Fast Cycle Production

In this section you will learn how Fast Cycle Production began, who influenced my philosophy and how I formed my methodology for the implementation of my system. For the most part I try to keep it in chronological order, but I do jump around a bit to make or emphasize certain points. It is my intent in this section to show why I believe in Fast Cycle Production so very much and how I formed my Values Based Management methodology.

Before I start, I want you to know that although I have modified the use of many of the tools that were initially developed and used by others, the basic core values are pretty much the invention of a very distinguished group of pioneers in the fields of Just In Time (JIT) and Continuous Flow Manufacturing (CFM), along with innovators like Deming and Goldratt whose brilliant approaches to process excellence paved a path for many of us to follow. It would be very gratifying to be able to say that I am the inventor of the values and tools that I now believe in, but I am not. It would be impossible to improve on many of the values already established, simply because they are as sound today as any out there and have proven their worth over time.

I have modified the application of most of the tools that are contained within; some I have modified dramatically, others less so. You might say that I have modernized them to make them more useful in today’s production environment. There are a few tools that I will introduce to you that I can say were of my own design – Dynabans and Circles of Motion are examples. I can say with great assurance that I am a true and vocal believer in what I profess. I work diligently to convince others to do the same. My strong beliefs are the reason that I set out to write this book. Those that know me know of my passion for the achievement of process excellence. No matter how hard the challenge, they know that I will stand behind what I believe. I never wilt under pressure.

I did not originally set out to create a system that could be taught to others. When I first started, I was just trying to do my very best to be a successful manufacturing manager. Fighting daily battles to improve my own process was my focus. There were no lofty ideals when I first started, and some of my present beliefs were the result of trial and error, not intellectual endeavor. I used my best judgment at the time to arrive at solutions to the problems that I experienced. Unfortunately, I had no basic values from which to base those decisions. Originally, I was “flying by the seat of my pants” and hoping for the best.

In my search for knowledge, I began to study the published works of the creators of JIT (Just In Time) Manufacturing. The more I learned, the more I wanted to try to bring JIT into my own company. I was able to learn everything about JIT except how to implement it. That is where CFM (Continuous Flow Manufacturing) gave me a great deal of help. But the CFM implementation methodology had some weaknesses that I would one day be determined to improve upon. It is exactly that which led me to search for a better implementation system. It was not my intent initially to invent a completely new and different system. That came much later.

I learned that there are some very appropriate questions that should be considered when implementing a new system into a factory. What comes first, second, third and so on? What should the training program look like? Along with the implementation team, should you train a few key employees, or everyone? What tools, like Kanbans, TAKT and others should you use and under what conditions? What is contained in a process mapping effort, and should you always include process mapping? What about simulation modeling? When do you use it and when do you not use it? Where is single unit flow used appropriately? What is the proper batch size for a machine? How do you go about doing setup reduction in a plant?

These are some of the questions that are appropriately asked whenever a process simplification and improvement effort is underway. There are many more. My work over the years has been to answer all of these questions, or at least give guidelines that would allow the implementers to answer the questions when they surfaced. Without guidelines and process values to guide you, all you can do is try this, try that, and hope that you are making the right moves.

But as any reasonable person knows, trial and error does not always work. There are times that a serious mistake can result in a manager or even a company finding itself in very serious if not terminal trouble. It is so much better to find and stick with a system that has a solid reputation, than to act like a loose cannon. It is my hope that many others will avoid the pitfalls of “dice rolling” decisions. I do not care how good your product is, gambling with your process is not a good way to beat the competition. In some cases, getting your product to market quickly and efficiently can make the difference between success and failure. If you do not get your product to market quickly, and with excellent quality, you just might not stick around very long. Even if you can survive, you will not make the profit that you could and should have made if you were just better at what you do.