著者

信夫 千佳子

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

桃山学院大学総合研究所紀要 (ISSN:1346048X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.40, no.2, pp.29-65, 2015-01-30

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The Cell Production System with an autonomous and decentralized organization, has challenges on how each cell integrates itself with other cells as well as, on how it manages itself autonomously. In this system each cell manages their operations and transactions with other departments or outsourcing companies. As operators' technical abilities grew by advancing job enlargement and job enrichment, they became able to propose ideas to match customer's needs or wants. For this purpose, various education to enhance operators' technical abilities were conducted. In a model cell they sought solutions of the challenges by repeating trials and errors. In each cell, adaptability was not obstructed by limited knowledge and information that cell has, and operators autonomously challenged new KAIZEN. At that time computer technology that were being widely used, affected cell production system. Integration of a cell with other cells, with other departments, and with outsourcing companies, enhanced merits by direct transactions, while avoided demerits through clear division of works and coordination by the factory manager. Integration of factory operators was advanced furthermore by enhancing "visualization (implementation of visual control)" and by changing jobs of staff. In this factory employees noted again the principle of Toyota production systems that make excellent quality products at just-in-time. In the results they thought that this factory is better suited with "push system" and "hybrid system" rather than "pull system" of production. Concerning production lot, they made use of period lots for production to order. Concerning the number of operators and equipments they prepared capacity buffer for working flexibly. In this factory the trust relationship between top management and factory manager, factory manager and operators, gave good effects for the integration of cell production systems. In this way cell production systems of the case were constructed on the foundation of lean production systems. It seems that for a factory without any foundations of lean production system, it is difficult to construct these cell production systems as this factory developed.