Module 02 - Section 02 – Mapping your Value Stream (Part A)
This icon represents the Supplier when in the upper left, the usual starting point for material flow. The
customer is represented when placed in the upper right, the usual end point for material flow.
Customer/Supplier
This icon is a process, operation, machine or department, through which material flows. Typically, to avoid
unwieldy mapping of every single processing step, it represents one department with a continuous, internal
fixed flow path.
Dedicated Process
This icon goes under other icons that have significant information/data required for analyzing and observing
the system. Typical information placed in a Data Box underneath FACTORY icons is the frequency of shipping
during any shift, material handling information, transfer batch size, demand quantity per period, etc.
Data Box
This symbol indicates that multiple processes are integrated in a manufacturing work cell. Such cells usually
process a limited family of similar products or a single product. Product moves from process step to process
Workcell step in small batches or single pieces.
These icons show inventory between two processes. While mapping the current state, the amount of
inventory can be approximated by a quick count, and that amount is noted beneath the triangle. If there is
more than one inventory accumulation, use an icon for each.
Inventory This icon also represents storage for raw materials and finished goods.
This icon represents movement of raw materials from suppliers to the Receiving dock/s of the factory. Or, the
movement of finished goods from the Shipping dock/s of the factory to the customers
Shipments
This icon represents the pushing of material from one process to the next process. Push means that a
process produces something regardless of the immediate needs of the downstream process.
Push Arrow
This is an inventory supermarket (Kanban stock point). Like a supermarket, a small inventory is available and
one or more downstream customers come to the supermarket to pick out what they need. The upstream work
center then replenishes stocks as required.
Supermarket
Supermarkets connect to downstream processes with this "Pull" icon that indicates physical removal.
Material Pull
Shipments from suppliers or to customers using external transport.
External Shipment
Course notes, Lean 101, Module 2 Section 2
http://www.lean101.ca
This video demonstrates mapping your value stream. When was the last time you went out to buy a car
and found exactly what you wanted? Because of the vast number of options most customers end up
compromising. Like buying a colour they don’t want or buying a radio they don’t need. Why do modern
factories manufacture an abundance of product that sits as inventory, yet they don’t have exactly what the
customer wants. Not having exactly what the customer wants isn’t a new problem. While Henry Ford
may have been the first Lean Manufacturer, he produced vehicles for the masses. The rule of business
back then dictated high volume at low cost. As Ford shipped vehicles out to dealers, he also kept the
plant pumping out more. Ford assumed that Economies of Scale would make bigger factories even more
cost effective. This meant buying the biggest presses available to stamp out huge volumes of parts.
Mass production lowered individual piece prices and this was great when there was unlimited demand but
not so good as the demand dipped. The problem with mass production thinking is that people are
focused on optimizing pieces of the system instead of looking at the whole value stream.
A value stream map follows the flow of raw material, inventory and information within a factory or all the
way to the final customer. Value stream mapping, a tool, developed by Toyota, is now being adopted
around the world. Mike Rother and John Shook, two lean enterprisers, made the mapping technique
widely available through their teaching and books.
This tool allows you to diagram your current value stream, identify the bottlenecks that prevent you from
making what your customers want when they want it. And then, it helps you develop a vision of what your
future lean picture should look like.
Dr. James Womak, Documentary.
Even companies that work hard at implementing Lean Manufacturing get caught up in creating islands of
excellence. Creating a cell or reducing changeover time is not the same thing as creating a lean value
stream. Before making any improvement, it is important to know why we need to make the change.
What if the improvement just makes the machine run more, building even more unnecessary inventory.
With a value stream vision, you know what to improve. Then you can become more flexible and reduce
inventory in the process.
There are two types of Kaizan, A one way Kaizan work shop with front line employees has become
standard practice in manufacturing companies, Improvements are focused on a specific goal. Like
forming a cell or reducing the changeover time for one machine. This is called Point Kaizan because it
improves only one point in the value stream. Flow Kaizan, or Value Stream improvement, looks at the
whole business since only senior managers have responsibility for the entire business, they must lead
value stream mapping and steer the improvement action plan needed to reach the future state.
Course notes, Lean 101, Module 2 Section 2
http://www.lean101.ca
