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Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing

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 CHAPTER 17

Industrial Engineering and

Lean Manufacturing
In the recent years, Lean manufacturing practices have gained acceptance
along with Industrial Engineering techniques. As far as apparel
manufacturing is concerned, applications of Lean manufacturing are treated
as the responsibility of The Industrial Engineering Department (IE). Both
Industrial Engineering and Lean manufacturing share common objectives,
one of them being to improve productivity by enhancing resource utilization;
this is possible only through waste elimination or minimization. Hence we
see that both IE and Lean synergically lead to overall excellence. However,
different techniques are applied in practice. Industrial Engineering may
be used as a platform where lean thinking and concepts may be nurtured.
Knowledge of Lean manufacturing concepts is a desirable qualification for an
Industrial Engineer and adds value to IE Industrial Engineering practitioners
and provides a competitive edge. Some of the key lean tools (though there
are some lean tools not practiced by IE in apparel manufacturing) used by
IE in apparel manufacturing will be discussed in this chapter.

LEAN MANUFACTURING
The genesis of Lean manufacturing is Toyota Production System (TPS)
developed and practised by Taiichi Ohno in 1950s. Toyota Production
System was a combination of practices followed by employees of Toyota
Motor Corporation, Japan. Lean ideas provide a new way to recognize and
root out waste (Hammer & Somers, 2015). Kaizen (Japanese approach for
continuous improvement) is the backbone of lean thinking. Many times,
Kaizen is used as Japanese term for lean and the term Lean was indeed
coined by the Western world. Eventually, the Japanese Kaizen was known
by the world as Lean. In 1980’s, the term ‘Lean’ manufacturing’ was first
coined by researchers at MIT under the guidance of Dr. James Womack.
Lean Philosophy can be defined as, “To identify, reduce and if possible
eliminate wastes (mudas) from the processes”. Lean is not a single concept
but a collective term used for various tools, techniques and theories used

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 267

to control or eliminate the waste from the processes as mentioned in
the definition. Womack and Jones termed ‘Lean’ as a remedy to waste
(Womack & Jones, 2003). Lean thinking is focused on enhancing resource
utilization with minimum or no wastages, with minimum or no expenses.
It encourages maximized output with lesser resources (Tiwari, 2010).Lean
manufacturing is demand driven (LEI, 2000) based on pull concept which
is in contrast to the traditional western world approach of producing more
or push concept (Womack & Jones, 2007).

Lean Tools
It is indeed a challenge to list down the lean tools exhaustively. The
lean movement is more consultant-driven and less academic-driven and
different organizations list down varying number and name of lean tools,
principles, elements. Field (Field, 2000) has grouped 41 such tools under
five elements: manufacturing flow, organization, process control, metrics
and logistics. According to Lean Enterprise Institute, the lean principle
is a five-step thought process starting with identifying value > mapping
value stream > create flow > establish pull > seek perfection (LEI, 2000).
Some of the most common tools used by lean protagonists have been
listed in alphabetical order (Table 17.1). Kaizen has not been mentioned
separately as it’s treated as another name for lean and not a separate tool.
There are two approaches to lean; the most popular one is waste (muda)
minimization, and the less popular one is eliminating unevenness (mura)
in Japanese. Lean tools also can be categorized as exploration tools, which
collect facts and figures systematically (to assess the scope of improvement)
and improvement tools, which brings change to improve upon the product
or process.
Tools like Kanban, Andon, Value Stream Mapping, Yamazumi chart,
assist in the identification and steady elimination of waste. While Takt
Time and Heijunka box try to smoothen the production flow thereby
steadily eliminating unevenness. On the other hand, tools like Andon,
Value Stream Mapping, OEE, Yamazumi chart are exploration tools and
5S, Heijunka, Jidoka, Kanban, Poka Yoke, SMED are improvement tools.

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND LEAN

MANUFACTURING
Cost, quality and delivery are three key drivers to success for any
manufacturing business including apparel manufacturing (Gugnani &
Mishra, 2011). An IE works towards achieving the same by using some

268 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

Table 17.1: Some of the most common lean tools
Lean Tools Meaning/Application

5S A methodical approach to organize the workplace

Andon Visual indicator signalling an abnormal situation

Heijunka (Level Scheduling) A tool for load levelling or production levelling to control or eliminate the mura or
unevenness

Jidoka A term used for automation with human intelligence also referred to as intelligent
automation” or “humanized automation”

Just-In-Time (JIT) A demand-driven methodology aimed to reduce flow times within production as well as
response times from suppliers and to customers

Kanban (Pull System) Demand-driven approach to replace inventory or process control in a system

KPI (Key Performance Indicator) A type of performance measurement tool used to evaluate the success of an organization
or a particular activity

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) A measure of performance that relates the availability of the process to the productivity
and quality

PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) A systematic and repetitive series of steps for the continual improvement of a product
or process

Poka-Yoke (Error Proofing) Used for error proofing or mistake proofing

Root Cause Analysis A technique to investigate the problem or issue which aims to find out the core reason

Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) A technique for quick change over

Takt Time Rate at which a product is required to be produced to meet customer demand

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) A maintenance philosophy incorporating skills of all employees and focusing on
improving the overall effectiveness of the facility with total participation of the workforce

Value Stream Mapping A visual representation of every process in the material and information flow following a
product’s production path from customer to supplier

Yamazumi charts Colourful representation of a process in the form of stacked up bars or lad charts used for
effective communication

Industrial Engineering approaches. Application of lean principles too leads

to achieve the same by waste elimination or minimization. Indirectly both
Industrial Engineering and Lean work towards the enhancement of Value
Addition(VA). Globalization in the last decade has influenced the roles
of the Industrial Engineer. There are some new and interesting additions
in the role of Industrial Engineering and Lean is one such role, and
Industrial Engineers work as lean managers in Japan (Košturiak, 2012).
In recent times, Industrial Engineers have started adopting and practising
lean tools may be due to common objectives. It is true that lean principles
may be applied to some places and levels in the apparel business, but as
far as manufacturing is concerned, it’s taken as the prime responsibility of
Industrial Engineering only. Process improvement, shopfloor or work place
arrangement, managing work in progress(WIP) and balancing flow, quick
line changeover or style changeover, measuring efficiency and effectiveness

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 269

are some of the key areas where lean tools may be used by an Industrial
Engineer.
Some feel Traditional IE believes in MRP push planning control whereas
lean tools like Kanban follow pull principle. Another observation is
that IEs work within a silo and their impact seems to be limited to the
transformational processes, and addresses the cycle time with little or no
impact on lead time issues. Whereas lean addresses the transactional process
and offers opportunities to reduce the lead time.

LEAN TOOLS USED BY IE IN APPAREL

MANUFACTURING
Some of the lean tools that are used by an Industrial Engineer along with
regular Industrial Engineering tools are 5S, Andon, Kanban, OEE, SMED,
Takt time, Value Stream Mapping. Other lean tools that can be explored by
an Industrial Engineer are Heijunka Box, Poka Yoke, Yamazumi Chart. There
are also tools and techniques for problem-solving and process improvement
like cause Analysis, Cause and Effect Diagram, Five Why Analysis, etc. A
brief discussion of each of these lean tools is presented below.
5S
A set of basic concepts, each starting with the letter ‘S’, that help
organizations ensure a clean and organized workplace. 5S was developed
in Japan and stands for the Japanese words seiri (tidiness), seiton
(orderliness), seiso (cleanliness), seiketsu (standardization), and shitsuke
(discipline). The English translations of these words have been edited to
maintain the 5S’s like seiri (sort), seiton (set in order), seiso (Shine), seiketsu
(standardize), and shitsuke (sustain) (Hill, 2012). Please refer Figure 17.2
for 5S steps at a glance in flow form.
Sort (Separate, Store, Shift): Separating the necessary from the
unnecessary. Unnecessary tools in the workshop, unnecessary papers/
files in merchandiser’s desk, unnecessary accessories and fabrics from raw
material stores are removed from the workplace. There may be some items
which are not necessary (refer Figure 17.1) at present but may be useful
in future. Such items also should be sorted out.
Set in Order (Straighten, Store, Simplify): Putting everything in place
and organizing material according to how frequently it is used. Clearly
identify locations for all items so that anyone can find them and return
them once the task is completed. Arrange the toolbox in a workshop or
pattern making tool box by a pattern maker in such a way so that frequently
used tools are kept closer.

270 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

 Figure 17.1: Seiri - Sorting of items based
on their usefulness

Not necessary
Necessary now, but may be Unnecessary
in the future

Figure 17.2: 5S Steps at a glance

SEIRI (SORT)

Necessary Not necessary now, Unnecessary

things but may be useful things

Disposal

SEITON
Organized workplace
(Set in order)

SEISO (Shine) Cleaned workplace

SEIKETSU
Standardized workplace
(Standardized)

SHITSUKE
Self-disciplined workplace
(Sustain)

Shine (Scrub, Sweep): Clean the workplace and equipment on a regular

basis to maintain standards and identify defects. Operators must wipe the
sewing table and sewing head and clean them every morning before starting
the sewing operation.
Standardize: Revisit the first three of the 5S on a frequent basis and confirm
the condition of the Gemba using standard procedures. Define how a task
should be done and let everyone involved know the best way to perform
tasks. Process changes are documented as they occur and create Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP) for sample approval, spreading of fabric, cut
parts inspection after cutting, ticketing & bundling, etc.
Sustain (Systematize, Self-discipline): Keep to the rules to maintain the
standard and continue to improve every day.

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 271

Andon
A lean term (pronounced ‘Ann-Don’) that refers to a warning light, board
or signal on (or near) a machine or assembly line that calls attention to
defects or equipment problems; the Japanese word for Andon means
“lamp”. An andon is any visual indicator signalling that a team member has
found an abnormal situation, such as poor quality, lack of parts, improper
paperwork, missing information, or missing tools. When a worker pulls an
andon cord or pushes a button, the red light goes on; the line is stopped,
and a supervisor or technician responds immediately to help diagnose
and correct the problem. The idea is to have a simple visual system that
immediately calls for the right kind of help from the right people at the
right time (Hill, 2012).
The number of lights and their possible colours can vary; most
implementation have three colours: red, yellow and green. Green means
normal operations; yellow means line is having a problem; red means line
has stopped. Organizations can use other colours to signal other types of
issues, such as material shortages, defective outputs, etc. Some firms use
blinking light to signal that someone is working on the problem. Andon
lights and andon boards are commonly used in sewing lines.

Kanban
Managing WIP is one of the biggest challenges for an IE as it directly
affects the line performance. Process imbalance and bottlenecks may hamper
the output. A timely control of WIP and bottlenecks is vital. Otherwise,
it may result in delivery failures. Kanban, which is a production levelling
tool, plays an important role in managing WIP. It is a Japanese word made
of kan and ban, which means ‘Visual Signals’. Such signals may be in the
form of cards, flags, lights, colour marked space, cart or by any other means
by which demand-related information can be communicated. Kanban
may be applied anywhere in the manufacturing process. Kanban was first
developed and practised by Taiichi Ohno to control production between
processes to implement Just in Time (JIT) at Toyota Motors Corporation
in 1940s (Ohno, 1988).
Pull concept is the core of any Kanban which is demand-driven
which means no production or activity will be initiated till the need or
requirement is not generated. This is opposite to the traditional push-based
batch production where products (raw material, semi-finished or finished
products) were pushed to the next process irrespective of demand or based
on the forecast. In the real sense, the traditional push approach is based on

272 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

the capacity of the next process and is not demand based. In case there is
no or lesser demand and material is ready for feeding, it creates a situation
of push where material has to wait. This results in imbalance of WIP and
creation of bottlenecks in the process.
An organization which is working on the PBU system in sewing line may
decide to follow the pull system by implementing kanban, where the upper
limit of WIP can be created between any two sewing operations, be set and
adhered to. In this system, the last operator controls the flow of material,
thus called the ‘pull’ system. If any succeeding operator slows down, then
WIP consumed at a slower pace, will reach kanban limit and will slow
down the preceding operator eventually. Any organization implementing
kanban from PBU system can be attributed to lean implementation. In the
apparel industry, it makes sense to have one supermarket between cutting
and sewing parts, a pairing supermarket between sewing parts and sewing
assembly, a WIP supermarket between finishing and sewing. In the case of
managing inventory between cutting and sewing department, sewing parts
assembly will withdraw cut panels from the supermarket, and the cutting
will replenish the supermarket when signalled to do so by the Kanban
board (Deshpande, 2016).

OEE
In apparel manufacturing, some measures such as efficiency, performance,
utilization, productivity and quality, etc. are used as indicators of the health
of the organization. Such measures are unable to provide the real picture as
they are calculated in silos. This means, when one factor is indicated others
are left out, and ground realities are left unchecked. Overall Equipment
Effectiveness (OEE) is a total measure of performance that relates the
availability of the process to the productivity and quality. It is a Lean tool
which helps in monitoring and improving the processes with a holistic
approach covering availability, performance and quality (Tiwari, 2011).
Availability: Availability is the ratio of total available (operating) time to
the total planned production time. Total available (operating) time may
be calculated by subtracting time consumed in unplanned breaks (such as
sudden breakdowns, the time consumed in machine settings, folder/work
aid adjustments, start-up losses, unavailability of materials etc.) from the
total planned production time. While total production time is the time for
which one is supposed to work and ideally should get it fully for producing
services or producing goods.
Performance: Many times, it is observed that the operator or machine is
not able to utilize the productive time available fully as their productive

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 273

time. This loss of time may be due to operator’s inefficiency, machine
speed loss (machine not functioning at predefined/theoretical speed), small
interruptions like thread breakage, needle break and changes, a wrong
method used while stitching, unnecessary extra movements, wrong work
place lay out, etc.). Hence the machine or operator is unable to convert the
available time into on-standard time completely. Here performance may
be calculated as the ratio of time or minutes produced to total productive
time available.
Quality: Quality is the indicator of conformance to the specifications in
the finished product. It is the ratio of OK quality products to the total
number of products produced in the actual production time. The quality
factor may be calculated in terms of time and quality rejects in the start
up, rework, and quality loss due to machine malfunctioning and material
may be calculated accordingly. Please refer Figure 17.3 for OEE overview.
The OEE can be calculated by multiplying all the three factors: Availability,
Performance and Quality.

OEE = Availability x Performance x Quality

Figure 17.3: OEE Overview

Total Operating Time

Planned Breaks and

Total Planned Production
Scheduled Maintenance

Total Planned Production

Actual Available (Op.) Time (B) Machine breakdown

Availability (x) = Actual Available (Op.)Time (B) / Total Planned Production Time (A)

Actual Available (Op.) Time(B)

Operator’s inefficiency, Speed

Actual O/P Time (C)
Loss, Short breakdown

Performance (y) = Actual O/P Time (C) /Actual Available (Op.) Time (B)

Actual O/P Time(C)

OK Quality O/P Time (D) Rework and Quality Rejects

Quality (z) = OK Quality O/P (D)/ Actual O/P (C)

OEE = Availability (x) x Performance (y) x Quality (z)

274 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

SMED
SMED stands for Single-Minute Exchange of Die; here ‘single’ is referred
to as single digit number of minute, and the task of changeover is supposed
to be finished before 10 minutes or in single digit minute. SMED is a
key lean tool developed by Shigeo Shingo after an in-depth observation
on what people did during the changeover and thinking carefully about
how the necessary set-up work could be done with the shortest possible
down time (Shigeo, 1985). By gaining expertise in SMED, Toyota Motor
Corporation shortened set-up on a 1000 tonne stamping press from 4.0
hours to 3.0 minutes (Womack & Jones, 2007).
IE plays the key role in style changeover. Some machines are required
to be arranged with new settings (depending on work and material
requirement) with work aids and other attachments. Apart from it, in case
of malfunctioning, a machine needs to be corrected or replaced without
losing productive time. Most of the times, changeovers are full of waste
and a good amount of time is lost in activities such as material preparation,
handling, fitting tools etc.
SMED suggests a logical approach to style changeover; activities are
classified into two broad categories, internal activities and external activities.
External activities are the activities which can be performed without
stopping the machine; hence, such activities don’t hamper the production
capabilities. Internal activities are the one which can’t be performed while
the machine is ON; hence the machine essentially needs to stop for internal
activities. Once the activities are categorized as internal and external, it is
recommended to convert as many internal activities into external activities to
avoid machine stoppage and wastage of time while change over. Please refer
Figure 17.4 for SMED conceptual stages. It is reported that following the
SMED philosophy, style changeover time has improved a lot (StitchWorld,
2011). In the same style family, average style changeover time in the last
six months has been about 27 minutes in a 6-minute garment and about
53 minutes in a 15-18 minute garment.

Poka-Yoke
Poka-yoke is a Japanese term synonymous to error proofing or mistake
proofing. The work ‘poka’ means mistake and ‘yoke’ are refers to preventing
or avoiding. Poka-yoke refers to methods or mechanisms by which errors
(primarily human errors) may be avoided. There have been many examples
where poka-yoke has been used in our routine life. Inserting sim card,
connecting a computer to LCD projector, speed control switches marked
with numbers etc. are some of the common examples of poka-yoke. The

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 275

 Figure 17.4: SMED conceptual stages
Observe the current method
Internal External
or way of performing the
Activity Activity
changeover

Separate internal and

external set-up

Convert internal set-up into Internal External

external set-up Activity Activity

Streamline all aspects of

set-up operations
Internal External
Activity Activity

poka-yoke mechanism may be of any type such as electrical, mechanical,

procedural, visual, human, or any other form that helps to avoid mistakes
(Karekatti, 2012). Poka-yoke was developed and practised by Shigeo Shingo
while developing Toyota Production System.
Depending on the application, poka-yoke may be broadly categorized
into two classes: Detection-based and Prevention-based. Detection-based
poka-yoke may be applied using methods such as contact, fixed value and
motion step method. A contact-based method works on physical guidance
or direct contact and highlights deviation in shape and dimension. Usage
of different guides while stitching, using templates to check the shape
and measurements are some of the examples of contact-based poka-yoke
methods. Fixed value poka-yoke may be applied where the operation
is done in sequential steps. It has many applications in the cycle and
automatic programmable workstations where counters are used. Examples
of such fixed value based poka-yoke are the control mechanisms used for
the number and profile of stitches, defining length, width while profile
stitch etc. Motion Step Method is used to avoid activity that is not part
of the process an operator is supposed to perform. There are a number
of motion step based poka-yoke methods, such as usage of colour coded
storage bins, coloured tagged components bundles of semi-finished
garments and washed garments.
Prevention based poka-yoke mechanisms are used as an alarm (warning
or monitoring using light or sound)in the case of any possible abnormality.
Preventive measures may be taken depending on the severity of the possible
error. Various control measures such as authentication/approvals using
Barcode/RFID scanning to ensure due completion of all the steps and

276 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

activities, traffic light system to control defect rate in the manufacturing
process, and various check points and controls in built-in ERP solutions
are some examples of prevention based poka-yoke.

Toyota Sewing System (TSS)

The Toyota Sewing System was pioneered by the car firm’s garment subsidiary
Aikin Seiki (making car seat covers). It was based on a combination of
group working practices, multi-skilled operators, U-shaped layout, single
piece flow, higher machine to operator ratio (Jana, 2012), electronic sewing
machines, and careful line planning (Zeitlin, 2012). This is Toyota’s stand-
up-system and known as the modular production system in the apparel
industry.
This is an extreme form of teamwork when pieces move from hand to
hand in a stand-up work format and are never kept in bin/trolley. In PBU
system, WIP is maximum to ensure continuity, but in TSS, the number
of operators are less than the number of sewing machines and multi-skill
operators work as a self-balanced team in the hands-off or bump-back system
where succeeding members take the WIP from preceding operators (Jana,
2012). Another slightly different form of TSS allows operators to put down
the garment (known as de-coupler). Operators travel counter-clockwise
(CCW) with garments, assembling them as they go on from workstation
to workstation. As long as an operator has a garment to assemble in a
succeeding workstation, the operator travels CCW. When the operator is
blocked, that operator puts the garment in the de-coupler between the
workstation and travels clockwise until finding another unfinished garment
to assemble. This unfinished garment may be either in a de-coupler or
at another workstation (Garmo et al., 2011).The objective of lean is the
reduction of WIP; therefore Lean implementation may lead to ‘single piece
flow’ but is not necessarily mandatory. Single piece flow means there is zero
work in process (WIP) between any two operators in sewing line (Jana,
2012). Although TSS is a proven system in apparel sewing and practised
in almost all European, American and Japanese organizations, it is sparsely
used in south-east Asian countries.

Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping is a pencil and paper tool that helps you to see and
understand the flow of material and information as a product makes its
way through the value stream. It is a visual representation of every process
in the material and information flow following a product’s production
path from customer to supplier. A value stream refers to all the actions

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 277

(both value-added and non-value added) which are currently required to
bring a product through the main flow essential for every product: (1)
the production flow, from raw material to the arms of the customer; and
(2) the design flow, from concept to launch. Value stream perspective means
working on the big picture, not just individual processes, to improve the
whole, and not just optimizing the parts. One requires following the value
stream for a product across many firms and even more facilities (Rother &
Shook, 2003). To identify the Value-Added (VA), Non-Value added (NVA)
and Necessary Non-Value Added (NNVA) activities, VSM is used as one
key tool in textile and apparel manufacturing organizations. It helps in
determining the value-added (VA) percentage and guides in formulating
a road map for improvement from current stage to future stage.

Yamazumi Charts
Yamazumi charts are one of the lean tools primarily used for effective visual
communication. These charts are a colorful representation of a process in
the form of stacked up bars or lad charts. The time taken by each process
is measured in minutes on the vertical axis (Jana, 2010).

Figure 17.5: Yamazumi Chart

Yamazumi charts are effective tools for visual communication due to their
simple and colourful display. Delays and their source in the process can be
immediately and intuitively noticed in a single glance. As most of the times
Yamazumi charts are displayed in the manufacturing area, they work as a
competition booster among production teams and lead to improvements by

278 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

highlighting constraints and scope of improvement. For example, in apparel
manufacturing, a Yamazumi chart may be drawn for a single product or an
assembly line, and it may highlight bottlenecks in the process.
To draw a Yamazumi chart, activities of the process (for which chart needs to
be created) are categorized regarding Value Added (VA), Non-Value Added
(NVA) and Necessary Non-Value Added (NNVA). And percentage share
of these categories is depicted in colours as green, red and yellow or blue
respectively (refer Figure 17.5 for a sample diagram of Yamazumi charts).
Visual display of time wasted in NVA (red colour) and NNVA (yellow colour)
works as an eye-opener and reality check by highlighting the potential of
improvement. This inspires to work on minimizing wastage on time in such
activities and an improved share of time consumed in value-added activities.

CONCLUSION
In recent times, with successful practical implementation, lean tools have
become indispensable for the industrial engineers. As both IE and Lean
has the same goal, lean tools support effectively and efficiently in attaining
the improvements. More and more textile and apparel manufacturing
organizations are adopting lean practices. Some organizations have set up
exclusive lean management department for process improvements. We
may witness this continued pattern in future also, as there is no limit for
improvements, and adopting lean is the way to achieve that.

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INDUSTRY PRACTICES
What are all the Lean tools that are popularly used in
garment manufacturing? Is enough information available
on Lean, and can the garment factories actually implement
Lean tools without the help of any consultant? What results
are achieved by using Lean tools?
We provide our clients with solutions to apply Lean tools
like 5S, Muda, Mura, Muri (3M), Production Preparation
Process (3P), Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)/Quick
Changeover, Kaizen, Single Piece Flow, 7 QC tools, Value Stream
Mapping (VSM), Hoshin Planning, Kanban and Supermarket,
Total Productive Maintenance, and Lean Accounting, in
their organization.

280 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

 There is no doubt about the fact that there is vast information
available on Lean tools and techniques on the web. However,
understanding the Lean tools, and applying them in the garment
industry are on of the key factors determining the success and
failure of the process.
In my view, companies need to take help of consultants because of
their experience, and thereby handhold them at the beginning of
their Lean journey.
For example, many companies misunderstand that Lean means
single-piece flow, whereas it is just one of the tools. Our
experience is, if anyone attempts to use this as a first and primary
tool, he struggles a lot in getting the desired results. Therefore,
sufficient understanding is required for basic tools such as
TIMWOOD and Heijunka before attempting to implement such
tools for single-piece flow.
The teams need to be trained to manage absenteeism, skill
inventory, balance line based on SMV and operating efficiency,
order size and line size, response time to breakdown/quality/supply
chain to successfully implementing single piece flow. However,
the important tools are 3M, especially TIMWOOD, which is
an excellent waste elimination tool, and Heijunka, which is an
awesome line balancing tool. An organization can at least achieve
10-15 per cent improvement in the bottom line by thoroughly
using these two tools. As a bi-product of applying these tools
one, can overcome style/colour changeover difficulties. Planning,
Supermarket and Kanban are other effective tools to reduce the
lead time of execution.
5S is a simple yet powerful tool that one can implement at the
beginning of a Lean journey. While factories find it difficult to
quantify the results of 5S, in our experience, one can effectively
identify 10 per cent of the space as extra, which can be used for
capacity building. In certain cases, effective utilization of manpower
can contribute towards tangible benefits.
When we visit clients’ factories, we often see big stores or several
stores within the factory named as Main Store, Trim Store, Floor
Store, One Day Store, and Line Store. In many cases, materials
are stored as per SKU... But storing PO-wise/shipment-wise can
improve the efficiency of store’s operations.

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 281

 As far as kaizen is concerned we strongly believe that this tool should
be adopted as the culture of the organization. Kaizen becomes the
culture only when equal or higher importance is given to this tool
than shipment.
SHRI RAAJKHAANTH
Director – South Region, Methods Consultancy, Gurgaon, India

There are various Lean tools that are easily implementable in any
organization. We have focused mainly on 5S, Visual Control,
5 Whys (root cause analysis), Andon, and Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP).
Lean is basically a ‘CONCEPT’. It is totally based on logic and
common sense. Before implementing any tool, we need to ask
ourselves questions like, why do we need to be Lean? Why do we
need to use that specific tool? What is the problem we are facing?
There are so many good books, write-ups, articles on Lean that are
available. But, until and unless we figure out the answers to the
questions above, we won’t be able to continue. A consultant can
guide you to identify the problematic areas and right tools that are
needed to eliminate the problems, but the need of implementing
Lean has to be realized by the company itself.
Currently we are working on Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Implementation of Lean
can drastically reduce the re-process/re-work cost. Unnecessary
transportation and waiting time can also be significantly reduced.
As a result, on-time delivery performance improves. Another
improvement is reduced Work in Progress (WIP); less WIP is directly
proportional to less stuck money.
TANUSHREE MITRA RAY
Lean Project Manager, Creative Clothex, Noida, India

Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to the identification

and elimination of all forms of waste. It is a comprehensive set of
tools and techniques. We need to choose the tool, which is applicable
to our operational need.
Lean system will not only make our company leaner, but subsequently
create precise customer value for goods and delivery with higher quality,
with flexibility, with less human effort, and less throughput time.

282 Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing

 Lean always has to be a top-down approach. It is a long-term strategy
to improve all the KPIs through systematic reduction of waste. A
factory can be a ‘Lean factory’ in 5 to 7 years by systematic result-
driven implementations, and sustenance of all the relevant Lean
tools.
We are driving Lean tools to formalize, agree and approve the
formalization across the teams, training from top to bottom,
implementing, sustaining and most importantly measuring the set
objectives and results.
At our organization, we have been working from past three years on
the implementation of the basic Lean tools such as Standardization,
5S, Kanban (WIP control), Pre-production Process. We created the
Lean tools such as Champion, Training, Implement and Audit teams
from the existing teams to get the results.
Our team participates in various external training programmes, and
visits factory to enhance the Lean tool knowledge. We are engaging
the functional trainers to impart knowledge to the team on need
and assignment basis. We also encourage external and internal
competition to assess our Lean tool journey. Our unit was even
awarded by ABK-AOTS – 5S sustenance award. The external and
internal awards and rewards are the motivational factors for our team.
Now we are focused on building the Lean pillar tools – RFT (Right
First Time) Culture, TPM, Kaizen and Mistake Proofing (poka-
yoke). By doing this, we will equip all our grassroots and supervisory
level staff to handle the daily management, so that top management
can work on strategic management.
ASHOK KUMAR
Global Head – IE, Aquarelle Group, Bangalore, India

Industrial Engineering and Lean Manufacturing 283

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