Using simulation games to teach lean manufacturing
Using simulation games to teach lean manufacturing
Using simulation games to teach lean manufacturing
By Svetoslav G. Georgiev
November 16, 2023
Summary
Business instructors don't always have access to manufacturing equipment integral to a process we need to teach or might lack real-world experience with using it.
Lean manufacturing is a widely used philosophy that focuses on eliminating any "Waste", an expense or effort expended during the manufacturing process that doesn't add value to the consumer.
At the School of Intelligent Finance and Business, I teach lean manufacturing concepts to undergraduates with little or no industry experience.
If you have the equipment, do you have experience using it? Without manufacturing shop-floor experience, you might have difficulty using it appropriately in teaching.
One of my favourite simulation games involves asking students to develop the most efficient production line for manufacturing paper aeroplanes while applying lean thinking methods.
Another non-computerised simulation game I like to use that offers hands-on manufacturing experience involves stuffing envelopes.
While not as complex as the paper-aeroplane manufacturing game, this simulation game offers plenty of opportunities for understanding and identifying lean manufacturing's core wastes.
Reference
Georgiev, S. (2023, November 16). Using simulation games to teach lean manufacturing. THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/using-simulation-games-teach-lean-manufacturing