

The frequency a product must be produced to meet demand

A) Is called mixed model production
B) Is determined by the number of Kanbans used
C) Is called takt time
D) Dictates the production batch size

Question 28

Facility-focused techniques

A) Enable workers to contribute in many ways.
B) Virtually eliminate the material movement that is often a waste of transportation.
C) Sometimes incorporate U-shaped lines allowing incoming materials and shipping to be located near each other.
D) Use idle machine time to reduce transportation costs

Question 29

Small scale equipment eliminates waste by

A) Forcing a reduction in batch size
B) Producing products faster
C) Allowing management to more closely match the demand rate
D) Adding to the use of cross-training.

Question 30

A high-volume producer of custom-printed T-shirts needs to meet the demand without building up a stock of inventory. Demand for a week is 4000 units. There are 60 hours of production time available. What is the takt time?

A) 66.67 minutes
B) 54 minutes
C) 54 seconds
D) 66.67 seconds

Question 31

Compute the takt time for 950 units demand over a 40-hour week.

A) .042 hours
B) 151.579 seconds
C) 23.75 seconds
D) 15.833 minutes

Question 32

Determine the appropriate number of kanbans for the following production scenario:
Production time = .7 hours
Transit time = .5 hours
Wait time = 1.9 hours
Demand per hour = 50 units
Safety stock = 10%
Container size = 20

A) Round up to 17
B) Round up to 9
C) 3.1
D) 2.5

Question 33

A producer of electronic components uses tote bins that hold exactly 25 parts. Weekly demand for the item is 600 units. Assuming a 40 hour week, a lead time of 4 hours, and a 10% safety stock, determine the number of tote bins required.

A) 24
B) 15.32
C) 16.5
D) 2.64

Question 34

A producer of molded plastic cases for a variety of MP3 players and PDAs needs to fulfill and order for 20500 units. There are currently 214 hours available, and 190 hours required for producing the order. The changeover time is .5 hours. Determine the minimum batch size if the producer is to use all extra capacity for changeovers.

A) 834.167
B) 428
C) 48
D) 95

Question 35

A manufacturer of custom paint and finishing products has an order for 10,000 gallon cans of a particular sealer. The filling machine will require a total of 120 hours out of 151 hours available to fulfill this order. Cleaning the filling machine between production runs takes 1.2 hours. What is the minimum batch size for the order?

A) 31
B) 322.58
C) 388
D) 37.2

Question 36

The primary objective of lean systems is to _______ _______.

Question 37

The seven categories of waste have substantial impact on the resources of _______, ______, ______, and ______.

Question 38

Kanban utilizes ____ ______ of inventory between work centers, departments, and manufacturing plants.

Question 39

In order to produce in small batches, _______ _____ must be reduced, because there are fixed costs associated with each production batch.

Question 40

JIT and/or lean systems often focus on expertise in a particular _______ , rather than expertise in producing particular ___________.

Question 41

The elimination of _________ ______ steps is at the root of every productivity improvement effort.

Question 42

Without ________, down stream work centers are directly dependent on upstream work centers.

Question 43

_____ ______ typically requires that equipment be shutdown, resulting in an impact on capacity.

Question 44

Match these items.

-Kanban

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 45

Match these items.

-A processing waste-reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 46

Match these items.

-Focus of lean systems

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 47

Match these items.

-A facility-focused waste reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 48

Match these items.

-A workforce-focused waste reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 49

Match these items.

-A capacity-focused waste reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 50

Match these items.

-Overproduction waste

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 51

Match these items.

-An inventory-focused waste reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 52

Match these items.

-Kaizen

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 53

Match these items.

-An enterprise-wide waste reduction technique

A) Producing items before they are needed
B) Quality management
C) Continuous improvement
D) Reduced changeover times
E) Cross-training
F) Eliminating non-value added steps in processes
G) Visible record or signal
H) U-shaped production lines
I) Eliminating waste
J) Increased preventive maintenance

Question 54

The lean system philosophy of continuous improvement gives employees the opportunity to enrich their jobs and their lives. Assume that you are working for a company that has recently implemented this approach; explain with examples how your job and life would be enriched.

Question 55

ABC processes a million customer bank statements and related mailing for local banks. The company operates three shifts a day and has 60 full-time employees on staff. These checks and related materials are mailed to more than 100,000 customers. About 15% of the statements have so many checks that they have to be hand prepared. How would you go about implementing lean systems for this process?

Question 56

Describe how various approaches to waste minimization contribute to the goal of matching production rate to demand.

Question 57

Explain the relationship between successful implementation of lean systems and quality management.