Madisonville Community College Lean Manufacturing

The Center for Manufacturing Systems (CMS) of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering in cooperation with the Madisonville Community College now offers the Lean Manufacturing Simulation and the Lean Enterprise Simulation. Lean Enterprise focuses on the office or service-type organizations, while the Manufacturing Simulation looks at products and materials, Lean Enterprise is about information and the associated functions which support the flow of that information.

These simulations, modeled after the Toyota Production System "Philosophy of Efficiency" simulation, is another element of the CRMS Lean Manufacturing Program. It was developed in cooperation with Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A. and was a team effort of a core group from Toyota and the University of Kentucky. The Lean Manufacturing Simulation is taught by a team of certified instructors and facilitators from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Participants work on a simulated factory floor and actually manufacture a product in Lean Manufacturing, in Lean Enterprise they work in a simulated office. These powerful hands-on approaches are designed to familiarize participants with the concepts and benefits of Lean.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lean Manufacturing

What are Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise?

Lean Manufacturing is a philosophy of efficiency which, when implemented, shortens the time between customer order and factory shipment by eliminating waste.

Lean Enterprise is a strategy for increasing efficiency by finding and reducing or eliminating the unnecessary activities associated with the information flow which supports all processes. In short, implementing Lean Enterprise concepts can make your company more profitable.

What will Lean Manufacturing do for me?

By learning and applying the concepts presented at this simulation, you will increase your profits.

This full-day session gives participants much more than just knowledge. You will be able to feel the effectiveness of Lean Manufacturing. You will also obtain a vision of how Lean Manufacturing elements can be incorporated into your own work environment.

"[Lean Manufacturing] uses less of everything compared with mass production - half the human effort in the factory, half the manufacturing space, half the investment in tools, half the engineering hours to develop a new product in half the time. Also, it requires keeping far less than half the needed inventory on site [and] results in ...fewer defects...."

Womack, James P., Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos, The Machine That Changed the World, Harper Perennial

Attendees will work on a simulated factory floor in several intensive production rounds, producing an actual product. You will be able to see, feel, and measure the effects as different Lean Manufacturing principles are incorporated into the factory. These principles include concepts such as built-in quality, visual control, just-in-time, pull system, work leveling, continuous improvement, and teamwork.

There are various other instructional elements incorporated into the day's training. Overviews, case studies, in-depth information in key areas, and plenty of team interaction make this a powerful session.

How are the Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise simulations presented?

The Lean Manufacturing Simulation is presented in two formats. One is for public attendance which is general in nature to help attendees from a wide variety of companies to see the benefits of adopting this philosophy for their company. The second is customized for individual clients with instruction geared to the type of product and production for that industry. Customizing generally includes a plant visit by several members of the Lean Manufacturing Team to get a first hand look at current company operations. While public presentations are directed more to senior executive managers and supervisors, the individual company presentations stress participation of all individuals involved in he production process.

After the simulation, we continue to work with you through full implementation of:

We can conduct a simulation exclusively for your company. For more information, contact:

Mike Davenport
Madisonville Community College
2000 College Drive
Madisonville, KY 42431

Phone: (270) 824-8659
Fax: (270) 824-1672
Email: Mike.Davenport@kctcs.edu