Introduction

to
Heijunka
 Heijunka
Production Leveling

• Definition and need

• Tools of Heijunka :
 Production Planning
 Visual Systems
• Heijunka Example

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka- Definition

• Heijunka- a Japanese word meaning to make level,

smoothen.

• Heijunka is defined as “The distribution of production volume

and mix evenly over time”

• Heijunka converts uneven Customer Pull into even and

predictable manufacturing processes.

• Heijunka is a core concept that helps bring stability to a

manufacturing process.

• In simple words it states to level the load evenly every shift,

every day.

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3M
 Hare and Tortoise

• Hare and tortoise decide to run a race on one fine day.

• Hare runs with high speed and then rests for a while. On the
other hand tortoise runs with his slow but steady speed.
• Tortoise crosses the hare when he is resting with his steady
speed. When hare wakes up and starts running with his speed,
tortoise is about to complete the race.
• At the end tortoise wins the race.
• Moral : Slow and steady wins the race.

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 Analysis of the Story

• Hare symbolizes the unbalanced production system – Working

hard for sometime and then remaining idle.
• Tortoise symbolizes the balanced production system -
Constant output over a period of time

Heijunka is all about being tortoise rather than being a hare.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Need for Heijunka
• Product Leveling :
Large batches of the same product may reduce set-up times and
changeovers, but usually result in:
 long lead times,
 Swelling Inventories
 Greater opportunities for defects
 Excessive idle time and/or overtime
An even mix of products help to reduce these impacts.
• Production Leveling:
Customer demand is always fluctuating :
 Responding to fluctuations in demand there can be overtime or idle
time.
 Variable production schedules can be stressful= fatigue to workers.
A more level production helps in reducing this effect.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Production Strategies
Make to stock (MTS) is a traditional production strategy that is used by businesses
to match production and inventory with consumer demand forecasts. The (MTS)
method requires an accurate forecast of demand in order to determine how
much stock should be produced. If demand for the product can be accurately
forecasted, the MTS strategy is an efficient choice for production.

Make to order (MTO) is a business production strategy that typically allows

consumers to purchase products that are customized to their specifications. The
make to order (MTO) strategy only manufactures the end product once the
customer places the order, creating additional wait time for the consumer to
receive the product but allowing for more flexible customization compared to
purchasing directly from retailers' shelves.

Make to Assemble (MTA)A manufacturing production strategy where a company

stocks the basic components of a product based on demand forecasts, but does
not assemble them until the customer places an order. This allows for order
customization. MTA production is basically a hybrid of two other major types of
manufacturing production strategies: make to stock (MTS) and make to order
(MTO).
 PUSH System
I want 50 Nos.
Sales &
marketing Dept
Purchase

Planning CUSTOMER
SUPPLIER FG STORES

I have Only 5
Nos,
Received Only
13 Nos.????
RAW MATERIAL

Step 1 PACKING
Step 2

Material Only for 10 Nos ?? Material Only for 8 Nos. ??

You never give what I You never give what I
want… want…
 PULL System
I want 50 Nos.
Sales &
FG Reservoir marketing Dept

PACKING CUSTOMER
FG STORES

BIN

WIP Reservoir
Received 50 Nos. Immediately..

Step 2

Pre Cleaned Reservoir

Step 1 RAW MATERIAL SUPPLIER

BIN

Order is directly delivered from FG Reservoir, that signals for required Kanban
quantities to Packing Dept, that pulls material from WIP Reservoir; that in turns
pulls material from Step 1; that pulls from Raw Material
 Tools of Heijunka

• Planning
• Visual Systems
• Line Balancing

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Planning

• Planning plays an important part in the product and

production leveling.
• Planning states :
 What to produce
 When to produce
 In what quantity
 & By how many operators

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Planning Stage
Stages of Planning

• Planning is driven by Customer orders and required delivery dates.

This becomes first stage of planning – H1 Board

• Prior to Dispatch, the manufacturing process has to be divided into

main phases; which have to be driven based upon process Lead
Times & Delivery dates.
• These become different Levels of Planning – H2,H3….Board

• Each Heijunka Board should clearly communicate day wise plan for
each manufacturing step..!!

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Visual Systems
• Visual systems are most efficient for planning – Production Sheets,
daily production reports, inventory levels by operation and
Production boards.
• All these sheets are available at Gemba itself and are a part of daily
routine discussions.
• With help of visual systems it is very easy to identify what, how, when
and by whom within few minutes

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Visual Planning Systems

• Why Visual Planning Systems:

 The Manufacturing plan & its status is 100% visible to all. No need to phone
calls, mails & oral communications.

 Day wise plan for all stations/machines is on Heijunka Board.

 Owner gets a complete picture of shop in single sight.

 Bottlenecks are easily identified.

 Helps to deploy cycle time based planning

 Customer communication becomes easy as all data is visible in a single

window.

 No internal departmental blaming, as all communication is in written form.

 Visual Planning Systems
Visual Production Scheduling

Visual Loading Control

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 Visual Planning Systems
Visual Production Scheduling

Colour Coding to identify

Product Family

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 Visual Planning Systems

Machine Numbers

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 Visual Planning Systems

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 Visual Planning Systems

H1 Board - H2 Board -
Dispatch Testing

H3 Board - H2 Board -
Assembly Stores

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 Visual Planning Systems
Visual Production Scheduling

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 Visual Planning Systems

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 Visual Planning Systems

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 Visual Planning Systems

Design Dept. Heijunka –

The initials of Design
Engg

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 Visual Planning Systems
MFO Cards – Each colour
indicates, each type of broach.

All live orders are placed on

board. This gives clear
indication of pending orders.

All orders are planned with

date and machine.

Each block indicates 1

machine.

This helps to identify bottlenecks

easily. The more no. of card,
more work is pending & may
become bottleneck.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:

A workshop works 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 20 days per month,

manufacturing a product in one hour, product available in six colors.
The market average monthly demand has following distribution:

The market demand can be managed, as our load-capacity

checks confirms.

Changeovers and setups are negligible.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:
• First approach, "traditional planning“

The table above shows the usable hours in each day (columns) for the whole
month of 20 days. Each hour (table cell) a product can be manufactured, the
table allows making production planning visual.
In such a case, the client ordering a unit of each type, 6 in total, and ordering the
first day of the month, has to wait the month's end (20 working days) before being
delivered.
All that waiting for an accumulated production time of 6 hours. The ratio
usable time / total time is: 6 / 20 x 7 = 4%

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:
• A first Step:
• A first improvement could be reversing the order of series; starting the
month with shorter ones.

• The client can then be delivered within 12 days), which is already a

significant gain. The ratio usable time / total time is; 6 / 12 x 7 = 7%

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:
• Production leveling
To improve the time to market and gain flexibility, it is necessary to split the
batches.

In the table above, the monthly requirements are in column B. The weekly
average requirement is in (C). As we can only manufacture complete and
discrete units, there is a need for rounding in (D). Rounding give a excess time,
for which we need to choose how to use, e.g. what product should be
produced "in excess" (E). The column E becomes the weekly production plan.
In column F the new monthly result if we apply our pattern 4 time, and for which
we check the consistency with requirement (B), in column G. Adjustment
between excess and shortage is done in the fourth week.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:
• The resulting visual plan is shown below. Each week the same basic pattern is
repeated (collumn E) and adjustments done during last week.

• The table above shows the usable hours in each day (columns) for the whole
month of 20 days. Each hour (table cell) a product can be manufactured, the
table allows making production planning visual.
Performance
Our client whishing a unit of each product can be delivered the second day.
Performance measured by the ratio usable time / total time; 6 / 2 x 7 = 43%

• As compared to first situation the performance has improved from 4% to 43%.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 Heijunka Example:

• The above example shows a perfect integration of all tools used to

level the production and ultimately satisfy the customer.

• Thus Heijunka is a routine activity to get a consist and fixed output

daily within fixed resources.

Solutions Kaizen Management Systems

 If Takt time is described as the heart beat of Lean
implementation, then Heijunka is the deep breathing
exercise of Lean that brings internal and external suppliers.
“ Heijunka, You won’t be HAPPY without it!”
 Activities to do Today..!!
1. Go through, Product Master list & sort it for high Running Products..!!
2. The products with highest MAD & DAD will be at top.
3. For the products, from Product Family Table copy TCT – Total Cycle
Time Column & paste in Product Master List.
4. Based upon TCT & Mad, decide your FG Reservoir Quantities..!!
5. Design your own Heijunka Boards.
Questions ?

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