Gordon Ghirann, lead manufacturing specialist, joined Speck Design for the latest series installment of Through the Eyes of an Expert to discuss the manufacturing process, self-balancing, as part of his new book, "Self-Balancing Processes: True Continuous Flow".

1. Through the Eyes of an Expert
Through the Eyes of an Expert
Self-Balancing:
Self-Balancing:
True continuous flow
True continuous flow
Gordon L. Ghirann, Lean Specialist
Gordon L. Ghirann, Lean Manufacturing Specialist
PARTNERS BY DESIGN

2. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Agenda 2
„ The last 100 years
„ Myths
„ Self-Balancing
„ Video examples
„ Live demonstration
„ Challenges to Self-Balancing
„ Q&A
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

3. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Conventional Continuous Flow 3
• Level Loading
‟ Dividing up the work evenly among each Operator
• Highlight waste at each station/Operator
‟ Focus on discrete processes
• Everybody works to TAKT
‟ The line runs at a steady pace
• WIP buffers
‟ Extra inventory between stations to account imbalances
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

4. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Percent Loading Chart 4
100
90 T/T
80
70 OP
4 OP
60
Time OP 7
50 2 OP
40 OP 9
30 OP 6
1 OP
20 OP 8
3 OP
10 5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Rough Finish Deburr Mill Deburr Drill Grind Wash Inspect
Turn Turn Slots Holes
Operations
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

5. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Level Loaded 5
100
90 T/T
OP 8
80 OP 6
OP 5
70 OP 3 OP 9
60
50
Time 40 OP 2
30 OP 4
OP 7
20
10 OP 1
0
A B C
1. Rough Turn 4. Mill Slots 7. Grind
2. Finish Turn
6. Drill Holes 9. Inspect
3. Deburr
5. Deburr
8. Wash Operators
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

6. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Standard Work Sequence 6
Machine
Sequence
The order in which an Operator performs manual operations.
entrance
Work sequence exit
Operator A
1 1 2 9
Operator C 5 8
2 2
3 3 1 7
Operator B
4 1 2 6
4
5
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

7. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Conventional Continuous Flow 7
What about the experience of the
Line Worker?
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

8. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
What Really Happens 8
„ Artificially balanced
„ Can’t handle variations in yield, cycle time, and
demand (without adding waste)
„ Designed-in waiting
„ In-Process queues (WIP)
„ Silo mentality (factory condo)
„ Difficult to adjust output, inflexible
„ Absenteeism can shut down line
„ “Slowest” Operator/station (Herbie) sets the
pace!
„ Repetitive, dehumanizing work
„ Social cost
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

9. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Conventional Continuous Flow 9
Myth #1:
“Assembly lines work to TAKT”
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

10. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Conventional Continuous Flow 10
Myth #2:
“Level Loading can lead to
Continuous Flow”
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

11. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Ripe for Improvement 11
What if your primary goal was
to achieve continuous flow?
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

12. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
True Continuous Flow? 12
„ Get rid of any In-Process queues
„ Get rid of any waiting
„ End of the line would trigger the pull
„ Abandon trying to level load
„ Get rid of the chairs so people can move
„ Never set the part down
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

13. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Original Arrangement “Un-Level Loaded” 13
100
90 T/T
80
70 OP
4 OP
60
Time OP 7
50 2 OP
40 OP 9
30 OP 6
1 OP
20 OP 8
3 OP
10 5
0
A B C D E F G H I
Rough Finish Deburr Mill Deburr Drill Grind Wash Inspect
Turn Turn Slots Holes
Operations
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

14. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Self-Balancing: True Continuous Flow 14
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

15. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Self-Balancing Results: Micro-Optic Assembly Line 15
60% gain
Batch & Level Self- Overall %
PER CELL Queue Load Balance Improved
Productivity (unit/hr-person) 0.30 0.35 0.56 87%
WIP inventory 810 80 24 97%
Lead Time (days) 10 3 0.7 93%
Cumulative Yield* 64% 65% 83% 19%
Space (sq. ft) 750 550 550 27%
Walking Distance (ft) 525 270 250 52%
Part Travel Distance (ft) 493 152 140 72%
*Simultaneous yield improvement projects implemented, highly sensitive to product mix
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

16. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Self-Balancing Rules 16
„ Keep building (progressively) until someone pulls from you
„ When the downstream person pulls from you, walk
upstream until you run into someone, then pull from them
„ If you catch up to someone, wait
„ Don’t “leapfrog”, everyone stays in their position
„ Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

17. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Self-Balancing Work Sequence 17
Work content may vary slightly each cycle
Operators work in positions exit
entrance
(not a “rabbit chase”)
1 9
2 Operator A Operator C 8
Position 1 Position 3
3 7
4 Operator B
6
Position 2
5
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

18. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Live Demo 18
3 VOLUNTEERS
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

19. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Self-Balancing Features and Benefits 19
„ Eliminates waiting (optimal division of work)
„ Simple, eloquent, flexible
„ Operator paced (unleash your all-stars)
„ No WIP Buffers
„ Operators, not parts, accumulate
at problems
„ Silo’s disappear
„ Increased yield
„ Reduced Secondary Labor support
„ No more line balancing!
„ A bias towards flow
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

20. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Requirements of Self-Balancing 20
„ Progressive Assembly/Processing horizontal
parts and tools presentation
„ # of stations > # of Operators
„ Standard Work (the real thing!)
„ Infinite hand-off points
„ Contiguous x-training
„ Standing/walking line
(for maximum productivity ergonomics)
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

21. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Contiguous Cross-Training Matrix 21
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Task 5
Operator
X X
A
Operator
X X X
B
Operator
X X
C
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

22. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Challenges to Self-Balancing 22
„ Getting rid of the chairs
„ Fatigue
„ Low TAKT, “clumsy” hand-offs
„ Debugging
„ Highlighting waste at a station
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

23. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Where Does Self-Balancing Apply? 23
„ Anywhere there are queues
„ Anywhere there is a standard sequence
„ Mixed Model
„ Anywhere there are balance issues
‟ Business Processes
‟ Product Development
‟ Transactional Processes
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

24. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Honoring Workers, Honoring Results 24
„ 30-100% Productivity Gains
„ WIP Reduced 50%
„ Lead Times Reduced 50%
„ Improved Yields
„ Improved Employee Satisfaction
‟ Dynamic, diverse work
‟ Easier Cross-Training
‟ Improved communication
‟ Real teams
„ Reduced Social Cost
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

25. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Are We Self-Balancing Yet? 25
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

26. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Closing Slides 26
About Gordon L. Ghirann:
Gordon L. Ghirann is a lean manufacturing specialist at JDSU, a leading provider of optical products
and test and measurement solutions for the communications industry. It was while working as a
manufacturing engineer at Kilovac, that Ghirann first discovered the self-balancing process.
Ghirann describes self-balancing as a process that encourages communication and collaboration
among workers within a team-based environment, thereby eliminating the need for self-pacing. By
successfully implementing the self balancing method at numerous companies and industries around
the world, Ghirann has helped reduce COGs, alleviate the human-cost of manufacturing, and improve
quality control.
He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and is a regular
top presenter at the annual Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME) conference. This fall,
Ghirann is releasing his book, Self-Balancing Processes: True Lean Continuous Flow, the culmination
of 13 years of manufacturing practice and research. For information on his book visit:
http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439819654;jsessionid=qoZi8qivnpODhHhsyjg1Lw
Ghirann offers workshops in which participants learn how to set up a self-balancing line, from
simple to complex manufacturing environments. He is also available for consultation to assess how
your company could benefit from the self-balancing process.
Contact information:
(707) 799-0942
selfbalancing@gmail.com
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design

27. PARTNERS BY DESIGN
Closing Slides 27
About Speck Design:
For 15 years, Silicon Valley companies have turned to Speck Design to develop breakthrough
products in medical, industrial, consumer and data communications. Our growth comes from repeat
business and referrals, and our teams consist of trusted experts whom our clients rely on project after
project, year after year. Services we offer include research, industrial design, engineering, testing and
transfer to manufacturing. Known for reliability, flawless execution by fearless designers, and solutions
that help grow our customers’ sales, Speck Design delivers a “partners by design” relationship in every
product design project. To learn more, go to www.speckdesign.com
Contact information:
(650) 462-9080
info@speckdesign.com
3221 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Through the Eyes of an Expert 03/31/2011: Gordon L. Ghirann ©2011 Speck Design