During the month of August, coordinators from various areas of Macom took part in an immersion in the Toyota production system known as Lean Manufacturing.
Lean Manufacturing is a management philosophy focused on reducing 7 types of waste: overproduction, waiting time, transportation, handling, overprocessing, inventory, movement and defects. Lean tools include continuous analysis processes (kaizen), pull production (in the sense of kanban) and fail-safe elements/processes (Poka-Yoke). Lean Manufacturing was developed by Toyota executive Taiichi Ohno during Japan's reconstruction period after the Second World War.
The immersion in the subject was divided into two phases. In the first, the participants attended training sessions given by Macom's president, Mr. Jim Kuo, who was able to pass on all his experience of more than 22 years in factory management at the Hoshisaki America plant in Georgia, United States and, for the last 6 years, as president of Macom.
The training sessions covered concepts and techniques focused on improvements such as: production agility, cost reduction, greater production capacity and continuous improvement.
In the second phase of this project, the participants were divided into two groups and given the challenge of consistently improving processes in the factory. Their professional expertise, experience and knowledge, together with the techniques learned in the training, were essential in developing solutions to the proposed challenge.
"The lean manufacturing process allows us to reflect on how the techniques can be used in all areas, including administration, maximizing customer value and minimizing waste, creating value with fewer resources." Said Jim, president of the company.
The Lean Manufacturing methodology is an important ally for increasing productivity in companies, while at the same time reducing costs and improving available resources, which are fundamental factors for the competitiveness of any business.
Initiatives like these strengthen present and future management and reinforce Macom's innovative and team spirit. Congratulations to everyone!
