Model Development of a Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance Lean Education

AbstractModern day industry is becoming leaner by the day. This demands engineers with an in-depth understanding of lean philosophies. Current methods for teaching lean include hands-on projects and simulation. However, simulation games available in the market lack simplicity, ability to store the results, and modeling power. The goal of this research is to develop a virtual simulation platform which would enable students to perform various experiments by applying lean concepts. The design addresses these deficiencies through the use of VE-Suite, a virtual engineering software. The design includes user-friendly dialogue boxes, graphical models of machines, performance display gauges, and an editable layout. The platform uses laws of operations management such as Little's law, economic order quantity (EOQ) models, and cycle time. These laws enable students to implement various lean concepts such as pull system, just-in-time (JIT), single piece flow, single minute exchange of dies (SMED), kaizen, kanban, U-layout, by modifying the process parameters such as process times, setup times, layout, number, and placement of machines. The simulation begins with a traditional push type mass production line and the students improve the line by implementing lean techniques. Thus, students experience the advantages of lean real time while facing the real life problems encountered in implementing it

Communicating Wave Energy: An Active Learning Experience For Students

We have conducted an education project to communicate the wave energy concept to high school students. A virtual reality system that combines both hardware and software is developed in this project to simulate the buoy-wave interaction. This first-of-its-kind wave energy unit is portable and physics-based, allowing students to conduct a number of hands-on activities. This system is the core component of an educational experience that integrates demonstration and hands-on learning, with an aim of introducing the wave energy conversion process to students in an interactive environment. Presentations have been made at two different high schools with diverse student populations, and students involved in this project rated very positively about their learning experience. As revealed by their feedback, the virtual environment and its combination with the hardware are the most important factors that help students to appreciate the knowledge in the wave energy conversion process

The Lean Production multidisciplinary: from operations to education

Lean Engineering (LE) had its roots in Toyota automobile production where the main objective is to standardize operations, so that wastes in the production processes can be identified and eliminated. Pursuing standardization in a systematically and continuous way, companies enter a continuous improvement mode of operation where input from all affected parties across the value stream is sought; this requires personnel on all levels of the organization to be prepared to be active learners. As LE has exceeded its original focus and application in the automotive industry, it has transformed manufacturing industries as well as service providers, including travel agents, health care, and many others. Yet, although engineers and non-engineers alike rely on LE principles and tools almost daily, LE has not yet transforme d Engineering Education. In this paper, the authors review their concept of Lean Engineering Education which they have based on the three-step of ethics, system-thinking and sustainability. The paper concludes with recommendations for curriculum innovations to improve engineering students’ competencies.National Funds - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under Project Pest-OE/EME/UI0252/2011

The Impact of Using Lean-centered Model to Increase the Achievement of the Learners in English Language Teaching

The suggested Lean centered-model has been designed to increase the achievement of the students in English Language Teaching (ELT). An experimental study was conducted to find the effectiveness of the model in the application of Lean as an innovative method in English language teaching. The participants of the study scored different achievements in both, the control and treatment groups. The end-result of the learners in the experimental group was statistically highly significant in the pre and posttests. The result was also statistically different between the pre-posttests between the two groups. The current model leads the stakeholders of an educational process to finish the syllabus on time,the program finished as it had been planned and resulting a better achievement. The model was a guide to finish the whole program in line with completing every step before starting the next. The lean-centered model helped to meet the needs of the learners. The learners also managed to get high achievements and develop their skills. The students had their roles as theculture of lean allows learners to be an effective part of the process. All the steps were eliminated which existed in the program and added no value to the end-result of the students according to the lean-centered model

Virtual Learning as an Impetus for Business Education Programme in the Midst of COVID-19 in Nigeria

The modern virtual learning is the complex process of using electronic technology and resources to have better access to teaching and learning with or without any physical classrooms. Today, virtual learning has become a valuable way of teaching, learning and research in education, with the terrible emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world. This study critically examined the modern virtual learning as an impetus for the business education programme in the midst of COVID-19 in Nigeria. It vividly considered the concept of business education; virtual learning and business education; obvious benefits of virtual learning in the business education programme; certain challenges facing virtual learning in realising the goals of business education amidst COVID-19. It further presented various virtual learning tools that can be used in delivery of business education lessons. Finally, the paper concluded that despite numerous benefits attributable to the adoption of virtual learning in the business education programme, there are currently many relevant issues that still need to be resolved and put in place to achieve its benefits and as well correct the negative perception and slow use of virtual learning among students and teachers. Also, the modern virtual learning would have been the best alternative teaching method for business education amidst COVID-19 provided majority of Nigerian learners have access to Internet facilities. It was also recommended among other things that government and different stakeholders in the education sector should endeavour to make provision for good Internet facilities, stable electricity and good working computers at all levels of education (especially in business education). Modern teachers and students should also be provided with necessary training techniques regarding virtual learning. That is done for active teaching of business education programmes so as to enhance and sustain teaching and learning through virtual learning delivery at all levels of education

Lean Manufacturing as a Strategy for Continuous Improvement in Organizations

The implementation of lean manufacturing is one of the most discussed and studied topics in management; references are at the business, educational and public levels. However, the changes faced in the fourth industrial revolution generate challenges that will only encounter solution through innovative efforts and industrial improvements as well as a radical change in our way of interacting. In the current revolution, there are digital changes that cause ruptures in social, economic and political aspects, and the administrative process is part of it, this chapter proposes to analyze the implementation of lean manufacturing in the process of continuous improvement in business organizations through a literary review of the implementation of tools

Development and Testing of Digital Tools to Sharpen Worker Intuition about Waste Recognition and Productivity Enhancement for the Construction Industry

Embedded in most construction activities are multiple forms of waste. Waste adversely affects a project’s delivery in terms of time, cost, quality, safety, and even stakeholder morale. Inherent to enhancing productivity on a lean project is the need to develop flow between activities such that the slopes of successive activities on a line-of-balance schedule become parallel. Achieving this disciplined level of parallel flows requires the ability to recognize wasteful practices. Toyota’s process engineer, Taiichi Ohno, identified eight wastes that need to be recognized and eliminated to achieve flow. Developing an intuitive understanding of where to place objects so that productivity can be enhanced would be of help to the construction industry which is notorious for cost and time overruns. In other industries, such as manufacturing, graphical tools such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM) are commonly used as a way to plot and measure a sequence of activities that contribute to a larger stream, including the inputs and outputs of individual activities. Lean practitioners also recognize VSM as a valuable tool for those seeking to implement Lean since it facilitates analysis of the flow of processes, waste, and value. VSMs also help students and practitioners develop an understanding of additional Lean processes such as takt time. However, while traditional value stream mapping methods may make sense for those with a background in manufacturing or industrial engineering, they are arguably neither intuitive to construct nor easy to understand by those in the building industry. There is a need to find simpler ways to communicate opportunities for waste reduction and productivity enhancement that align with the visual management characteristics of those practicing within the construction industry. In this research, a Spaghetti Diagram is introduced as an improvement tool which has the potential to be used intuitively. This research aimed to develop and test two online activities to determine if a video of a cook making spaghetti in a kitchen as well as an interactive online simulation game that generates spaghetti diagrams can help players develop an intuitive sense for identification and removal of embedded waste. The research methods used for this study were (i) kaizen (e.g., continuous improvement using plan-do-check-act cycles) design research methodology that involves iterative development, testing, and revision, and (ii) controlled experimentation. Feedback on both activities was collected, and modifications made accordingly. Participant feedback from testing of the developed video and online game showed that both games were enjoyable to play. They appeared to increase participant awareness and were capable of helping participants identify waste and improve their performance

Developing a Virtual Reality- and Lean-based Training Platform for Productivity Improvement of Scaffolding Installation in Liquefied Natural Gas Industry

This thesis aims to integrate lean and work postures to simultaneously improve productivity and health and safety and develop a lean- and virtual reality-based platform for effective education and training in scaffolding installation in turnaround maintenance projects. It represents an effort to help on-site workers in the Liquefied Natural Gas industry identify waste activities and achieve a balanced improvement in both productivity and health and safety through improved training in a virtual platform

Análise e melhoria do processo produtivo de uma empresa de mobiliário de luxo

A presente dissertação foi realizada na empresa Preggo Lda., mais concretamente na Preggo Madeiras. A empresa,situada em Rio Tinto, conta com 14 anos de existência. Começou por produzir móveis de madeira com a sabedoria e a arte do bem fazer dos melhores artesãos do Porto (Preggo Lda., 2020). Como a sua produção é praticamente manual, o tempo de entrega das encomendas é elevado com a agravante de existirem atrasos nessas entregas. Posto isto, o principal objetivo desta dissertação prende-se com a análise e melhoria do processo produtivo de modo a minimizar o tempo de entrega do produto final ao cliente. Foram ainda identificados os seguintes problemas ao longo do fluxo produtivo: ineficiência na receção de peças vindas de fornecedores internos; inexistência de fichas do produto para acompanhamento das peças na produção; desarrumação das bancadas de trabalho; inexistência de ferramentas que auxiliem o processo de gestão e controlo da produção; e falta de critérios para determinar a prioridade da produção. De modo a colmatar estes problemas propuseram-se as seguintes melhorias: criação de uma ferramenta de apoio à receção das peças; criação de fichas de produção; aplicação da ferramenta 5S nas bancadas de trabalho; implementação no ERP de uma funcionalidade para auxiliar a gestão e controlo da produção; e implementação de um método para a determinação da prioridade na produção. Posteriormente à implementação destas melhorias, conseguiu-se uma redução dos atrasos nas entradas das peças para os acabamentos de 93%; com a implementação das fichas de produção, até ao momento, obteve-se uma redução de defeitos nas peças de 28%; depois de se implementar os 5S’s nas bancadas da lixagem houve uma melhoria nas auditorias de 75%; com a definição do método para determinar a prioridade da produção houve uma diminuição dos atrasos de 25%. Para completar, também foi efetuada uma análise ABC da marca com maior volume de faturação em 2019 - Boca do Lobo - e realizou-se à posteriori um estudo de lead times, antes e após as melhorias implementadas, tendo-se obtido uma redução de lead times para esta marca na ordem dos 50%, cumprindo-se, deste modo, o objetivo proposto para a realização desta dissertação.This dissertation was held at Preggo Lda., more specifically ate Preggo Wood. The company located in Rio Tinto has existed for 14 years and started producing wooden furniture, relying on the wisdom and art of making the best artisans in Porto (Preggo Lda., 2020). As its production is practically manual, the delivery time of the orders is long with an aggravation of the existence of delays in these deliveries. That said, the main objective of this dissertation is to analyze and improve the production process in order to reduce the delivery time of the final product to the customer. The following problems were also created along the production flow: inefficiency in receiving parts from internal suppliers; inexistence of product sheets to keep up with parts in production; mess at the work benches; nonexistence of tools to assist in the production management and control process; and lack of criteria for determining production priority. In order to fill these problems are proposed as follows improvements: creation of a tool to support the reception of parts; creation of production sheets; application of the 5S tool on work benches; implementation in ERP of a facility for production management and control; and implementing a method for determining priority in production. Subsequently, by implementing these improvements, it was possible to reduce the delays in the entry parts for finishing by 93%, with an implementation of the production sheets performed until the time when a reduction in defects in the parts by 28%, after the 5S was implemented. in the sanding benches, there was an improvement in the 75% of auditing, still with a definition of the method to determine the priority of production after a loss of delays of 25%. To complement, it was also done an ABC analysis of the brand with the highest sales volume in 2019 - Boca do Lobo - and then was made a study of lead times before and after the improvements implemented, having obtained a reduction of lead times for this brand, in the order of 50%, thus fulfilling the objective proposed for the realization of this dissertation