Jidoka is a key component of successful Lean Manufacturing implementations. The purpose of this presentation is to give a clear and concise view of exactly what Jidoka is, how it can be implemented, and the many benefits of implementation. Enjoy.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion regarding the terms Jidoka, Autonomation, and Automation. This Lean tool is far too valuable to be misunderstood.
Jidoka is not a new concept. In 1902 Sakichi Toyoda developed an automatic loom with a built in auto stop function that would shut down the machine if it detected a single broken thread. The advantages of this one feature are quite impressive as you will see.
Sakichi's discovery prevented defective products from advancing to downstream operations, and it also prevented material from being wasted.
When defective product is allowed to advance to downstream operations, it causes us to waste valuable labor and materials on products that are defective and unusable.
Another main goal Jidoka is to separate humans from machines. Sakichi's built in stop function allowed 24 - 36 of these machines to be operated by one person, which is an incredible reduction in direct labor and remarkable leap in productivity. One operator would then rove among all of these machines and tend to those machines that had stopped.
It was then realized the great role Jidoka would play in Lean Manufacturing. Jidoka is now considered to be a major support in the House of Lean Manufacturing.
One of the key principles of Jidoka is that when something goes wrong, the process is shut down in one of two ways. Either the machine can shut down automatically when it senses something is wrong, or people can shut down a process when they sense something is wrong.
The Jidoka DVD contains MUCH more information. Check it out!
Dave is the Executive Vice President of Xtreme Lean Consulting.
He has over 42 years experience working with senior management teams in planning and implementing growth and profitability initiatives, with an emphasis on driving market share through efficiency and extraordinary customer service. Dave is a well organized professional with strong conceptual and practical skills. He has a proven ability to identify a company's market-driven improvement needs, and then use Lean/continuous improvement techniques to increase performance and earnings.
