IEN: What is your definition of lean manufacturing? Does it include Six Sigma, flexible manufacturing, plug-and-play?
McKeel: Lean manufacturing is about operating with lower costs using better processes that can produce more customized products faster. Today''s global competitive environment dictates that organizations accelerate improvements in cost, lead times, and quality. Quality initiatives such as Six Sigma have delivered results in reduced scrap and therefore increased the efficiency of manufacturing through less rework. Likewise, flexible manufacturing allows companies to do more with less equipment, optimizing the investment in capital equipment for variations in parts and processes.
IEN: Does lean manufacturing require significant automation?
McKeel: Automation certainly can drive dramatic efficiency improvements in manufacturing; however, it must be implemented correctly and should be looked at in terms of an overall lean manufacturing strategy. The achievement of streamlined, flexible, cost effective (i.e. "lean") operations requires close scrutiny of current operations and clear metrics to guide operational improvement and control. Six Sigma and digitization are key enablers for organizations to progress on the road to lean manufacturing and maintain improvements over time. Process automation is an important component of digitization, along with information automation, which ensures that the right data is in the right places at the right times to drive effective decision making.
IEN: What are the major challenges facing the implementation of the lean enterprise? How can they be addressed?
McKeel: Two major challenges in moving toward lean enterprise operations are change management and investment requirements. Shifting to a new paradigm for operations involves training, new job scopes, and resources, including people and technology. The changes can be very threatening and unsettling, depending on the environment, and it can be difficult to get everyone coordinated and motivated to move effectively in the same direction. To mobilize everyone to make the necessary changes and justify the investments, it is critical to engage the right experts from both within and outside the organization and to establish clear, realistic metrics, including ROI, early on in the process.
IEN: What innovations are in store for users in the next one to five years?
McKeel: As microprocessors are pushed further down in systems to the device level (smart sensors, for example) and new communications technologies (such as wireless) enable greater flexibility in information automation, more and more data becomes available to the enterprise. These technology advances enable productivity innovations such as remote monitoring and diagnostics (e-Diagnostics) and adaptive manufacturing, the next step beyond lean manufacturing.
Adaptive manufacturing is the new frontier of flexible shop-floor solutions linked to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other collaborative enterprise applications. Bridging the system-wide gap between manufacturing shop-floor operations and business ERP systems enables real-time visibility and decision making by allowing companies to be better connected, responsive and managed across their business enterprise. Production schedules can become more realistic and dynamic -- the shop floor can "flex" with business and operational changes. This next level of responsiveness and flexibility is more important than ever in today''s tumultuous economy.
IEN: How can companies merge the latest technologies with legacy systems and components?
McKeel: As industry continues to move to open systems, the market must continue to insist on the adoption of standards for both hardware and software. Hardware advances such as the incorporation of Ethernet technologies, bridges, and gateways, and software advances such as information exchange protocols (DCOM, XML, etc) and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) systems are providing the foundation to merge the latest technologies with legacy systems and components as well as with business ERP systems. Companies need to take a holistic approach to legacy system integration in the context of an overall strategy to achieve leaner manufacturing operations. Management should consider the total solution needed and engage the necessary experts to ensure that the system design has the scalability and flexibility needed for long-term effectiveness.