From the Inside Flap
Time Out introduces a revolutionary process, Visible Pull, for integrating the new world-class management tools aimed at cycle time reduction, quality improvement, and optimum customer service. Many leading companies--DuPont, Union Carbide, and International Specialty Chemicals--have seen significant benefits from its application. Typical benefits have included a 10 to 20 percent gain in capacity, a 30 to 40 percent reduction in inventory, a 50 percent reduction in cycle time, and more. In this authoritative new book, one of Visible Pull's pioneers describes the development of Visible Pull and lays out a detailed roadmap for applying it to your own unique business. With thirty years of hands-on experience, Wayne Smith knows the obstacles that can impede improvement in a plant. Here, he outlines the changes in philosophy and behavior that must take place before progress can be made. Smith differentiates between the traditional, inefficient "push" scheduling, where forecasts are made and everyone pushes material forward to meet the schedule, and the Pull Systems, which limit and control production based on downstream demand. With Visible Pull, workstations act in concert with one another, which in turn enables the company to better allocate resources, build a culture of teamwork, and link time-on-line to business goals. In a series of five logical, carefully structured segments, Smith takes you step-by-step through the entire Visible Pull process, including:
- Making the Decision--helps you decide if Visible Pull is appropriate for your organization through a high-level overview of its goals, resource requirements, and potential benefits
- Assessing and Planning--explains how to identify and assess opportunities for improvement, choose the right tools, and develop a specific plan for change
- Pull Systems--demonstrates how to use Pull Systems as the primary tool for managing time in a process and how to apply them to your specific environment
- Visible Management and Continuous Improvement--describes how to use Pull Systems to institute an ongoing improvement process, build employee involvement, measure your organization's evolving capabilities, and guide your future growth
Replete with examples drawn from the experience of world-class manufacturers, Time Out includes a full range of simulation techniques, as well as detailed, real-world application methods set within the context of an integrated enterprise. Designed for manufacturing, operations, and distribution managers, supervisors, team leaders, design engineers, and others concerned with manufacturing processes, Time Out offers an immediate and unprecedented opportunity for truly breakthrough improvement.
WAYNE SMITH is the founder of Process/Time Management, a consultingmanagement firm active in the development and application of cycletime techniques. Mr. Smith previously worked at DuPont, serving inthe full range of plant management assignments as ManufacturingManager for the Industrial Films Division, and ended his DuPontcareer as Corporate Manager of Continu-ous Flow Manufacturing. Heis a frequent guest speaker at industrial conferences, includingthe American Society for Quality Control, the Association forManufacturing Excellence (AME), and the Institute of IndustrialEngineers.
About the NAM
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largestbroad-based industrial trade association. Its more than 14,000member companies and subsidiaries, including more than 10,000 smallmanufacturers, are located in every state and produce roughly 85percent of U.S. manufactured goods. Through its member companiesand affiliated associations, the NAM represents every industrialsector, 185,000 businesses, and more than 18 millionemployees.
The NAM is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has regionaloffices across the country. For more information on the NAM, callDavid W. Walker, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and MemberServices, at (202) 637-3186.
