Lean Methods: Production at Jaguar Manufacturing Plant (Term Paper Sample)

LEAN PRODUCTION AT JAGUAR MANUFACTURING PLANT
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Lean Production at Jaguar Manufacturing Plant
In the recent years, Jaguar Manufacturing plant has heavily transformed their production processes and methods and has preferred the leading edge thus a form of prosperity. The success of Jaguar Manufacturing Company at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham has led to the production of the Jaguar S-Type. Jaguar is part of the Ford Group and has introduced some of the manufacturing methods employed in Japan such as lean manufacturing. According to Griffin (2010) Jaguar has adopted practices such as the elimination of the waste to maximize efficiency and guarantee quality. The company also has started standardizing its work processes that add value to the production process.
The supervisors and managers at Jaguar started working with a team from the RWD Technology UK Limited to create a climate of change in the company (Maurya 2012). The company earlier engaged in the culture of quality but later developed other ways of perceptions and working to improve the quality of its products. The company found it necessary to transform the working relationship patterns. The newly adopted working structure at the company involves a team of a leader working with a group of seven members. The group members take responsibility for their work using the team leaders for their support. In 2005, Jaguar introduced and implemented the cellular working where the cells (teams) led to emergence of new tools or approaches that led to effective completion of work at the plant (Griffin 2010 p. 187). The employees have positively adopted the new approach because it allows for greater responsibility and involvement in improving the work patterns. Thus, the company has increased the quality and productivity.
Jaguar has created continuous flow production system based on 'Just-In-Time' approach. In 2002, Jaguar adopted JIT approach to cut down on the workspace components and maintain the production process. The team members use a flash button to request for new stock, and the central store enables its arrival. The system reduces time wastage by minimizing walking between the operations and reducing the floor space. The company has also adopted ways of matching the production line at Castle Bromwich with the current customer demand. The production managers assess the number of cars required in a week based on the client's demand. The firm produces little to reduce inventory thus it runs the production line at the speed that matches with the demand patterns and maintaining the quality of its products (Addy 2013. p. 50).
Maurya (2012) states that Jaguar has introduced the visible management system that helps the team members understand the performance of the individual parts to meet the required performance. The organization uses the control boards to allow all colleagues in the production process to read at a glance and check their performance. The introduction of control boards at the company reveals the daily production target for the fulfillment of the production line to its target. The production team can quickly notice any problem in the process. The firm has adopted the Japanese word, "Gemba" that implies to 'see' to help create a new approach to the supervision and production management. The managers at Jaguar ‘see', understand, solve and grasp the problems when they occur. The cars flow along a line, and the specialist completes their role in the production process and in cases of any problem; the members pull cord that alerts the others who later come ...