Comments on: DFA and Lean – A Most Powerful One-Two Punch http://www.shipulski.com/2010/01/27/dfa-and-lean-a-most-powerful-one-two-punch/ Innovation, Product Development, Design Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:15:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John Wade http://www.shipulski.com/2010/01/27/dfa-and-lean-a-most-powerful-one-two-punch/comment-page-1/#comment-153 John Wade Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:10:32 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=459#comment-153 Didn't Toyoda say something about western engineers obviously being scared of the plant, as they never went there? Produce centric teams instead of function centric departments help people remember who the customer is. "A bad company cannot make a good product" Didn’t Toyoda say something about western engineers obviously being scared of the plant, as they never went there?

Produce centric teams instead of function centric departments help people remember who the customer is.

“A bad company cannot make a good product”

]]> By: Darren Humphrey http://www.shipulski.com/2010/01/27/dfa-and-lean-a-most-powerful-one-two-punch/comment-page-1/#comment-145 Darren Humphrey Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:22:51 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=459#comment-145 As always, the points in your recent articles are well stated. DFMA and quality initiatives generally share a common impedance source. Despite the enormous impact potential of various front end DFMA and quality improvement tools available, there is seldom any glory and/or recognition for those who pursue them. Unfortunately this phenomenon is, as you state organizationally and culturally rooted…not only within an organization, but within us as Americans. If you are the leader who skillfully negotiated an organization through the worst imaginable product quality disaster, you are immediately hailed as a hero. If you are the guy who made the worst imaginable product quality disaster never happen in the first place, no one notices. Not even a little. If you are the DFMA Design Engineer who made the offending product not exist in the first place such that a quality disaster wasn’t even possible, no one notices. Our cultural reactions to tragedies, such as the recent one in Haiti are another example of this. We think of people who provide emergency medical assistance to folks in need as heroes. People who enforce building codes, install concrete rebar, or design sprinkler systems are not considered heroes. Building codes save more lives each year than firefighters. DFMA is fantastically powerful. The group doing it won’t receive much gratitude. American executive leaders, or those pursuing these positions gravitate toward short term highly visible activities that get them noticed...even if they are frivolous. Unfortunately it’s no surprise DFMA isn’t everywhere. It needs to be if American manufacturing wants to compete globally. As always, the points in your recent articles are well stated. DFMA and quality initiatives generally share a common impedance source. Despite the enormous impact potential of various front end DFMA and quality improvement tools available, there is seldom any glory and/or recognition for those who pursue them. Unfortunately this phenomenon is, as you state organizationally and culturally rooted…not only within an organization, but within us as Americans.

If you are the leader who skillfully negotiated an organization through the worst imaginable product quality disaster, you are immediately hailed as a hero. If you are the guy who made the worst imaginable product quality disaster never happen in the first place, no one notices. Not even a little. If you are the DFMA Design Engineer who made the offending product not exist in the first place such that a quality disaster wasn’t even possible, no one notices.

Our cultural reactions to tragedies, such as the recent one in Haiti are another example of this. We think of people who provide emergency medical assistance to folks in need as heroes. People who enforce building codes, install concrete rebar, or design sprinkler systems are not considered heroes. Building codes save more lives each year than firefighters.

DFMA is fantastically powerful. The group doing it won’t receive much gratitude. American executive leaders, or those pursuing these positions gravitate toward short term highly visible activities that get them noticed…even if they are frivolous. Unfortunately it’s no surprise DFMA isn’t everywhere. It needs to be if American manufacturing wants to compete globally.

]]> By: Dave Keilholz http://www.shipulski.com/2010/01/27/dfa-and-lean-a-most-powerful-one-two-punch/comment-page-1/#comment-144 Dave Keilholz Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:00:47 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=459#comment-144 We have driven this point home with our Design Engineers to the point where they preach it to other new Design Engineers. I dont hear "buts its just one part" from our guys anymore. But it's a constant fight to keep from slipping back to the old ways. Well written. Thanks. We have driven this point home with our Design Engineers to the point where they preach it to other new Design Engineers. I dont hear “buts its just one part” from our guys anymore. But it’s a constant fight to keep from slipping back to the old ways. Well written. Thanks.

]]> By: David Vranson http://www.shipulski.com/2010/01/27/dfa-and-lean-a-most-powerful-one-two-punch/comment-page-1/#comment-142 David Vranson Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:36:00 +0000 http://www.shipulski.com/?p=459#comment-142 Absolutely...One of the biggest mistakes a engineering manufacturer can make is to release a design with the belief that Manufacturing will have to lean out their enterprise to make the venture profitable with the new design. I run into this every day, and I've heard it proclaimed right out loud. I shake my head. The need for lean methodologies in the first place is based on waste. Without waste, lean really has no place to go (which would be great). Lean won't fix an inefficient design either. When a new product is in the development / design stage, it's a GREAT idea to have the seven wastes plastered right to the wall and in your face with a goal to see that none of them exist within the plans for production release. The author is spot-on when he says DFA [and DFM] first, then lean out the production process to dial it in. DFMA means never having to say you're sorry. Absolutely…One of the biggest mistakes a engineering manufacturer can make is to release a design with the belief that Manufacturing will have to lean out their enterprise to make the venture profitable with the new design. I run into this every day, and I’ve heard it proclaimed right out loud. I shake my head.

The need for lean methodologies in the first place is based on waste. Without waste, lean really has no place to go (which would be great). Lean won’t fix an inefficient design either. When a new product is in the development / design stage, it’s a GREAT idea to have the seven wastes plastered right to the wall and in your face with a goal to see that none of them exist within the plans for production release.

The author is spot-on when he says DFA [and DFM] first, then lean out the production process to dial it in. DFMA means never having to say you’re sorry.

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