CMS Lean Manufacturing & Waste Reduction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which lean concept describes the ideal state where every process step adds value with zero waste?
- Continuous flow
- Perfect production
- Takt time alignment
- Perfection (the fifth lean principle) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Perfection (the fifth lean principle)
Perfection is the fifth lean principle, representing the ideal end-state where all waste is eliminated and every step adds customer value.
Question 2: A factory produces 500 units/day with a net available time of 27,000 seconds/day. What is the takt time?
- 54 seconds (Correct answer)
- 27 seconds
- 135 seconds
- 500 seconds
Correct answer: 54 seconds
Takt time = available time ÷ customer demand = 27,000 ÷ 500 = 54 seconds per unit.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a Heijunka box in lean production?
- Track defect rates by shift
- Level production volume and mix over time (Correct answer)
- Store kanban cards for replenishment
- Schedule preventive maintenance tasks
Correct answer: Level production volume and mix over time
A Heijunka box is a visual scheduling tool that levels production by distributing orders evenly across a time period to smooth demand fluctuations.
Question 4: In the context of the 7 wastes (Muda), which category does a worker walking across the plant floor to retrieve a tool represent?
- Overproduction
- Waiting
- Motion (Correct answer)
- Transportation
Correct answer: Motion
Unnecessary movement of people is classified as Motion waste, whereas Transportation refers to unnecessary movement of materials or products.
Question 5: What does OEE measure in a lean manufacturing environment?
- On-time delivery rate to customers
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness combining availability, performance, and quality (Correct answer)
- Output per employee per shift
- Order entry efficiency in the ERP system
Correct answer: Overall Equipment Effectiveness combining availability, performance, and quality
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is the product of Availability × Performance × Quality and benchmarks how effectively equipment is utilized.
Question 6: Which waste reduction technique uses red tags to identify and remove unnecessary items from the workplace?
- Poka-yoke
- Red-tag campaign (5S Sort phase) (Correct answer)
- Andon system
- SMED
Correct answer: Red-tag campaign (5S Sort phase)
Red-tagging is the core activity of the Sort (Seiri) step in 5S, where unneeded items are tagged and removed from the work area.
Question 7: A value stream map shows a process with a Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE) of 8%. What does this indicate?
- 8% of products pass quality inspection
- Only 8% of total lead time is value-added time (Correct answer)
- Equipment utilization is 8% above target
- 8% of operators are working at takt time
Correct answer: Only 8% of total lead time is value-added time
PCE = value-added time ÷ total lead time; a PCE of 8% means 92% of lead time is consumed by non-value-added activities (waste).
CMS Lean Manufacturing & Waste Reduction 2
Which lean concept describes the ideal state where every process step adds value with zero waste?