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In
white-collar areas, GT or cells is strongly linked with process
reengineering (BPR), which has much the same objectives as mentioned
above. The business process approach emphasises working by horizontal
process instead of in vertical silos which, when applied to a focused,
multidisciplinary group working in one physical area, is what CT
is all about.
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The concept is also found in simultaneous engineering / concurrent
engineering.
Most
of these topics are dealt with in separate sections in the "Lean Toolbox",
but it is group technology or cellular manufacturing which is the basic
building block.
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The results
of introducing cells are often dramatic: lead times previously measured
in days drops to minutes, with consequent reductions in inventory. Quality
often improves with improved visibility, decentralised responsibility,
and immediacy of problem solving.
Britain
was a world leader in GT in the 1960s with pioneers such as Burbidge and
Edwards. Some of the earliest manufacturing examples were found in Britain,
although the concept has its origins with Mitrofanov in the Soviet Union
during the Second World War. But, generally, group technology only took
off in the 1980s when the Japanese brought some of the essential ingredients
into the mix these are flexible labour, emphasis on quality and continuous
improvement, attention to maintenance (or TPM) and housekeeping, and perhaps
the JIT concept of the level schedule (termed "heijunka" at Toyota).
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