The Visual Factory

Book excerpt: If you're aware of the tremendous improvements achieved in productivity and quality as a result of employee involvement, then you'll appreciate the great value of creating a visual factory. This book explains why conventional work areas, where fragmented information flows from ""top to bottom,"" must be replaced by the ""visual workplace,"" where information flows in every direction. It details how visual management can make the factory a place where workers and supervisors freely communicate so that every employee can take improvement action. The author's year-long worldwide research resulted in an abundance of practical recommendations. The communication techniques he suggests will: Foster cohesion within groups of employees. Turn fault-based into fact based communication. Overcome such problems as absenteeism and high defect rates. Stimulate an unending flow of suggestions from employees. A valuable resource for plant, operations, and human relations managers, this text discusses how successful companies develop meeting and communication areas, communicate work standard production controls such as kanban, and make goals and progress visible. Over 200 diagrams and photos illustrate the numerous visual techniques discussed.