Visual factory is a concept that has become increasingly popular in recent years as manufacturers look to drive new levels of productivity and efficiency through the use of technology and new processes. By harnessing the power of visual cues and indicators, manufacturers are able to increase productivity, improve communication, and one-up the continuous improvement bar. In what follows, we will introduce the principles of visual factory and review the crucial first steps toward deployment in any manufacturing operation.
A visual factory is a manufacturing environment where signs, signals, and cues are used effectively to communicate and organize the workplace. It is an environment where clearly labeled display boards, color coding, standardized work, and real-time notifications create a highly visual environment where all of the relevant information is in front of the employee at the right time.
There are many benefits to be gained by manufacturing operations from a visual factory approach. Some of the most important include:
Improved productivity and efficiency: Visual cues reduce the time spent searching for tools, materials, and equipment, as well as the time used to identify and correct errors. Visual workflows and standardized work instructions make for faster, more consistent operations with fewer errors.
Enhanced communication and collaboration: Visual displays provide a common language for sharing information and status updates throughout the organization. They provide immediate visibility of issues and bottlenecks, allowing for quick response and problem-solving. And just as importantly, visual displays promote cross-functional communication and teamwork, breaking down silos and creating a true collaborative work environment.
Driving continuous improvement and problem-solving: A visual factory environment makes it much easier for drivers of continuous improvement and problem-solving to do their jobs effectively. Visual factory techniques make it, for example, much easier to track performance and communicate performance metrics visibly. Visual boards can help everyone see how key improvement projects and initiatives are progressing, making it much easier to keep everyone engaged and accountable. But ultimately, by making it easier for everyone involved to see and solve problems in real-time, visual factory practices make it fundamentally easier to do the one most important thing that’s necessary to make any meaningful, sustainable, and measurable improvement: create a culture of continuous improvement and problem-solving.
Colored displays and signs to distinguish between different areas, zones, or processes in your manufacturing facility. This aids in eliminating confusion, and enables employees to navigate the area with ease.
Color coding and labeling on materials, products, and equipment. Color coding can designate different grades of material, or differentiate between items that are in warranty and out of warranty, to give a few examples. Labeling items with clear, winning information allows employees to identify that item or product, and prevent mistakes from occurring.
Standardized work instructions: Visual work instructions delivered by images, diagrams, or videos offer a clear and standardized way of sharing information with employees that spells out consistent actions and significantly reduces the chance for errors.
Andon systems for real-time notifications: Andon systems are visual alert systems that indicate the occurrence of an abnormality or any other problem in the manufacturing process. They can include lighted andon boards, audible alarms, and digital readouts, allowing for instant recognition, and immediate response and resolution.
By implementing these visual management tools and techniques, manufacturers are able to create a visually organized work environment that is clean, efficient, and improves overall operations and performance.
Maintaining visual factory practices requires ongoing reinforcement and regular upkeep. Standards need to be developed and maintained to ensure that cleaning and facilities management keep the visual factory useful. Regular maintenance and cleaning of the visual displays will be required. This can become easy and natural once there is a system established and accepted. Periodic audits and reviews should be made to ensure compliance with visual factory standards. Continuous improvement should be encouraged in this area and suggestions from employees should be solicited in order to facilitate that improvement. Standards should be audited and reviewed for updating to ensure they are not getting stale and outdated.
It cannot be stressed enough to manufacturers who have interest in embracing a visual factory, the virtually transformative power - from productivity to communication to problem-solving. Manufacturers who have not yet considered a visual factory, the call to action is clear: Embrace a visual factory and unlock the full potential of your manufacturing operations. Start by assessing your current state and identifying improvement areas, then develop a visual factory plan and install and implement tools and systems to support it. Train your employees and establish a visual factory culture of continuous improvement. Lastly, consider incorporating a visual factory manufacturing software system to simplify and amplify your visual management efforts. In doing so, manufacturers will be well-positioned for success in the ever-changing, and always competitive, manufacturing landscape of the 21st century.
Importance of visual factory in manufacturing
In the world of manufacturing where every second counts, the ability to quickly identify tools, materials, and equipment is key to smooth operations and minimal downtime. By representing information and processes visually, visual factory techniques allow employees to make decisions faster and more accurately. These methods provide greater efficiency, minimized waste, and save money in the long run.There are many benefits to be gained by manufacturing operations from a visual factory approach. Some of the most important include:
Improved productivity and efficiency: Visual cues reduce the time spent searching for tools, materials, and equipment, as well as the time used to identify and correct errors. Visual workflows and standardized work instructions make for faster, more consistent operations with fewer errors.
Enhanced communication and collaboration: Visual displays provide a common language for sharing information and status updates throughout the organization. They provide immediate visibility of issues and bottlenecks, allowing for quick response and problem-solving. And just as importantly, visual displays promote cross-functional communication and teamwork, breaking down silos and creating a true collaborative work environment.
Driving continuous improvement and problem-solving: A visual factory environment makes it much easier for drivers of continuous improvement and problem-solving to do their jobs effectively. Visual factory techniques make it, for example, much easier to track performance and communicate performance metrics visibly. Visual boards can help everyone see how key improvement projects and initiatives are progressing, making it much easier to keep everyone engaged and accountable. But ultimately, by making it easier for everyone involved to see and solve problems in real-time, visual factory practices make it fundamentally easier to do the one most important thing that’s necessary to make any meaningful, sustainable, and measurable improvement: create a culture of continuous improvement and problem-solving.
The Principles of Visual Factory
Visual management in manufacturing
Visual management principles form the building blocks of a successful visual factory. This strategy hinges on the effective use of visual cues and indicators to communicate information, guide actions, and create a visually organized work environment.Importance of visual cues and indicators
Visual cues allow employees to understand information quickly and instinctively, and make decisions based on that information. They act as visual reminders and cues that allow employees to recognize and identify at a glance, without the need for words or numbers. Visual indicators provide real-time information about the status of operations, highlighting issues that need attention, or – in the case of a visual control chart – if a process is not running as it should be. By leveraging these visual cues and indicators, manufacturers can improve efficiency and virtually eliminate errors.Examples of visual management tools and techniques
There are a number of different visual management tools and techniques that can be used in a visual factory. These include:Colored displays and signs to distinguish between different areas, zones, or processes in your manufacturing facility. This aids in eliminating confusion, and enables employees to navigate the area with ease.
Color coding and labeling on materials, products, and equipment. Color coding can designate different grades of material, or differentiate between items that are in warranty and out of warranty, to give a few examples. Labeling items with clear, winning information allows employees to identify that item or product, and prevent mistakes from occurring.
Standardized work instructions: Visual work instructions delivered by images, diagrams, or videos offer a clear and standardized way of sharing information with employees that spells out consistent actions and significantly reduces the chance for errors.
Andon systems for real-time notifications: Andon systems are visual alert systems that indicate the occurrence of an abnormality or any other problem in the manufacturing process. They can include lighted andon boards, audible alarms, and digital readouts, allowing for instant recognition, and immediate response and resolution.
By implementing these visual management tools and techniques, manufacturers are able to create a visually organized work environment that is clean, efficient, and improves overall operations and performance.
Benefits of Offering a Visual Factory to Improve Manufacturing Operations when planning layouts:
Improving productivity and efficiency
In manufacturing, time equals money. Being able to quickly locate tools, materials, and equipment is critical to maintaining a positive workflow and avoiding costly shutdowns. Visual factory techniques make it easy to see and distinguish, providing a very visual distinction that makes it easy to see and distinguish one thing from another, minimizing search time and interruption of flow. By implementing visual workflows and using standardized work instructions based on them, manufacturers can streamline operations, maintain processes and reduce opportunities for errors.Enhancing communication and collaboration
Effective communication and collaboration is essential for success in manufacturing. Visual displays serve as a universal language, enabling transparent communication of information and status updates throughout the organization. Visual indicators provide instant visibility of issues and bottlenecks, enabling rapid response and problem-solving. Visual factory techniques foster cross-functional communication and teamwork, breaking down silos and creating a culture of collaboration.Driving continuous improvement and problem-solving
Continuous improvement is critical to remain competitive in the modern manufacturing environment. Visual factory practices provide the tools to manage performance using visual metrics. This allows manufacturers to move from a reactive to a proactive stance, making data-driven decisions to prevent the recurrence of problems. Visual boards showcasing improvement projects and initiatives help to maintain organizational focus on these longer-term efforts and to actively engage employees in the process. By allowing employees to see problems and waste in the process in real-time and then giving them the tools to do something about it, a culture of continuous improvement and problem-solving is created.Implementing Visual Factory: Key Steps, Best Practices, and Technologies
Step 1: Assess Current State and Identify Improvement Areas
Conduct a visual factory audit to explore existing processes, systems, and use of visual cues. This assessment measures the effectiveness and efficiency of each and every used area and identifies any improvement areas or potential visual management opportunities.Step 2: Develop a Visual Factory Plan
Define specific objectives and a scope for your visual factory implementation. Identify which visual management tools and techniques best align with your objectives. Then, establish guidelines and standards for the creation of visual factory tools, signs, labels, signals, and any other components. Create a visual factory implementation plan.Step 3: Implement Visual Factory Tools and Systems
Design conspicuous, informative, and easy-to-understand displays and signage that facilitate navigation, communication, and decision making. Produce standardized work, instructions, production, layouts, and material stages to ensure process consistency and process velocity (i.e. waste reduction). Install real-time notifications and Andon systems—flashing lights and audible alarms announce shifts in production status, send instant messages, or call employees to action—so that everyone who can and has to know does, and so that anyone who knows how to help can.Step 4: Train Employees and Foster a Visual Factory Culture
Educate employees about the principles, logic, and benefits of a visual factory. Provide each operation with the training required to use the visual management solutions effectively and efficiently. Instantly and actively engage workers in implementing and supporting visual management. The best visual factory tool will only continue to support workplace organization and lean assembly if it’s used, and it will only be used if workers help choose and install it and manage its correct implementation and ongoing evolution. Or, as they wisely say at Washington Post, “The key to a successful kaizen event is getting everyone in an operation — not just involved but committed to re-evaluating, adjusting, and taking ownership of the operation’s new and continuously-improving world standards.”Overcoming Challenges in Visual Factory Implementation
As with any lean project, visual factory implementation can present some potential challenges. Below are a couple you may encounter and suggestions for how to work through them.Maintaining visual factory practices requires ongoing reinforcement and regular upkeep. Standards need to be developed and maintained to ensure that cleaning and facilities management keep the visual factory useful. Regular maintenance and cleaning of the visual displays will be required. This can become easy and natural once there is a system established and accepted. Periodic audits and reviews should be made to ensure compliance with visual factory standards. Continuous improvement should be encouraged in this area and suggestions from employees should be solicited in order to facilitate that improvement. Standards should be audited and reviewed for updating to ensure they are not getting stale and outdated.
Use Visual Factory Manufacturing Software
In order to facilitate the implementation (and ongoing benefits) of visual factory practices, manufacturers may want to consider leveraging visual factory software solutions. Visual factory software provides digital tools and platforms for streamlined digital visualization, workflow and collaboration. Digitizing the visualizing and workflow support enables real-time communication and collaboration for immediate response and updated information. By leveraging visual factory software manufacturers can magnify the benefits and overall effectiveness of their visual management activities.Conclusion
In conclusion, the visual factory is revolutionizing manufacturing operations. Utilizing visual indicators and cues, manufacturers are increasing productivity, facilitating communication, and driving continuous improvement. Visual factory principles such as applying visual management, and implementing key elements like visual displays, color coding, standardized work instructions, and Andon systems, are transforming the way manufacturers conduct operations. By methodically implementing these techniques and overcoming resultant challenges, manufacturers are creating a work environment that is visually organized and efficient, and fosters improved operations and improved performance.It cannot be stressed enough to manufacturers who have interest in embracing a visual factory, the virtually transformative power - from productivity to communication to problem-solving. Manufacturers who have not yet considered a visual factory, the call to action is clear: Embrace a visual factory and unlock the full potential of your manufacturing operations. Start by assessing your current state and identifying improvement areas, then develop a visual factory plan and install and implement tools and systems to support it. Train your employees and establish a visual factory culture of continuous improvement. Lastly, consider incorporating a visual factory manufacturing software system to simplify and amplify your visual management efforts. In doing so, manufacturers will be well-positioned for success in the ever-changing, and always competitive, manufacturing landscape of the 21st century.