Visual Controls

Part of the award-winning Manufacturing Insights video series, this program explains how visual controls are developed and used in a factory environment to help identify production problems quickly. In the program examples, you will see visual controls used to manage inventory, schedule maintenance, and clearly mark machine and tool locations. Other examples show the benefits of posting key goals and the motivational effects of successful communication.

This program shows what the typical worker reaction is to using visual controls, and what steps are needed to help sustain the gains received after implementation. The program also explains that the use of visual controls needs to be part of a much larger lean manufacturing effort.

Several examples of visual controls are shown at different locations:

• Breed Technologies, a passenger restraint systems manufacturing company in Knoxville, Tennessee uses visual controls extensively to help map their processes.
• Delphi Interior Automotive Systems in Adrian, Michigan uses visual controls to track production rates.
• The Donnelly Corporation, an automotive supplier headquartered in Holland, Michigan shows how they save time and increase quality by using innovative visual controls.
• Visual Controls are also shown at the Ford Motor Company in Romeo, Michigan engine plant to improve assembly quality and employee communications.