Material Flow Certification Program

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WHAT IS THE SKILL THAT 90% OF ALL
LEAN PRACTITIONERS LACK?

Mixed Model Line Design is a skill that every Lean practitioner needs to have. After all, designing high-performing work flows is what Lean is ultimately all about, right? And yet, strangely enough, many (most?) Lean specialists are not trained in the basics of Lean: the use of data and Industrial Engineering methods to design Value Streams. There is a method that needs to be followed, but in a recent survey that we conducted only 10% of Lean professionals knew it!

The Mixed Model Line  Design Certification Program accomplishes multiple goals: the knowledge transfer of the Mixed Model methodology, a confirmation of understanding through testing, and a deepening of understanding through the completion of a design project. Successful fulfillment of these goals will earn you the formal recognition as Certified in Mixed Model Line Design.

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Does This sound familiar?

  • You're often at a loss to measure and quantify real benefits, even though individual improvement projects are successful.
  • Your improvement efforts often come down to "finding waste" rather than applying time-proven industrial engineering methods.
  • You fear that if and when your company downsizes, the process improvement and training folks will go first.
  • You know from experience that process improvement specialists rarely transition to management. They quickly run into an advancement glass ceiling.
  • You are frustrated that your opportunity to train and learn new methods is hit and miss, and dependent on your individual efforts as opposed to a company-wide strategy.

If it does, then you can appreciate how hard it can be to excel and stand out as a Process Improvement Specialist.

That's what motivated us to build the Lean Design Studio

We wanted to address the huge weaknesses in many companies approach to Lean and process improvement:

  • The mistaken belief that Lean is all about eliminating waste. Taiichi Ohno says no!
  • The idea that every product must run to "takt time". How could that even be possible when the work content is different?
  • The wrong-headed notion that a Value Stream should be "level loaded" to produce the same output every day.
  • The idea that "going to the gemba" is more important than a strong foundation in Lean Industrial Engineering.
  • Relying on past experience, intuition or gut feel instead of data.

What Is "Certification"?

Achieving a “certification” in a skill means that you have mastered a certain skill or body of knowledge, and that mastery as been confirmed by an independent agent or entity. To earn certification in Mixed Model Line Design you will need to accomplish the following:

  1. You will need to complete the course material. The Mixed Model Line Design course consists of 20 individual lessons, and will take you around 10 hours to complete.
  2. You will need to complete a line design assignment. The best way to do this is to work on an actual project using your own data. In that way you are accomplishing useful work as well as completing the certification requirement. If you are not able to use your own data you can download a project file from the Lean Design Studio, and complete the assignment with data provided. Your work will need to be uploaded to the Studio and reviewed by a Leonardo Group staff member.
  3. You will need to successfully complete a final exam. The exam consists to 120 questions, but is organized into sections so you don’t need to finish it in one sitting!

There is a reward at the end of the certification process! You will earn a formal recognition by the Lean Design Studio as Certified in Mixed Model Line Design, and you can download a certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Line Design

Mixed Model Line Design Tools You'll Learn

Mixed Model Line Design is the step-by-step methodology for designing high-mix production lines or value streams. The result is a production line that can manufacture a large number of different products and options, with high efficiency and quality.

The tools of Mixed Model Line Design allow the design of lines that can handle inevitable changes in mix and volume, without degrading throughput or productivity. And they avoid the need for batching models, and for extensive and costly line changeovers.

How do you know if the line is performing as expected? Is that slow down normal? Getting educated in Mixed Model line design will enable you to “read” the line so you know how it is performing.

Mixing products has a host of advantages including better lead times, increased flexibility, more efficient use of floor space, and leveled product volumes.

A Process Flow Diagram shows the relationship between your processes and the flow (or sequence) necessary to make one unit of a specific product.

One Process Flow Diagram does not provide enough information to make well-informed decisions on the whole line, so you must find a way to extract applicable information.

Takt Time is the line’s formulated production rate. This rate is calculated and is an important design parameter for the line.

In this lesson we’ll cover some of the difficulties you must overcome to calculate an accurate Takt Time, including how to account for many factors that influence Takt such as changes in Effective Minutes, Rework, Scrap, Options, and Quantity consumed.

Standard work is a foundational element of Lean. In this lesson, we will discuss the benefits of Standard work, how to use Standard Work, and why it is important to use graphics in your Standard Work definitions.

Understand how to use the Resource Calculation Formula, and learn how to interpret and apply the results of your Resource Calculations.

In this lesson, you will learn how to calculate the necessary number of workstations on your line and how to determine the distribution of work between those workstations.

In-Process Kanbans (IPKs) are a necessary component of many mixed model production lines. In this lesson we will introduce the benefits and application of IPKs, as well as the best methods for calculating the optimum number of IPKs between your workstations.

Learn about the six line balancing tools, how to use them, when to use them, and the incredible benefits that come with a well balanced line.

Every line designer has to consider how machine processes will impact his or her line. In this lesson, you will learn about the different types of machines, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to integrate machines with IPKs and the balancing tools.

Every mixed model production line has to deal with changeovers, but you don’t have to allow those changeovers ruin your design. This lesson is all about strategies to minimize, as much as possible, the negative impact of changeovers on your line design.

Before jumping straight into CAD, it is important to first create a conceptual design. In this lesson you will learn why conceptual designs are useful, how to create them, and which inputs go into a conceptual line design.

When is Simulation Modeling necessary? What data goes into a successful model? How do you get that data? And, when the model is completed, how do you analyze those results?

This lesson teaches you the steps that go into creating your Final Layout, as well as the departments that should be involved.

Once you CAD drawing is complete, how do you take that drawing and turn it into a live production line?

Mixed Model Line Design Certification Program

A Required Skill for All Lean Practitioners
$ 1995
  • Includes Simulation Modeling Software and Training
  • 10 Hours of Online Training
  • Earn Certification on Mixed Model Line Design
  • Scholarships Available
  • Project Review by Lean Design Studio Staff
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Lean SKILLS