“We’re launching a new product, line or facility — and want it designed lean from day one.”
The design decisions being made now will lock in your cost, flow and lead time for years.
What you’re facing
A new product, a new line or a new building is on the way. Layouts are being drawn, equipment quotes are coming in, and the launch date is fixed. The instinct is to copy what exists today — just bigger.
But the decisions being made now will decide your cost, lead time and flexibility for the next decade. Once equipment is bolted down and walls are up, changing the flow becomes expensive.
What this is costing you
- •Today’s waste copied into a bigger, more expensive footprint
- •Oversized equipment and space built for the wrong demand assumption
- •Long, painful launches with repeated rework
- •Layouts that force batching, travel and inventory for years
The questions you’re probably asking
When should lean design start?
As early as possible — before equipment is ordered and the layout is frozen. The earlier you start, the cheaper the changes.
What is 3P?
The Production Preparation Process: a structured lean design method that develops several process and layout alternatives, tests them with simple mock-ups, and picks the one that best meets takt, quality and cost.
What about supplier readiness and PPAP?
That is a supplier-side issue our sister company SupplySourceSync specializes in. QMSLean focuses on your internal process and flow design.
What to do first
- 1Confirm the demand assumptions and calculate takt time for the new operation.
- 2Hold equipment orders that lock in a batch process until flow alternatives are reviewed.
- 3Map the current process (if one exists) to see which waste should not be copied.
- 4Get operators and maintenance involved in design reviews early.
What best practice says
Lean design starts from customer demand. Takt time sets the pace; the process is designed to flow at that pace with minimal inventory, travel and handling. Equipment is right-sized, and flexibility is built in for demand changes.
3P uses rapid, low-cost mock-ups (cardboard, simulation) to test layouts and methods before capital is spent. Standard work, visual management and maintenance access are designed in, not added later.
Method, sized to scope
Lean line and facility design: takt-based sizing, 3P (Production Preparation Process), flow layout, right-sized equipment and designed-in standard work.
The Exceleor Path, applied to your situation
Every engagement across the Exceleor family follows the same eight stages: Understand, Execute, Sustain. About the Exceleor Path
1. Discovery
In your situation: We confirm demand, takt, product mix and launch constraints.
2. Define the engagement path
In your situation: We define the design scope — line, cell, area or full facility — and the 3P plan.
3. Training
In your situation: Your engineers, operators and maintenance team learn 3P and flow design.
4. Implement & engage
In your situation: We run 3P sessions, mock-ups and layout alternatives, then detail the chosen design.
5. Verify
In your situation: We verify the design against takt, space, cost and ergonomics before capital is committed.
6. Validate
In your situation: We validate at launch through ramp-up to rate.
7. Transfer ownership
In your situation: Your team owns the standard work, visual management and launch metrics.
8. Sustain & grow
In your situation: We support the next launch using the same design method.
What you’ll have at the end
- A flow layout sized to takt, not guesses
- Right-sized equipment and space
- A smoother launch and faster ramp to rate
- Standard work and visual management designed in from day one
Why QMSLean
We start from the business symptom, not a favorite tool. The method — A3, Kaizen or DMAIC — is chosen to fit the size of the problem.
We work on the floor and in the office with your people, and we build the sustain system before we leave, so the gain is still there after we are gone.
And when the root of the problem sits outside Lean, the Exceleor family of companies covers quality systems, supplier quality, EHS and leadership.
Related services
Tell us what’s going on.
Request a Situation Review. A Lean practitioner will reply by email with how we would approach your version of this problem.