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THE SAYINGS of SHIGEO SHINGO Key Strategies for Plantlnlprovennent THE SAYINGS OF SIDGEO SIDNGO Key Strategies for Plantlnnproveunent Shigeo Shingo THE SAYINGS OF SHIGEO SHINGO Key Strategies for Plantlnlprovennent SHIGEO SHINGO Translated by Andrew P. Dillon Originally published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. Productivi;;1Press Originally published as Shingo goroku: kojokaizen no hiketsu o kataru, copyright ©1985 by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd., Tokyo. English translation copyright© 1987 by Productivity Press, a division of Productivity, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Additional copies of this book are available from the publisher. Discounts are available for multiple copies through the Sales Department (800-394-6868). Address all other inquiries to: Productivity Press 444 Park A venue South, Suite 604 New York, NY 10016 Telephone: 212-686-5900 Fax: 212-686-5411 E-mail: [email protected] Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shingo,Shigeo, 1909-1990 The sayings of Shigeo Shingo Translation of: Shingo goroku/Shingo Shigeo. Includes index. ISBN 978-l-56327-384-l 1. Production management. I. Title. TS155.546213 1987 658.5 87-60547 CIP 02 01 00 12 11 10 9 8 Foreword If I could give a Nobel prize for exceptional contributions to world economy, prosperity, and productivity, I wouldn't have much difficulty selecting a winner - Shigeo Shingo's life work has contrib­ uted to the well-being of everyone in the world. Along with Taiichi Ohno, former vice president ofToyota Motors, Mr. Shingo has helped revolutionize the way we manufacture goods. His improve­ ment principles vastly reduce the cost of manufacturing - which means more products to more people; they make the manufactur­ ing process more responsive while opening the way to new and in­ novative products, substantially reduce defects and improve quality, and give us a strategy for continuous improvement through the crea­ tive involvement of all employees. In this book, Mr. Shingo shares the creative process that helped him build this significant contribution to manufacturing excellence. Inside the factory, Mr. Shingo's never-ending spirit of inquiry chal­ lenges the status quo at every level - he knows that everything can be improved. When he hears the phrases "can't be done," "we always did it that way," or "impossible," Shingo chuckles and stops and then helps the worker, manager, or corporate executive find a proper sol­ ution. In The Sayings ofShigeo Shingo the reader will find numerous examples of how Shingo confronted and overcame problems that seemed virtually impossible to solve. In May 1986 Mr. Shingo gave a seminar at Ford Motor Com­ pany's V an Dyke plant, where he was shown a punch press that took five hours to change over. After a lecture of several hours and a chal­ lenge from Mr. Shingo, the die was changed in twelve minutes. Mr. Shingo was not satisfied with V an Dyke's accomplishment, how­ ever- he wanted it done in less than ten minutes. Subsequently, in V vi SHINGO SAYINGS February l987,plant manager Gifford Brown wrote us that the time had been reduced to two and a half minutes! Isn't it amazing what proper understanding can do? Reducing changeovers from hours to minutes is an essential first step toward revolutionary change in the work place. We have seen it result in 90 percent inventory reduction, lead-time reduction from twelve weeks to four hours, quality defects down 97 percent, and so on. Shortening setup times, however, is only a small part of Mr. Shingo's achievements. Study ofToyota Production System from an Industrial Engineering Standpoint was the first book in English to introduce us to just-in­ time production and kanban techniques; A Revolution in Manufac­ turing: The SMED System gave us detailed instruction on reducing changeover times from hours to minutes; and Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-yoke System showed us how to eliminate defects totally from the manufacturing process. Now The Sayings of Shigeo Shingo presents through case studies the principles of continu­ ous improvement in the workplace, a unified approach Mr. Shingo calls his scientific thinking mechanism for improvement. Each October, Mr. Shingo sits down and plans for the following twelve months. Every work day is filled with a seminar or a plant visit; his consulting travels have taken him throughout Japan and to the United States, Canada, Brazil, France, and many other nations. In a typical day, Mr. Shingo travels to a client's plant, gives a short lec­ ture, reviews some problems, and offers recommendations for solu­ tions. That evening in his hotel room, he writes down in detail the events of the day. Over the years his disciplined, methodical ap­ proach and careful notes have provided the basis for 18 books and numerous articles on factory improvement. On a recent Productivity study mission to Japan, we visited Matsushita's washing machine and vacuum cleaner plants. At each we were shown improvements resulting from Mr. Shingo's advice. Both plants claim that not a single defect leaves their premises. Osaka Diamond, Toyota Gosei, Arakawa Shaktai, Tsuta Kikai, Kinzoku Kogyo, and Saga Tekko are just a few of the many companies where managers credit Mr. Shingo as the teacher and catalyst to their im­ provement activities: "Mr. Shingo taught us how to do that!" What makes this book so powerful is Mr. Shingo's ability to transmit knowledge to the reader step by step, through concrete examples. Mr. Shingo's approach to problems and solutions is usu- Foreword Vll ally quite simple and always brilliant. In example after example, he ex­ poses the typically narrow and limited way we look at problems; and time after time he proves that there is never just one right answer. Mr. Shingo teaches us that there are many paths to the top ofMt. Fuji­ many ways to find and make improvement. Right now, many American companies are closing their plants and outsourcing manufacturing to the Far East in search of cheaper labor; meanwhile foreign companies buy those same closed U.S. plants to manufacture here and take advantage of our "cheap" labor. In Indiana alone, 25 plants will be opened by the Japanese in 1987. This is amazing when you realize that labor is often only 15 percent or less of manufacturing cost. Since just-in-time production can eas­ ily offset those labor costs, it is ironic that American companies are giving up the tremendous opportunities that await them in their own back yards. Many of those opportunities are represented in the philosophy and practical techniques illustrated in this book. You will discover for yourself how to change the environment in your plant, improve the quality of your products, reduce manufacturing costs, and, most im­ portantly, develop a consciousness that promotes daily, continuous improvement. I want to thank Mr. Shingo for his continual quest for manufac­ turing excellence. I'd also like to thank Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun for permission to publish this book in English and especially Mr. Ryomatsu Sakata for his invaluable help. Andrew P. Dillon, who has translated all of Mr. Shingo's other works available in English from Productivity, has provided us with another excellent, accurate trans­ lation. Thanks also to Connie Dyer and Nancy MacMillan, who edited the manuscript, and to Patty Slote, production manager, Marie Kascus, indexer, and finally to Nanette Redmond, Caroline Kutil, James Rolwing, Laura Santi, and Leslie Goldstein of Rudra Press, who typeset the text, prepared the artwork, and designed the book. Norman Bodek Contents Foreword V Introduction XV 1 A Scientific Thinking Mechanism for Improvement 3 The Relationship Between STM and Techniques for Rationalizing Production 3 Analytic and Quantitative Methods for Assessing the Status Quo Methods That Provide Clear Objectives and Motivate People Methods for Setting Standards Rationally Rationalization of Means 2 Preliminary Stage: Basic Ways of Thinking 11 Categorical Principles ll There Are Many Categorical Principles in the World Phenomena Can Be Classified either Continuously or by Opposition Avoid Intersecting Divisions Four Relationships Among Things 13 There are Only Four Relationships Among Things Objects Are Either Concrete or Abstract Analytical Ways of Seeing and Thinking 14 Forgetting- And Forgetting You Have Forgotten Knowledge, Understanding, and Ability Are Different ix X SHINGO SAYINGS 3 Stage One: Problem Indentification 17 Never Accept the Status Quo 17 Find Problems Where You Think None Exist 18 Find Waste Pay Money for Banana Skins? "Eliminate Waste!" Is a Nonsensical Slogan Work Is More Than People in Motion 20 Perceiving and Thinking Are Not the Same 23 The IBM Slogan The Brain Has Thirty-two Folds 4 Stage 1\vo: Basic Approaches to Improvement I. Understand the Status Quo 27 "Is" Outweighs "Ought" "Feel" Is Not Ideal There Is Truth Beyond Every Fact You Don't Understand Not Understanding? "More or Less" and the Facts of the Matter Time Is Merely a Shadow of Motion Accuracy and Precision Are Not the Same You Don't Need a Clock to Measure Time ''Various" and "Appropriate" Are Magic Words 5 Basic Approaches to Improvement Il. Pursuit ofGoals 35 The Pursuit of Goals in Three Dimensions 35 Type X: Focus Your Thinking Type Y: Look for Multiple Goals Type Z: Look for Higher-Level Goals X-Focus 39 What Does the Boiler Want Listen to the Machine Why Grease Scrap Metal? Paint
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