Description

A "secret of the factory," often referred to as the "hidden factory," is a concept in manufacturing that describes the unseen, inefficient aspects of a production process, including waste, delays, rework, and unnecessary steps that decrease overall efficiency and quality, even though the visible factory operations appear to be running smoothly; essentially, it represents the "hidden" costs and inefficiencies that are not readily apparent on the factory floor.

Key points about the "secret of the factory":

Waste and Inefficiency:

The hidden factory encompasses all the activities that consume resources without adding value to the final product, like unnecessary quality checks, delays in material flow, or inefficient workarounds for problems.

Impact on Quality:

Defects that are not caught immediately can flow through the production line, creating a "hidden factory" of rework and quality issues.

Concept Origin:

This concept was popularized by quality control expert Armand Feigenbaum, who believed a significant portion of a factory's activity could be considered "hidden" due to its unplanned and inefficient nature.

Uncovering the Secret:

To improve efficiency, companies need to identify and address the hidden factory by analyzing data, optimizing processes, and eliminating unnecessary steps.