MIND MAPPING TOOL

INTRODUCTION

I am a production engineer at small scale industry, which is producing tower parts (mainly angles of  different cross sections according to customer requirement) for high power transmission. There are  various process performed (like cut, punch, stamp, drilling, plasma arc cutting, bending and after bend  hole in heavy cross section angle) some of which are performed by CNC and others are by workers  manually. Fig below shows a production layout of that area where I am working.

CHALLENGE

As a production engineer the biggest challenge is customer satisfaction i.e. reduces lead time between  order and delivery of products, as well as provide good quality product. Because placing order on time  satisfy customers and create a good relationship as well as provide competitive advantage in the field of  manufacturing. Other than customer satisfaction the second problem is, to gain profit and reduces cost  and lead time, reduction of defects, increases production rate, minimise the rejection and rework and  saves  energy. There are some important questions that I have asked myself are discussed below:-

•  What are the key problems that create unwanted delay to placing orders to the customers, and  increases lead time?

•  How to increase production rate so we can gain profit as well as satisfy our key customers and  make a good relationship with new customers?

•  Why our production process produces defects that either required rework or rejection. This  rejection and rework increases production cost and extra time than required time and involve  more workers?

To find answer all of the above mentioned questions, I adopt a design thinking tool, which is discussed in  our next step, i.e. our selection step.

SELECTION

I selected Mind Mapping tool. Mind mapping is a design thinking tool which helps us to find out different  patterns and insights in our current working area, by considering various attributes and data collected by  us. From our challenge step we found that we have various problems having different patterns like some  are related to customers, some are from production and technical point of view, some are related to  monetary value and having environmental perspective (energy saving) also. Mind Mapping tool provide  us insight from current reality to future possibilities.

I am here at the stage of what is? That is I want to know about current reality of my production area, I am  here not looking for any innovative design or design challenge, I am here looking for deep understanding  about my production process so I can make a criteria from current reality to future possibilities, which  help us to solve my challenges as a production engineer that I have already discussed in our challenge  step and find answers of all the questions. Mind mapping tool make a bridge between current realities to  future possibilities and provide design criteria that helps us to solve various problems that are interrelated  to each other. Other than this Mind Mapping is more visual and creative tool, hence I selected Mind  mapping for our problem.

APPLICATION

First of all to find out current reality of production line I prepared a current state value stream map, which  is a symbolic representation of whole production area, which gives us information about who are the our  suppliers, what are the our key product that we buy from suppliers. It gives us information about how  much inventory having in raw yard, and in between various processes of our production line, what are the  defects and why this defects occurs. It also gives us very important information about our customers, who  are our key customers, what makes them satisfy, what they wants from us etc. Value stream map helps me  to visualize all of my production process. Here I am discussing few steps that I used to prepare current  value stream map:-

1. First of all I prepared a process line of current process and did time study, motion study and

method study to find out all necessary information like how much inventory we stored, value  added time and non value added time, cycle time, change over time and lead time between order  and delivery etc.

2. To time, motion & method study I hired some intern and trainee engineers, their dedication and

sincere contribution helped me to fill all important data in my current value stream map and  identifying the current reality of process.

Hence current value stream map provide me answers of the entire questions that I have asked in our  challenge step. All answers are discussed below.

1. I found that in raw yard the stacking of materials is very poor and messy, which takes extra and

unnecessary time to finding material for further processing and increases cycle time between  processes.

2. There is excess inventory between two processes like CNC & Notching; here it is necessary to

convert them in to constant work in process inventory.

3. I found causes of defects are over processing and ignorance by workers in galvanization, these

defects causes rejection and rework, and increase lead time.

4.  In packing and dispatching zone more worker are required and I found that some works are not

taking seriously their work and took unnecessary time to finish the work.

Hence from all data that I have collected, I found that all of these increases lead time for placing  orders to customers, this delay in placing orders makes our key customers dissatisfied, and this  dissatisfaction of customers spoiled our relation with them and creates a bad image in competitive  world. We can lose our key customers. Other than this, defects cause obstacles between process flow  and slower the production rate which increases cost and time and if will not control all problems then  our industry will not gain profit.

In our next step I am discussing about what I have learned from Mind mapping tool and how it helped  me to solve my challenges.

INSIGHT

Before using this tool I was thinking that problems comes due to technical reasons or faults in  machines and try to solve them but I had never found exact solution of this.

After applying Mind mapping I found that my thinking to see problems has been changed, it helps me  to visualize problems, it changes my mind set to see different patterns in problems, it tells me  problems not only comes from a single area it comes from many other reasons that are interrelated to  each other. It also provides me a vision so I can generate some creative ideas to solve my problem  challenges.

The most important thing that I have learned from mind mapping is, thinking about possibilities.  Before applying this I did not think about future possibilities and I was in a steady state and think that  everything is going good and no need to do any changes in any process but I was wrong because there  are many areas where improvement needed. Hence it provides me a creative vision, changes my mind  set, and I start thinking about idea generation for future possibilities and triggering my intuition for  challenges.

APPROACH

Mind mapping provide me insight for future possibilities. There are so many ideas that come in to my  mind; these ideas are may be the solution of my challenge. My next step is to translate all of insights  that I have gained from mind mapping in to design criteria. Design criteria are the transition from  what is to what if stage. At this step there are so many ideas but I do not know which one is good so I  will discuss all this ideas with my team, and we will go with possibilities.

There is an example of possibility, we can merge two processes like CNC and Notching together and  use automation. This is an idea, like this various ideas in my mind. Here I will use mind mapping tool  again to prepare design criteria and focus on possibilities, for next stage what if. Once I find a  solution then I will think about another tool like learning launch, for our next step what wows and  what works.


MIND MAPPING TOOL INTRODUCTION I am a production engineer at small scale industry , which is producing tower parts ( mainly angles of different cross sections according to customer requirement ) for high power transmission . There are various process performed ( like cut , punch , stamp , drilling , plasma arc cutting , bending and after bend hole in heavy cross section angle ) some of which are performed by CNC and others are by workers manually . Fig below shows a production layout of that area where I am working . CHALLENGE As a production engineer the biggest challenge is customer satisfaction i.e. reduces lead time between order and delivery of products , as well as provide good quality product . Because placing order on time satisfy customers and create a good relationship as well as provide competitive advantage in the field of manufacturing . Other than customer satisfaction the second problem is , to gain profit and reduces cost and lead time , reduction of defects , increases production rate , minimise the rejection and rework and saves energy . There are some important questions that I have asked myself are discussed below:- • What are the key problems that create unwanted delay to placing orders to the customers , and increases lead time ? • How to increase production rate so we can gain profit as well as satisfy our key customers and make a good relationship with new customers ? • Why our production process produces defects that either required rework or rejection . This rejection and rework increases production cost and extra time than required time and involve more workers ? To find answer all of the above mentioned questions , I adopt a design thinking tool , which is discussed in our next step , i.e. our selection step . SELECTION I selected Mind Mapping tool . Mind mapping is a design thinking tool which helps us to find out different patterns and insights in our current working area , by considering various attributes and data collected by us . From our challenge step we found that we have various problems having different patterns like some are related to customers , some are from production and technical point of view , some are related to monetary value and having environmental perspective ( energy saving ) also . Mind Mapping tool provide us insight from current reality to future possibilities . I am here at the stage of what is ? That is I want to know about current reality of my production area , I am here not looking for any innovative design or design challenge , I am here looking for deep understanding about my production process so I can make a criteria from current reality to future possibilities , which help us to solve my challenges as a production engineer that I have already discussed in our challenge step and find answers of all the questions . Mind mapping tool make a bridge between current realities to future possibilities and provide design criteria that helps us to solve various problems that are interrelated to each other . Other than this Mind Mapping is more visual and creative tool , hence I selected Mind mapping for our problem . APPLICATION First of all to find out current reality of production line I prepared a current state value stream map , which is a symbolic representation of whole production area , which gives us information about who are the our suppliers , what are the our key product that we buy from suppliers . It gives us information about how much inventory having in raw yard , and in between various processes of our production line , what are the defects and why this defects occurs . It also gives us very important information about our customers , who are our key customers , what makes them satisfy , what they wants from us etc . Value stream map helps me to visualize all of my production process . Here I am discussing few steps that I used to prepare current value stream map:- 1 . First of all I prepared a process line of current process and did time study , motion study and method study to find out all necessary information like how much inventory we stored , value added time and non value added time , cycle time , change over time and lead time between order and delivery etc . 2 . To time , motion & method study I hired some intern and trainee engineers , their dedication and sincere contribution helped me to fill all important data in my current value stream map and identifying the current reality of process . Hence current value stream map provide me answers of the entire questions that I have asked in our challenge step . All answers are discussed below . 1 . I found that in raw yard the stacking of materials is very poor and messy , which takes extra and unnecessary time to finding material for further processing and increases cycle time between processes . 2 . There is excess inventory between two processes like CNC & Notching ; here it is necessary to convert them in to constant work in process inventory . 3 . I found causes of defects are over processing and ignorance by workers in galvanization , these defects causes rejection and rework , and increase lead time . 4 . In packing and dispatching zone more worker are required and I found that some works are not taking seriously their work and took unnecessary time to finish the work . Hence from all data that I have collected , I found that all of these increases lead time for placing orders to customers , this delay in placing orders makes our key customers dissatisfied , and this dissatisfaction of customers spoiled our relation with them and creates a bad image in competitive world . We can lose our key customers . Other than this , defects cause obstacles between process flow and slower the production rate which increases cost and time and if will not control all problems then our industry will not gain profit . In our next step I am discussing about what I have learned from Mind mapping tool and how it helped me to solve my challenges . INSIGHT Before using this tool I was thinking that problems comes due to technical reasons or faults in machines and try to solve them but I had never found exact solution of this . After applying Mind mapping I found that my thinking to see problems has been changed , it helps me to visualize problems , it changes my mind set to see different patterns in problems , it tells me problems not only comes from a single area it comes from many other reasons that are interrelated to each other . It also provides me a vision so I can generate some creative ideas to solve my problem challenges . The most important thing that I have learned from mind mapping is , thinking about possibilities . Before applying this I did not think about future possibilities and I was in a steady state and think that everything is going good and no need to do any changes in any process but I was wrong because there are many areas where improvement needed . Hence it provides me a creative vision , changes my mind set , and I start thinking about idea generation for future possibilities and triggering my intuition for challenges . APPROACH Mind mapping provide me insight for future possibilities . There are so many ideas that come in to my mind ; these ideas are may be the solution of my challenge . My next step is to translate all of insights that I have gained from mind mapping in to design criteria . Design criteria are the transition from what is to what if stage . At this step there are so many ideas but I do not know which one is good so I will discuss all this ideas with my team , and we will go with possibilities . There is an example of possibility , we can merge two processes like CNC and Notching together and use automation . This is an idea , like this various ideas in my mind . Here I will use mind mapping tool again to prepare design criteria and focus on possibilities , for next stage what if . Once I find a solution then I will think about another tool like learning launch , for our next step what wows and what works .