CPM CPM Lean Manufacturing & Waste Reduction 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the eight wastes in lean manufacturing refers to overproduction causing excess inventory buildup?
- Defects
- Overproduction (Correct answer)
- Waiting
- Motion
Correct answer: Overproduction
Overproduction is considered the worst lean waste because it generates excess inventory that ties up capital and hides other problems.
Question 2: In a Value Stream Map (VSM), what does the 'push' arrow symbol indicate?
- Pull-based replenishment triggered by downstream demand
- Material or information pushed regardless of downstream need (Correct answer)
- Supermarket-managed inventory flow
- Electronic kanban signal
Correct answer: Material or information pushed regardless of downstream need
A push arrow in VSM indicates that material is moved forward based on a schedule or forecast rather than actual downstream demand.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a 5S workplace organization program in a plant environment?
- Reduce labor headcount
- Eliminate defects through statistical control
- Create a safe, organized, and standardized work environment (Correct answer)
- Implement single-minute die exchange
Correct answer: Create a safe, organized, and standardized work environment
5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) establishes a disciplined, visual workplace that supports safety and efficiency.
Question 4: A plant manager implements Kaizen events. What is the typical duration and focus of a Kaizen event?
- 6-month project targeting capital investment decisions
- 3–5 day rapid improvement workshop focused on a specific process problem (Correct answer)
- Annual strategic planning session for the entire plant
- Daily stand-up meeting to review KPIs
Correct answer: 3–5 day rapid improvement workshop focused on a specific process problem
Kaizen events (or blitzes) are intensive 3–5 day workshops where a cross-functional team rapidly improves a targeted process area.
Question 5: Takt time is calculated as:
- Total production time divided by number of operators
- Available production time divided by customer demand rate (Correct answer)
- Customer demand rate divided by cycle time
- Total units produced divided by total defects
Correct answer: Available production time divided by customer demand rate
Takt time = Available production time ÷ Customer demand, setting the pace at which products must be produced to meet demand.
Question 6: Which lean tool is specifically designed to reduce changeover/setup time between production runs to less than 10 minutes?
- Poka-yoke
- SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) (Correct answer)
- Heijunka
- Andon
Correct answer: SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die)
SMED is the lean methodology for reducing equipment changeover time by converting internal setup steps to external steps performed while the machine runs.
CPM CPM Lean Manufacturing & Waste Reduction 1
Which of the eight wastes in lean manufacturing refers to overproduction causing excess inventory buildup?