20Keys Maps
20 Keys enables everyone to have a common understanding of the current level of the Company in comparison with all other companies in the world
1- Cleaning and Organising to Make Work Easy
2- Rationalising the System / Goal Alignment
3- Small Group Activities
4- Reducing Work-in Process
5- Quick Changeover Technology
6- Kaizen of Operations
7- Zero Monitor Manufacturing / Production
8- Coupled Manufacturing / Production
9- Maintaining Machines & Equipment
10- Workplace Discipline
11- Quality Assurance
12- Developing Your Suppliers
13- Eliminating Waste
14- Empowering Employees to make Improvements
15- Skill Versatility and Cross-training
16- Production Scheduling
17- Efficiency Control
18- Using Information Systems
19- Conserving Energy and Materials
20- Leading Technology / Site Technology
4S in the 20 Keys program is not something imposed on you, but something that helps you because these tools make your job simple and easy. The first step is to build company-wide common understanding and then to steadily climb from level 1 to level 5.
4S is the basis of productivity improvement as it links with the other Keys included in the program. During the course of its implementation, you may also see improvement in the other Keys. This is due to the linkage effect between all the Keys, which in turn is an indication of adequate spreading of 4S throughout the workplace. 4S makes your work easier and more meaningful.
Key 1. Cleaning and Organising The main objective of Key 1 is to make work place more safe and efficient by creating organised and clean work place that all the people are proud of. This leads to energised work teams, improved motivation and production. Key 2. Goal Alignment Key 2 focuses on having an effective organisation structure, with goal alignment at all levels; managerial, supervisory, workers etc. Within the structure the varios work groups are organised as “Mini Busineses” or MB’s. Each MB is guided by Quality , Cost, Delivery,Safety and Morale performance indicators (QCDSM measures)
Level 2 – Make an organization chart and specify details.
Ideas and improvements are easier to generate when a company has a clear organizational structure. By contrast, you can’t hope for much improvement when instructions are given ad hoc, differing for each workplace or employee. If a workplace lacks a clear organizational structure, the first task is to write down the current main responsibilities of each employee.
Key 3. Small Group Activities
Key 3 involves forming small groups who get together to solve problems. These problem solving groups are called SGA’s. A SGA consist of 3-5 people who brainstorm specific problems relating to quality, safety, downtime etc.. It also engages everyone with thinking about improvements.
Key 4. Reducing Work in Process (WIP)
The 20 keys approach enables an organisation to reduce WIP and thereby achieve space savings, lower transportation costs and get its production faster to its customers. It also becomes more flexible because it can adopt to changing production schedules more easily
Key 5. Reducing Changeovers
Key 5 guides a company to reduce non value-adding activities linked to changeovers. Time spent on changeovers is one of those non value adding activities or WASTE. Shorter changeovers enable the company to get its products faster to the customers.
Key 6. Kaizen Operation – Goal (Cost Reduction (Productivity Improvement)
Key 6 focuses on improving processes through analysing, streamlining and simplifying the processes on the production floor or in the office. Documentation at this stage is essential by means of process flow diagram, activity flow diagrams, physical flow diagram and operation improvement sheets.
Key 7. Zero Monitor Manufacturing / Production
Equipment monitoring (just watching the machines when they run) is a waste. If monitoring is performed to detect the production of defects equipment must be improved so that no defects are produced in the first place. If monitoring is performed to guard against raw material shortages, then the system must be improved to prevent this from happening.
Key 8. Coupled Manufacturing/ Production
Coupled manufacturing is about methods to link processes in order to ensure a smooth, fast process flow where inventory levels are kept as low as possible. The aim of key 8 is the better linking of processes so as to improve process flow.
Key 9. Maintaining Machines & Equipment
Key 9 focuses on improving effectiveness of the machines and equipment by involving the operators and users of the equipment on a daily basis and routinely carry out the necessary maintenance.
Key 9. Maintaining Machines & Equipment
Key 9 focuses on improving effectiveness of the machines and equipment by involving the operators and users of the equipment on a daily basis and routinely carry out the necessary maintenance.
Key 11. Quality Assurance
Key 11 focuses on continuous quality improvement by establishing a quality focused workplace. The optimum goal is to achieve zero defects and non-conformances.
Key 12. Developing your Suppliers
As a comprehensive system, 20keys addresses through key 12 the development of external suppliers and contractors as partners in the value chain. It introduces a formal method for managing and developing suppliers by setting their development strategy, service agreements and measurement of their performance. Same approach apply to internal suppliers too.
Key 13. Eliminating Waste
Waste is anything that doesn’t add value. Key 13 focuses on time wastages in the workplace and increasing time spent on value adding tasks.
Key 14. Empowering Employee to Make Improvements
Team empowerment is characterised by well-informed, multi-skilled team members that make initiative, are able to investigate problems and are authorised to make decisions and implement improvement.
Key 15: Skill Versatility and Cross Training
20Keys system value the organisation’s people and key 15 is about implementing learning and development as part of the business strategy. Employees become more valuable and enjoy greater job satisfaction. The 20 keys Skills Matrices applied to assess current skill levels and address skills gap within the teams.
Key 16: Production Scheduling
Scheduling principles implemented include backwards reverse planning and scheduling. Finite scheduling, measurement at control points, load levelling, work tracking and visual management. It also addresses project management in terms of applying best practices and approaches as “Critical Chain Planning”
Key 17: Efficiency Control
With Efficiency control, realistic and motivating throughput rates (output rates) are established for all processes and work, and performance is measured against targets to see how well a team is performing. The emphasis is on short interval control.
Key 18: Using Information Systems
Everyone is trained to effectively use systems relevant to their workplaces, both in terms of day-to-day operations and as an enabler for continuous improvement. In order to do this, teams are supported in terms of training, solving soft and hardware technology problems, and receiving continuous education regarding the opportunities provided by information systems.
Key 19: Conversing Energy and Materials
Energy saving technology are identified and implemented when dealing with this key. Making people at all levels aware of how they can help to save energy and materials, even in small ways contribute greatly towards helping the organisation becoming a lean, competitive market player.
Key 20: Leading Technology / Site Technology
Leading technology refers to the equipment or hardware available to the company to design, build or produce products or services. Site technology is that set of sills and know how that a particular company has acquired as it develops its processes. Site technology is an intangible asset that does not increase simply by the introduction of new equipment the critical aspect in Key 20 is to cope with the speed advancements in technology development.
