Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement

Course Description

ETI1810C — Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement is a college-credit, integrated lecture-and-laboratory course in Florida's Engineering Technology and Industrial Management A.S. programs. The course covers lean manufacturing philosophy, tools, and implementation: Toyota Production System origins; value stream mapping; waste identification (the eight wastes / DOWNTIME); 5S workplace organization; visual management; standard work; just-in-time; pull systems and kanban; quick changeover (SMED); total productive maintenance (TPM); kaizen events; and lean implementation in manufacturing and service environments.

This course is offered at Florida public colleges with Engineering Technology or Industrial Management A.S. programs and supports preparation for industry-recognized lean credentials. The course content is applicable across manufacturing, healthcare, service, and government sectors.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of ETI1810C, students will be able to:

• Describe the history and philosophy of lean: Toyota Production System; Taiichi Ohno; Toyoda family; the lean philosophy of continuous improvement and respect for people.
• Identify and analyze the eight wastes (DOWNTIME): Defects; Overproduction; Waiting; Non-utilized talent; Transportation; Inventory; Motion; Excess processing.
• Conduct value stream mapping (VSM): current state map; identification of value-added vs. non-value-added activities; future state map; action plan.
• Implement 5S workplace organization: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain; visual workplace concepts.
• Apply standard work: standard work documentation; takt time calculation; cycle time; work balance.
• Apply just-in-time (JIT) and pull systems: kanban systems (production kanban, withdrawal kanban); supermarkets; FIFO lanes; heijunka (level loading).
• Apply quick changeover (SMED): Single Minute Exchange of Dies; internal vs. external setup; setup reduction techniques.
• Apply total productive maintenance (TPM): autonomous maintenance; OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness); planned maintenance; the eight TPM pillars.
• Conduct kaizen events: problem definition; team formation; current state analysis; future state design; implementation; sustainment.
• Apply lean leadership and culture: gemba walks; respect for people; coaching kata; A3 problem solving.

Optional Outcomes

• Apply lean in non-manufacturing contexts: healthcare; office; service operations; software development (Agile/Scrum connections).
• Pursue Six Sigma certification integration with lean (Lean Six Sigma).

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Lean Philosophy and History: Toyota Production System; Sakichi, Kiichiro, and Eiji Toyoda; Taiichi Ohno; Shigeo Shingo; James Womack and Daniel Jones (Lean Thinking).
• The Eight Wastes (DOWNTIME): Defects; Overproduction; Waiting; Non-utilized talent (added to the original 7 wastes); Transportation; Inventory; Motion; Excess processing.
• Value Stream Mapping: Process mapping symbols; current state value stream map; identification of waste; future state design; takt time integration; cycle time / lead time analysis.
• 5S: Sort (Seiri); Set in order (Seiton); Shine (Seiso); Standardize (Seiketsu); Sustain (Shitsuke); visual workplace; safety integration (5S+1).
• Standard Work: Documentation (work content, sequence, takt); takt time = available time / customer demand; cycle time; work-in-process (WIP) standards.
• Just-in-Time and Pull: Kanban systems; production kanban; withdrawal kanban; supermarkets; FIFO lanes; heijunka (level loading); demand smoothing.
• Quick Changeover (SMED): Internal vs. external setup distinction; setup reduction stages; parallelization; standardization of setup; setup time targets.
• Total Productive Maintenance: Autonomous maintenance; planned maintenance; quality maintenance; early equipment management; education and training; safety, health, environment; OEE = Availability x Performance x Quality.
• Kaizen Events: Event planning; team formation; current state mapping; future state design; implementation activities; sustainment plans.
• Lean Leadership: Gemba walks; coaching kata; improvement kata; A3 problem solving; leader standard work.

Resources & Tools

• Industry texts: Womack and Jones Lean Thinking; Liker The Toyota Way; Mike Rother and John Shook Learning to See (value stream mapping); Pascal Dennis Lean Production Simplified
• Industry resources: Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI); Shingo Institute
• Software: Microsoft Visio (for VSM); standard productivity tools

Career Pathways

ETI1810C supports careers across Florida's lean enterprise workforce:

• Continuous Improvement Engineer at Florida manufacturers and service organizations.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt with continued certification.
• Process Engineer with lean specialization.
• Operations Manager with continuing experience.
• Healthcare Process Improvement Specialist at Florida hospitals (lean is widely adopted in Florida hospital systems including AdventHealth, Orlando Health, BayCare, Tampa General).
• Continuation toward bachelor's degrees in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or Engineering Management.

Special Information

Course Format

Typically 3 credits, 60 contact hours integrated lecture and lab/workshop.

Industry Certifications

Coursework supports preparation for the Shingo Institute credentials and SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Lean Bronze Certification. Combined with statistics coursework, supports ASQ Certified Six Sigma Green Belt preparation.

Lean Beyond Manufacturing

Lean principles are widely applied in healthcare, government, financial services, software development (Agile and Scrum derive from lean principles), and other sectors. Florida's healthcare industry has substantially adopted lean methodology.