Toyota Production Systems Optimizes ISAIC Production Lines
Last month, ISAIC had the pleasure of working with the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC) on our final manufacturing optimization project. As a nonprofit organization focused on creating jobs and innovating the sewn goods manufacturing industry in the U.S., we were thrilled to partner with TSSC to implement the Toyota Production System (TPS) and find solutions to increase productivity, maximize resources, improve quality, drive safety and speed. One of TSSC’s valued principles is teamwork and operator engagement, which skyrocketed through both of our project collaborations.
Over the course of our work together, we completed two projects – one on our DO Apparel line and the other on the Carhartt beanie line. For the beanie manufacturing cell, our goal was to increase the capacity of the production line so that we could produce a unit every 16.64 seconds, the takt time. Meeting the takt time was crucial to meeting production demands and avoiding overtime.
One of the key insights we gained from working with TSSC was the importance of measuring capacity and standardizing our processes. Through time studies and work balance sheets, we identified the areas where our production line was experiencing bottlenecks and fluctuations in efficiency. We also learned how to reduce waste by focusing on the seven wastes of Kaizen: overproduction, waiting, defects, over-processing, conveyance, motion, and inventory.
Another important lesson we learned was the value of operational stability and flow. By understanding the layout and flow of our production line, we were able to reduce abnormalities and improve productivity. We set targets to improve stability and pursue full work capacity, reducing lead times and increasing efficiency.
One of the challenges we faced was overprocessing the crowns of our beanies. By identifying this area of waste, we were able to make improvements and reduce fluctuations in production.
Overall, working with TSSC was an invaluable experience that helped us identify areas for improvement and implement solutions to increase productivity and efficiency. We are grateful for their partnership and the impact it has had on our organization and our community. As a nonprofit national institute for the sewn trades that promotes the upward trajectory of people through training, we are committed to using the extra time we gain from increased efficiency to invest in on-the-job training and other initiatives that support our mission.
In the future, we plan to continue the following:
Improving processes to minimize waste in areas where handling occurs
Continuing education on using Toyota Production System tools that lead to continuous kaizen events
Transferring learnings across various production areas, like the service center
Increasing capacity as our new knitting machine becomes fully operational