Self-Balancing is not just a tweak or change to assembly line balancing, but a completely transformed method for achieving continuous flow. Among the reasons you should try Self-Balancing is that you can expect a productivity improvement of at least 30 percent—with improvements of 50-60 percent quite common.

Using a well-tested method for successful improvements initiated by the author, The Basics of Self-Balancing Processes: True Lean Continuous Flow is the first book to explain how to achieve continuous flow in both simple and complex manufacturing environments. It describes how to recognize and resolve weak links to ensure continuous flow in your manufacturing operations.

The book offers rules, tools, and guidelines to help you not only solve problems at the root, but even eliminate them before they start. It reviews the shortcomings of traditional assembly line balancing and walks readers through the new paradigm of Self-Balancing.

The text includes a comprehensive overview that demonstrates the power, flexibility, and breakthroughs possible with this method. Offering solutions to the shortcomings associated with standard line balancing—including inventory buffers, variation, and operator pace—it provides you with the tools and understanding required to deal with batch and off-line processes, debug your line, arrange your parts and tools, and design your own Self-Balanced cells.

Reviews

Instead of explaining merely the typical approach that seeks to balance the work and operates strictly according to takt time, Gordon’s method takes advantage of the ‘human element’ and releases the full potential of the employees. … Self-Balancing surfaces barriers to flow and provides a framework for the supporting management support system. …Until now, there was no source for this powerful concept outside of some limited research on the web. Gordon, however, has probably experimented more with Self-Balancing than anyoneo I’m very excited that he has finally brought this powerful concept to you.

—Kirk Paluska, Lean Transformations Group

Contents

Conventional Assembly Line Balancing

Paced Lines

Manual Assembly Lines

Level Loading

Shortcomings of Level Loading

Artificially Balanced

WIP Buffers

Slowest Operator/Station Sets the Pace

Variations in Yield and Cycle Time

Absent Operators

Inflexible, Difficult-to-Adjust Output

Silo Mentality

Repetitive and Monotonous Work for the Line Workers

Moving Beyond Level Loading

A New Paradigm

Conditions for Continuous Flow

Self-Balancing

Rules to Standardize Self-Balancing

Rule 1: Keep Building Progressively Until Someone Pulls from You

Rule 2: When the Downstream Operator Pulls from You, Walk Upstream to the Next Operator and Pull from Them

Rule 3: If You Catch...