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Original Date: 07/21/2003
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Lean Manufacturing Training
Electric Boat Corporation, Quonset Point Facility’s supervisors, multi-trade apprentices, and other key personnel attended an eight-hour Lean Manufacturing class. The company also developed a partnership program with the Community College of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services to create a Lean Manufacturing Certification program.
Lean Manufacturing is the systematic approach of identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement techniques. A Lean enterprise is more productive with existing resources by eliminating non-value- added activities. To take full advantage of Lean Manufacturing concepts, the entire enterprise should be involved, from top management to the tradesman. However, involvement begins with a solid foundation and understanding of the principles of Lean Manufacturing.
To help management “buy-in” to this concept, Electric Boat Corporation, Quonset Point Facility’s (EBQP’s) 140 supervisors, approximately 50 multi-trade apprentices, and other key personnel attended an eight-hour Lean Manufacturing class. During class, attendees learned how to control work-in-process bottlenecks, lead a change initiative, identify and reduce non-value-added work, and implement and manage the manufacturing flow process. To further its efforts, EBQP developed a partnership program with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services (RIMES) to create a Lean Manufacturing Certification program, a 12 to 15 credit program featuring details of the Lean Manufacturing philosophy and a variety of complementary educational tools. The RIMES Lean Training courseware includes Lean 101, Value Stream Mapping, 5S Systems, Pull/Kanban, and Set up Reduction. Before taking the Lean Training classes, each person is required to complete or test out of CCRI courses in Fundamentals in Writing, Elementary Algebra, Seminar of Student Success, and Workplace Relationship Skills.
With top management’s dedication, the training and application of Lean concepts is well underway, with the plan being 100% participation by the entire workforce. EBQP is building a solid foundation and understanding of lean concepts. In 2003, nine Lean projects were initiated and one was completed, resulting in savings of $11K.
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