StyleQ Digital

On the 15^th of March, ASFDT students had the privilege of attending a Webinar on Lean Manufacturing. The guest speaker was the wonderful Mr. Anurodh Agnihotri: Course Leader, School of Creative Business, Pearl Academy.

Firstly, what is lean manufacturing? In simple terms, this concept seeks to remove waste (be it energy, time, etcetera) from point A to point B in any process. The American Company FastCap, which sells woodworking tools to cater to woodworker needs, uses lean manufacturing in remarkable ways. All their items are movable to accommodate for improved working conditions as time goes by. Another example was the iPhone envisioned by lean thinker Steve Jobs. By eliminating permanent buttons on a phone, space is freed up which can be used accordingly for all applications on the phone. This concept is fascinating, isn’t it?

The five ‘S’s of being Lean were elaborated upon. We ‘Sort’ out what we do not need in our workspace and ‘Set’ the rest in order. Everything must ‘Shine’ as you keep it clean, and we must ‘Standardise’ it all to maintain our workplace. Lastly, we must ‘Sustain’ all what we have done by regularly working on the first four tasks. Bagru in Rajasthan is famous for its handblocked printed fabrics. By helping the craftspeople apply this technique to the storage of their woodblocks, Mr. Anurodh did wonders for them. Eleven craftsmen saved three hours a day each when it came to their work. How fascinating that was!

As brilliant as this concept is, it does have a drawback in terms of application. People can be resistant to the change which is associated with lean manufacturing. Only by overcoming this ‘inertia’ can we begin to see the benefits of being lean thinkers.

This concept is applicable to non-automated, labour intensive activities. With this forward-thinking mindset, we can truly simplify our work processes for the future.

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Author:
Atash Coyaji
1st Year, B.des, Textile & Product Design

Editors:
Lubaina Surury
1st Year, B. Des, Fashion Communication
Shalini Mohanty
Assistant Professor, ASFDT

Graphics:
Indrani Roy
1st Year, B.des, Fashion Design