How to combine lean, human factors and digital manufacturing – A teaching concept

Abstract

The Toyota Production System became well-known in the 90s and stands for highly efficient processes. The success of the production system stems from its methods and its focus on human factors. For some years, production research has focused on the topic of digital manufacturing. This technology-oriented approach is pursued quite independently of the Toyota Production System. As a result, technical solutions may prove incompatible with the Lean philosophy. Therefore, operational practice must link the Lean philosophy with new technologies in order to make work processes and material flows productive and ergonomic simultaneously. As a part of their education in industrial engineering at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Arts, students learn all current Lean methods by means of business games. One of these has been supplemented with information technology components. The objective of this article is to introduce this business game and to explain its didactic concept.