6 Responses

1. 

   Linda Laskowski Jones

   February 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am

   1

   Very helpful in demonstrating the concept. We will use this demonstration in our work to streamline triage processes in my emergency department.

2. 

   Ruth Snyder

   February 20th, 2008 at 10:07 am

   2

   Excellent example and my imagination lets me insert patient care situations to see the value. Thanks

3. 

   Ted Eytan

   February 20th, 2008 at 5:39 pm

   3

   Linda and Ruth, I am glad such a simple demo is both available and useful. It seemed a bit counter-intuitive until I watched it myself.

   Enjoy and keep me posted on how you transform using LEAN,

   Ted

4. 

   Greg Hart

   February 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm

   4

   The video is very straightforward and a helpful demonstration. Clearly you weren’t working harder or faster in the one-piece-flow. So where is the difference in time come from? You cut the time by between 1/4 and 1/3, a substantial reduction. The time savings comes from reduced handling – all the times you picked up the envelope and put it aside in the first batch situation was additional / wasted time.

   The same is true with healthcare. Think of all the times the patient is “picked up” – attended to, and “put aside” – waiting for transport, waiting for test results, waiting for a doctor…not to mention the wasted time and motion to move from department to department.

   I consult in Lean, primarily in manufacturing, so I am always looking for good examples. Thanks for sharing.

5. 

   Capt. Kaizen

   March 27th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

   5

   Hello all, interesting topic (s). When one thinks about mass production on a large scale… think about the production layout, if they were machines one might have a bank of certain machines in an area producing several hundred parts.. when they were finished.. they would be transported to another area… for the second process.. then moved again to the next and so on..if one were to do a simulation to the envelopes in that same manner.. having one person sitting at one table, complete the ten pieces and get up to move the “parts” to someone seated at another table for the second process (stuffing) then to the third at another location and so on.. then after completing all the processes. Re-organize the production layout (machines) but in this case have the people sitting next to one another it so that those same people are in a process that is conducive to a one piece flow, seriously think about how much time you would be saving???? Which is how I have seen many a companies have their processes set up. Makes a professional like me look like a hero… I like simulations

6. 

   One Piece Flow; Or, How a 5 Year-Old is Smarter than You — The Quality Factory

   January 15th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

   6

   [...] one-piece flow in action using envelope stuffing as an [...]