Suppose you need to use the washroom in another country and do not
know their language. What would help you more – the door label with the text
MALE or FEMALE in the local language or a picture depicting them? Of course the
latter!
Ever wondered why hospitals have 4 dustbins of different color
each having bin bags of different colors? Common sense would suggest to have uniformity
of color (and economical too). However, the four colors solve a greater purpose
and are more economical.
Why are the road signs graphical? Or why do cars have fuel tank or
seat belt signs? Why not write fuel is low or wear your seat belt? Food packets have
brown or green marking to identify as vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Image of a Visual Control in factory
Let us go to more complicated stuff like a 5.1 surround sound
system and amplifier. There are lots of cables available in the market to
connect the system with a DVD and the TV to get best sound and video output.
However with the number of ports, suppose they were all black in color it would
take ages to get the connections right. Thankfully, ports and cables are color
coded. The same holds true for USB ports or serial mouse and keyboard ports in
a computer.
There is a reason why sizes, shapes and colors are used so
religiously in many workplaces or even public places. We want to reduce
confusion and mistakes. We want to communicate faster and effectively. If we
leave people to read instructions and then act, there would be huge traffic
jams on the road or sharp cut in productivity in the workplace.
In this article we will stress on the concept of Visual Controls
(VC), where can they be implemented, why and how to start.
Visual Controls
It has been established over time that between verbal, written and
drawn/ graphical instructions – drawing or graphics has more impact; people react
faster & retain more. Mindmaps by Tony Buzan has been found to be
very effective in teaching children.
Corrugation
business is largely manual in nature with dominance of semi-automatic processes
in majority of the plants. Such plants are mostly manned by illiterate or
barely literate workers. How do you make them understand the difference between
18+ or 28+ paper reels? Or explain them how to read job cards? Which items are
being manufactured for a particular client? What type of customized packing
should be done while loading vehicles?
The easiest way is to implement
Visual Controls. It is also known as Meiruka in “The Toyota Way.” These
are all part of the Lean manufacturing process. As we go about implementing 5S, Visual Controls is the most logical action at the Standardization stage.
Another simple yet effective use of visual controls.
Visual controls are charts, graphs, buttons, color codes, boards,
lights, signals etc used in the Gemba to help communicate with people at
their workplace. The main objective is ease of understanding and getting a job
done correctly and accurately. An allied concept is Poka-Yoke which means
mistake proofing. This is used to prevent operators from committing any routine
errors. Simple use of colored tags can help identify items that have passed
quality check and the ones that have been rejected. You can see from a distance
and understand without asking anyone. Saves time and efforts.
India has many unskilled and semi-skilled people who cannot read
instructions & have to be told. Since they cannot read or write, hence if
we give them color coded buttons or tags with signs they can operate better and
faster more efficiently.
Why should we have Visual Controls
The biggest benefit of Visual Control is productivity and
effectiveness. You save a lot of time and effort if abnormalities or deviation
can be identified visually. Labels and stickers are the simplest form of VC for
identification.
No time is wasted in identifying the item irrespective of who is looking at it.
Ever seen the Safety Week banners in factories? Or the sale
banners or leaflets in the malls? They give us information at a glance. It
is fast to implement and generate results. Communicating production plans or
schedule of machine maintenance is effectively done through use of charts.
A greater advantage of VC is to impart accurate instruction
– how to operate the water hose in case of fire or the fire extinguisher, giving
first aid in case of burns or heart attack. Traffic symbols though are the most
common source of visual instruction.
E.g. A
bottle with a label saying Hydrochloric Acid is identification. When the
concentration of the acid is also mentioned then it becomes information. However,
when the label gives advice on steps of first aid in case mishandling of the
bottle; that’s instruction. All achieved with the use of a well – thought of
label.
Taking advantage of Visual Controls lies in rightful
identification of areas for implementation.
Implementing Visual Controls
We can implement Visual Controls just about anywhere – shop-floor,
loading bay, offices, staircase or toilets. One can display production status;
inventory levels, order processing, payables and receivables even detailed
process flow using visuals instead of reams of written instructions. Pipelines
in industries have color codes to separate drinking water from gas lines to
sewage outlets. Electrical wiring is color coded.
Routine tasks like maintenance schedule can be maintained using Visual Controls.
One can install large indicator lights of red or green color so
that material movement or process can be started or stopped. Many companies use
yellow marker lines to demarcate areas for dustbin, chairs, and machine
boundary as well as material and man movement path to avoid accidents. Gum
sacks can be stored using color code for regular stock, reorder level and
safety stock. Shadow boards are commonly kept for tools in factories. It is a
classic example of Visual Control.
The Quintessential Shadow Board
Companies also use display boards or graphs to communicate goals,
objectives, targets and achievements for swift evaluation and analysis. The
avenues are many and depend on our creativity and imagination. Get, Set, GO
My advice is not to be overzealous or go by the book about VC. Ask
yourself few questions instead of blindly following the concept.
·
Why do you want to use the VC – Objective
·
With whom are you going to communicate with the VC
·
In what form will you implement the VC – labels, stickers, lights,
signs – and Why?
·
Which is the right and appropriate location for installing the
control?
·
What is the Feedback and Analysis process? (It means how you will test if the VC is fulfilling its objective or
doing something more or less than it should. Do you need to revise your objective?
Do you need to change the form or location? How will you further improve this
VC?)
Visual controls are not some out of this planet modern concept. It
has been used for ages. But since it is
so common we often fail to utilize its benefits in our day to day activities.
Here is a small activity. Put a tick mark on the following areas
if you are using Visual Controls. If not, that is somewhere you can improve. In
the second part of the activity, identify areas specifically in your business
where you can implement VC. And go ahead, implement it.
Activity A
– Have you implemented VC in these areas?
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Yes or No
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Raw
Material/ In – Process & Finished Goods Storage Area
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Consumables
|
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Spares
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Material
Movement
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Production
Schedule, Delivery Plan (Party-wise FG identification)
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Waste/
Rejections
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Maintenance
Schedules & Actual
|
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Filing
System
|
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Seating
Arrangement or Work Area
|
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Departments
|
|
Activity B
– New Areas for VC
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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The basic rules of a good VC are – simple, straight & clear
and well placed for a broader audience. Try it.
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