The Production Preparation Process builds upon lean manufacturing and lean product development practices by using a cross-functional development team to define an optimal product concept and optimal production/assembly process that ensures delivery of the newly developed product to the market.
The power of this workshop relies on a hands-on and learn by doing approach to defining and evaluating both product and production process alternatives and evaluating them from the perspective of design for manufacturability, mistake-proofing, and lean manufacturing practices.
The 3P workshop can be structured in several ways. The basic workshop is a two-day event. This training emulates the real 3P event environment and motivates participants to be as creative and as proactive as possible by using a simple process example that is worked through almost as if it were an actual event. An extended four-day version is focused on working with a team to apply 3P to an actual project. An alternative four-day workshop program can integrate Design for Manufacturability/Assembly training with 3P.
1. Introduction
- Define 3P event concept and its purpose
- Define the team’s mindset and approach to the 3P event
- Position 3P event relative to NPD project maturity
- 3P event flow and the key elements described
- Define key inputs, team preparation and prerequisites for the 3P event
- Define key outputs and benefits of the 3P event and how this drives subsequent product development effort
2. Define example product, market and supply chain
- The team is given a “fact pack” of information as an introduction to the chosen product example
- Team will align around project facts and what they mean for product/assembly concepts development
- Team exercise: how to collect information, prepare and scale the effort for a real 3P event
3. Product concept development
- Review of the key principles behind design for manufacturing/assembly (DFM/A) concept (Note: this is where we can integrate the Design for Manufacturability/Assembly training into this 3P Workshop.)
- Review how to define product functions
- Team exercise: Define functions for the chosen example product
- Introduce minimum part count concept aimed at reducing number of parts in an assembly
- Team exercise: define minimum number of parts for the chosen example product
- Brainstorm design alternatives for chosen product functions – “7 Ways or 7 Alternatives” method
- Team exercise: Brainstorm design alternatives for the chosen example product
- Explain concept selection matrix for evaluating concepts
- Team exercise: Select best product concept using the concept selection matrix
- Review the final product concept – hand out examples of a physical product
4. Process concept development
- Review lean manufacturing principles
- Introduce Process at a Glance (PAAG) method for “as is” manufacturing process summary
- Team exercise: Conduct manufacturing process review for the chosen example product and develop Process at a Glance (PAAG) map.
- Team brainstorming: Define scope for simulation
- Team exercise: Define process alternatives (“7 Ways or 7 Alternatives”) for the given scope
- Team exercise: Define an optimal assembly process based on best alternatives – use concept selection matrix to drive decision
- Team exercise: Build prototype simulation manufacturing cell using cardboard boxes and any other means.
- Conduct Gemba visit to a real production line if nearby for inspiration (or watch video of current production)
- Use “real-world” packaging, tools, or any other equipment from the real production line if available
- Team exercise: Simulate & video record manufacturing process and capture improvements by watching each production run – repeat until the team is happy.
- Set targets for productivity (cycle time, takt time, minimum number of operators) based on the business case and verify how they can be achieved – team discussion after each simulation run
- Define required investments in automation and other process equipment (jigs, fixtures, measurement systems etc.) based on requirements – consider how product design is influencing the manufacturing process design and vice versa
- Pay attention to line balancing and how that influences inventory levels, number of operators on line, takt time etc.
- Capture key manufacturing functions that lead to development of PFMEA
- Discuss team “learning by doing” approach and what benefits it brings to early decision making and team alignment
- Wrap up: Key learnings and conclusions arising from product and production concepts development
- Team exercise: Draft summary report from 3P workshop
- Final questions and answers