The Product Wheel (PW) design process has practical methods for finding the optimum sequence, minimizing changeover costs, and freeing up useful capacity. So much so, that the DuPont? Company and Exxon Mobil are just a few companies that have used the product wheel concept to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage.
Breaking down a fairly complex design process into manageable steps, The Product Wheel Handbook: Creating Balanced Flow in High-Mix Process Operations walks readers through the process for designing and implementing the PW technique. It includes a case study taken from actual practice that illustrates the design process and its benefits. Describing how to apply the product wheel technique to any manufacturing operation, the book:
- Details the steps required to implement product wheels
- Explains why certain traditional manufacturing metrics should be reevaluated so they don't inhibit product wheel performance
- Defines the cultural foundation necessary for smooth product wheel design and implementation
- Includes a real-world case study and several examples of product wheels being used by successful manufacturing companies-including BG Products, Inc., the DuPont? Company, the Dow Chemical Company, and Appleton
Many of the steps in wheel design described in this book are not new. What's new is their application to production planning and scheduling problems, and more importantly, a clear roadmap explaining how and when they should be used in product wheel design.
Supplying you with the tools to reduce the chaos often found in production scheduling, the book outlines a disciplined structure that will allow you to spend less of your time resolving schedule problems. Most importantly, it provides your organization with a stable platform to deal with abnormal events in a less stressful and more logical manner.
This title describes the product wheel design process, a proven technique for dealing with all of the issues related to multiple product situations. It walks the reader through a logical, detailed, step by step, process for designing and implementing the PW technique.
Peter L. and Jennifer S. King, authors of The Product Wheel Handbook, have provided excellent strategies for implementing product wheels and improving an existing product wheel process. ... Written in a clear, concise manner, this book is a how-to manual for product wheel design, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement. The authors integrate principles with concepts in a way that is practical and easy to understand. ... If you are tasked to implement product wheels or want to learn more about how they can lead to improvements, you will find The Product Wheel Handbook a valuable reference.
-Book review by Alan R. Leigh CSCP, CPIM, and Randy Woehl appearing in APICS, January 2014
Peter King continues to be a thought leader in the spread of advanced manufacturing practices throughout the process industries. His product wheel concepts and practices are an excellent resource for plants with multiple products sharing the operating assets.
-Ray Floyd, Shingo Prize-winning author of Liquid Lean and member of IndustryWeek's Manufacturing Hall of Fame
The authors have a gift for writing well, in a way that will keep the reader connected throughout this excellent work. It flows through the methodology in a well structured and logical way and could only be written by someone who has lived through product wheel implementation many times ... definitely a must-read for any Lean practitioner.
-Henrique Fagundes, Senior Project Manager, DuPont
The product wheel is a true landmark in the management and organization of the workplace. All manufacturing operations searching for a way to organize and level the factory should have this book.
-Cash Powell, Jr., Editorial Board, Target Magazine; Association for Manufacturing Excellence; Lead Consultant, Center for Competitive Change, University of Dayton
A clearly written guide to designing and improving product wheels ... . Pete and Jennifer King take you through a logical step-by-step process without ever resorting to simplistic recipes. This book will be valuable to businesses where both pull and push systems apply. Highly recommended!
-Peter C. Compo, Director of Integrated Business Management, DuPont
The Dow Chemical Company has used The Product Wheel Handbook for good communication and collaboration between functions. We highly recommend this book as it is a logical layout with step by step implementation instructions. ... Not only did our processes become more efficient but our teams were able to understand a new process that they can apply in different applications in the work process. We recommend this book to any company looking to apply lean concepts specifically in the process industry and also for leaders who are looking for applications to help explain such processes to their employees.
-Martin Fernandes, Supply Chain Innovation Director, Dow Chemical
-Shannon Hemmelgarn, Supply Chain Business Planner, Dow Chemical
The views expressed in this review are of the authors alone and do not represent the views of The Dow Chemical Company
