Lean Product Process Development as a Learning System

Michael Ballé, Ph. D.

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Once upon a time…

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The problem: remember 2008?

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What happened:

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Smart zero energy solutions

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Q1: What do we need to learn about our customers, products and processes?

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How can we help customers do what they want to do?

• 4.59% absenteeism in French companies

• 1% absenteeism generates a 1.87% increasein labor costs

• Better ergonomics is a clear opportunity for improvement

Source: Jarlaud 2015

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First westerner at Japanese karakuri (mechanical devices to lighten the ergonomic burden)

competition!

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Fix problems with the existingproduct to discover what value means

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Do our solutions actually satisfycustomers? How do we understandtheir preferences?

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What is the product takt? Eachproduct is a value stream

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Q2: How do we learnwhat we need to know?

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Determine at the outset what isfixed and what is flexible

Concept paperCritical changes to existingdesign

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Produce knowledge as well as work: from design standards to production standards

Design standards Production standards

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How do you grow products?

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Grow the roots throughcontinuous on the job training

In engineering In production

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Support creative problem solvingin day to day managementCustomer problem solving in engineering Suggestions in production

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Develop deep thinking through bettertesting models and exploration of new tech

Testing New tech

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Q3: What organizationalstructures and routines willsupport the learning?

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Chief engineer is responsible for VA and VE thinking

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Teams and team leaders to organize for learning

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Kanban as a tool for kaizen, to coordinate engineering, production and supply chain

Engineering kanban Supply chain kanban

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Teamwork, the individual skill to workacross organizational boundaries

Intensify collaboration Slow builds

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Regular learning reviews, to manage the learning curves

Design reviews Ramp-up review

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Q4: What do we need to learn about our customers, products, processes and platforms?

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New applications, new platforms

Integrate the machine in the prodution layout

Design and producepropietary components

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In the end…

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TOYOTASCHNEIDER

AIRBUSTHALESALSTOM

DASSAULTZODIACSAFRAN

EUROCOPTER

So what?

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Output doesn’t mean outcome

What they are doing is creating a Buddha image and forgetting to inject

soul in it

Hajime Oba

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1. Product Quality• Performance (our

promise)

•Quality (how well do we hold our promise?)

• Cost of use (at what total cost for the user?)

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2. Lead-time

Misconceptions

Muri, Mura Muda

Concept Design Redesign

Lead-time

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3. Costs

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Always go back to fundamentals

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Michael@Michael_Balle