Mixed/Level-Loaded Production
Also known as “Heijunka,” Mixed/Level-Loaded Production provides a system for advanced scheduling of production activities. This tool allows you to reduce inventory, decrease lead-times, and produce the variety of products your customers want, as they want them. Many Lean tools should already be in place to properly use and maintain a Heijunka scheduling system.
Implementation: Once your production mechanism is prepared to integrate this tool through consistent use of KanBans, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Standardized Work Instructions, Error and Mistake-Proofing, and any other facility specific improvements, then it is time to begin introducing Heijunka. We help you engage in a process that allows for a quick, yet powerful implementation of the techniques, while respecting immediate needs for throughput and customer agreements.
Once principles and practices are thoroughly established, we help you generalize the application of this tool across product lines, factories, and the entire enterprise. The time required to implement depends on the complexity of your needs, but is generally fairly easy to begin, with extended efforts required of your staff over a longer time-frame.
Summary: World Class companies lead the way by setting on-time delivery standards through Mixed/Level-Loaded Production Scheduling. This is not the first step to take, but soon becomes an important part of your transition to Lean.
