Heijunka
means sequencing or smoothing of production. It has been definied
as: “Leveling the type and quantity of production over a fixed
period of time. This enables production to efficiently meet customer
demands while avoiding batching and results in minimum inventories,
capital costs, manpower, and production lead time through the whole
value stream”.
The goal of this
technique developed by Toyota as a mean to standardise work, is to
produce intermediate goods at a constant rate so that further
processing may also be carried out at a constant and predictable
rate. This is achieved by switching from a line dedicated to a single
product, which is therefore sensitive to sales variations, to a
flexible line capable of manufacturing several types of product.
Some of the
advantages of leveling production are:
-
Flexibility to make what the customer wants when they want it.
-
Reduced risk of unsold goods.
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Balanced use of labor and machines.
-
Smoothed demand on the upstream processes and suppliers
The video below
explains in detail production levelling, but if you still want a more
thorough explanation check the second video out!
