During the development of the 20 Keys for Continuous Operations System, Iwao Kobayashi, the developer, was in close contact with several other famous Japanese engineers. One can imagine that there was not only great competition between them in terms of advancing best practice manufacturing in Japanese industries, but also sharing and mutual learning. Iwao Kobayashi […]
One often hears arguments like “we have an increasing number of breakdowns because the machine is old” and “the machine has been fully depreciated; it is now time to replace it”. Such arguments are then the basis for capital expenditure projects where the number of breakdowns and depreciating values are argued and supported with various […]
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Key 16, Production Scheduling, of the 20 Keys Operations Improvement System is about ensuring a consistent, high, level of on-time delivery of products and services. This is done by synchronising Marketing and Sales efforts with manufacturing capabilities and scheduling processes accordingly. One of the methods used is Drum-Buffer-Rope which is a finite scheduling method. It […]
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As a facilitator, it is only natural to wonder what goes on in the heads of your learners, especially on their first day. You also wonder whether the things that you say and do in the classroom and the learning that takes place, really takes root and actively influence thinking patterns, emotions and behaviours. To […]
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Organisations in South Africa used to be quite safe, and operated in a fairly predictable environment, before the political transformation of 1994. Many industries were protected by government regulations. Since the transformation, South Africa has, however, been forced into a jungle of international competition. Restructuring, improved business processes ,and enhanced customer service have become the […]