Production & Manufacturing Visual Management

There is no more obvious example of a process than a manufacturing line, and the benefits of removing waste and increasing productivity are perhaps seen more blatantly in manufacturing than any other industry sector. Our work with countless manufacturers across the world on designing and implementing effective visual management has become well-known and your business is just a few clicks away from unleashing the power of Lean with Clarity Visual Management.

As a consequence of this, visual management has probably been more refined and developed in the manufacturing industry than anywhere else, and continues to be so. Communication is key to the smooth running of a manufacturing plant, and when this needs to take place across large workforces, often speaking different languages and with different cultures, and across shifts, across all tiers of management, effective visual management is essential.

The spread of Lean into other sectors has involved studying the manufacturing process in minute detail and applying its principles to more diverse areas.

Clarity Visual Management have been involved in the visual management for a most diverse range of manufacturers … from famous whisky distilleries, William Grant and Bowmore, to Wienerberger house bricks, and from breakfast cereal manufactures such as Weetabix to sawmill operators such as BSW Timber, our experience is wide and varied! Most of the Lean principles shown on this website, and indeed most of the items in our Products pages, have been developed or otherwise sourced as a direct result of the needs of manufacturers. The following are some of the areas of successful visual management in a manufacturing environment:

Rev Counter Displays

These are an excellent example of ‘at a glance’ visual management that goes beyond the boundaries of language or detailed understanding of systems. Rev counter displays give a clear, concise indication of status. They allow comparisons between processes with differing units of measure, and allow transparent rendering of information where the detail may be sensitive or inappropriate to have on display.

Signage

We would like to emphasise the power of making factory signage an integral part of your visual management scheme. Branding signage with your company logo in the same way as the rest of your visual management increases employee engagement and encourages staff to take direction for all that they do from the visual management scheme. Clear signage will eliminate raw materials or work in progress going to the incorrect production area – even when new-starters or agency staff are trying to navigate your factory on their first day’.

Positioning

Visual management works best when it is placed as close to the process that is being measured as it is possibly can be. For this reason, wheeled boards, mobile cleaning stations, etc., are all highly effective visual management tools.

Bespoke Visual Solutions

Indepth Knowledge

In-Depth VM Consultation

Hassle Free

Easy, Hassle-Free Implementation

Toyota Manufacturing UK

We regard it as a privilege to have been involved with visual management for Toyota's renowned Toyota Production System. Needless to say, when we visited the Deeside engine manufacturing plant, we found world-class, hugely effective systems already in place, and were delighted to be able to promote these with visual management to fully engage the workforce so that these systems were realising their full potential. Read more to discover our work with one of the world's largest manufacturers…