Continuous flow is one of the effective means for companies to carry out lean management and is an important topic. General realization of continuous flow production will bring what benefits to the enterprise:

1. Shorten the time from order to stocking: reduce the manufacturing cycle time by >50%.

2. Reduce the number of workshop WIP: WIP reduced by > 50%.

3. Reduction of workshop area: reduction of area by > 50%.

4. Labor productivity per capita: UPPH increase > 30

The following 8 conditions need to be met in order to implement continuous flow:

1. Single-piece flow: single-piece flow production line based on one-person-one-piece “hand-feeding” method.

2. Arrangement of equipment according to process flow: arrange the equipment of each process closely to eliminate handling waste.

3. Synchronization of production speed: Improve the overall efficiency and reduce the waste of waiting.

4. Multi-process operation: single-piece flow production based on multi-process operation.

5. Employee versatility: Employee operation versatility can realize less manned operation, reduce the difficulty of personnel deployment, and help to improve overall efficiency.

6. Walking work: staff work posture in line with the requirements of multi-process operation: walking while processing action

7. Equipment miniaturization: equipment miniaturization is an inevitable trend, as long as the quality is stable, low failure rate and easy to maintain, do not have to purely pursue high-speed

8. U-shaped production line: in-out consistent principle, production input points and finished product out of the point as close as possible to avoid the operation of the return trip caused by the waste of time and logistics

To implement the 12 steps to promote continuous flow:

In streamlined production, connection technology is the most important technology, and it can be said that connection technology is how to effectively utilize the inherent technology, which determines how much economic benefits the manufacturing technology can bring about. This is because the advancement process requires a combination of management technology and manufacturing technology, not simply putting production lines together.

1. To realize the labor productivity UPPH increase >50%, and some industries >100%.

2. To realize the revolution of warehouse material distribution mode and supporting

3. To optimize the process, which can be optimized, how to redesign the beat

4. Automation / LCAI technology into the realization of a significant streamlining of manpower

5. Supporting employee compensation policy to follow up

6. Based on the continuous flow system under the process optimization, PMC / logistics / exception handling, etc.

Therefore, it is usually a company-level project in enterprises, for which the top management must pay attention to it, and it is best to ask consultants with relevant experience to provide intellectual support if conditions permit.   Failure of continuous flow production is often due to the fact that the changes are half-new, half-old, and the soft environment and the supporting facilities are not up to date (personnel/logistics/informatization/automation, etc.).

Suggestions for implementation: follow the 1-3-9-all replication rhythm.

The key points of promoting continuous flow: especially equipment-intensive

1. Reduce the equipment failure rate: that is, the downtime should be significantly reduced.

2. Optimize the product switching time: especially multi-species small batch is particularly important

3. Easy combination of conditions: Relocation is relatively easy if required.

Research shows that continuous flow can eliminate 60% of waste. Weihong Lean combined with the actual situation of enterprises and digital pull system, has helped hundreds of enterprises to successfully introduce the whole process or partial process continuous flow, covering stamping, injection molding, SMT, assembly, painting, die-casting and other industries.

Customers can choose traditional consulting projects, “micro-consulting” perennial consulting services, benchmarking lines, customized training and other cooperation methods to start continuous flow work.

Continuous flow production project practice:

Cell phone industry: most of the SMT, testing, parts assembly, assembly, testing, packaging. 2009 to achieve a cell phone company SMT-TEST - group test package, three core processes of continuous flow production. The order cycle has been shortened significantly.

Stamping industry: water heater, for example, from isolated stamping into continuous flow production.