Lean Systems

Lean Systems

Lean systems are a form of operations that create the most value added to a business’s activities through the removal of waste and delays. Bohemian Raspberry has not formally adopted lean systems operations. However, the store utilizes several components of lean systems discussed below.

Just-In-Time (JIT) Philosophy

The just-in-time philosophy is the belief that elimination of waste can occur by removing unneeded inventory, capacity, and operational activities that do not add value. Waste is one of the biggest issues Bohemian Raspberry faces with daily operations. Waste, which is discussed below, comes in many forms. Furthermore, there are several examples of non-value-added activities conducted at Bohemian Raspberry. When employees disassemble the juicer or empty the frozen yogurt machines, they often make multiple trips from the wash sinks to the machinery. This approach is an inefficient process that adds no value. A simple fix of reducing trips between equipment would decrease waiting time and unnecessary motion and increase overall efficiency.

Waste (Muda)

There are eight types of wastes: transport, inventory, motion, waiting, inappropriate processing, overproduction, defects, and underutilizing employees. Some of the types of waste do not apply to Bohemian Raspberry, however waste is the largest problem that the company faces. When customers make their own dishes, they run the risk of pouring too much yogurt and too many toppings into the dish or spilling on the floor. The excess yogurt and toppings cannot be reused and must be thrown away. Furthermore, Bohemian Raspberry serves many small children. If an unsupervised small child touches a piece of equipment or topping that they are not supposed to, they can potentially contaminate an entire dispenser, resulting in large amounts of waste in inventory, time, and effort.

Overproduction and waste are not only limited to customers. When employees make smoothies they might use the wrong measurements or amount of ingredients resulting in overproduction. The excess smoothie is emptied and is thrown away.

Inventory is another form of waste at Bohemian Raspberry. Most of Bohemian Raspberry’s wastes are dairy and fruit products. If there is excessive inventory that is not in demand, the products can become stale and rot.

Finally, waiting and motion can occur from non-value added activities that do not follow the just-in-time philosophy.

Small Lot Sizes

Small lot sizes reduce cycle inventory, which reduce the time and space involved in manufacturing and holding inventory. Bohemian Raspberry recently changed their suppliers for flavored syrups and coffees. Bohemian Raspberry does use small lot sizes. Shipments of frozen yogurt are sent in 6 cartons per box and the numbers of boxes are flexible based how much inventory is on hand and demand, though no statistical processing is used for inventory management. The small orders allow close inspection of each carton for holes and leaks. Small lot sizes also help with waste because dairy and fruit products do not have a long shelf lives and will expire if not used by a certain time. If the dairy and fruit inventory expires, it will need to be discarded leading to further waste.

Jidoka

Jidoka includes automatically stopping a process when there are problems and correcting the issues as they occur. While Bohemian Raspberry does not use the exact jidoka system as Toyota, employees use jidoka practices. At Bohemian Raspberry, jidoka is a visual tool as the workers can see the problem immediately and try to efficiently fix and control the machines. Bohemian Raspberry will have one of the employees on shift monitor the frozen yogurt machines as well as fix the problems that can be immediately repaired (yogurt that is not thawed, a stem that is not flipped, or an empty machine). However, not all machinery problems can be immediately resolved by employees. In that case, employees may have to contact the Operations Manager and possibly shut down the machine for the day.

Jidoka can also been seen when employees make drinks with each customer’s unique specifications, however human error can still occur. When employees do make mistakes, they practice jidoka. An example of Bohemian Raspberry’s practice of jidoka occurs when customers order “The Bradstrong” – Bohemian Raspberry’s most popular fresh juice. If an employee accidentally makes the drink with an ingredient the customer is allergic to or did not request, the process will stop immediately before the drink is given to the customer. Whatever component of the juice that is already made will be thrown away. Then, employees will clean out the juicer to ensure there is no residue of the allergen before remaking the drink from scratch. While this process implementation increases wait time, motion, and overall waste, it is a necessity to ensure customers do not receive defective products that put their health in jeopardy. 

Five S Model

The Five S Model practices are sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain. Bohemian Raspberry works to adopt the components of the Five S model. Fresh inventory items, such as fruits and yogurts, are neatly sorted and separated from other items that will go bad. Any unneeded items are discarded after employees sort. Employees clearly label all items with expiration dates and shipment dates. New milk and fruit is put in the back of the refrigerators so older items can be used first. The workers then straighten and neatly arrange the leftover inventory so it is easily located and accessed – there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Shine is one of the most important elements of the Five S model for Bohemian Raspberry. The Operations Manager is committed to making Bohemian Raspberry the cleanest store in town. Employees are always encouraged to sweep and sanitize when workflow is at a lull. Furthermore, the shining and cleaning methods are standardized for all employees. Employees are trained to properly and effectively clean and maintain the components of sorting, straightening, and shining. Finally, Bohemian Raspberry strives to sustain the first four S’s by having senior employees evaluate new workers and retrain them if needed.

One-Worker, Multiple-Machines

There are several layouts that companies use to achieve line flow. Bohemian Raspberry uses a One-Worker, Multiple-Machines (OWMM) system. In this system, workers move from machine to machine and complete a variety of tasks. Employees at Bohemian Raspberry practice the OWMM method when they refill frozen yogurt machines, make smoothies or juices, and operate the cash register to perform monetary transactions. Furthermore, the OWMM system is used in the store’s back office. When yogurt or fruit inventory is delivered, employees unload, unpack, label, and store the items in the proper locations.