🔧 Unit 16 — Paper 2

Unit 16 — Continuous Improvement

Unit 16 is about the mindset and methods that keep manufacturing organisations getting better over time. No process is ever perfect — there's always waste to eliminate, time to save or quality to improve. You'll study the structured approaches used by engineering companies to identify problems, implement changes and measure whether those changes have worked, from Kaizen workshops to Six Sigma projects.

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Some topics covered in this unit

Kaizen and continuous improvement culture — the philosophy of small, incremental improvements made by everyone in an organisation

Six Sigma — a data-driven methodology using DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) to reduce defects

5S workplace organisation — Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain — and how a tidy workplace improves efficiency

Root cause analysis — fishbone diagrams, the 5 Whys technique and other tools for identifying the true cause of problems

Process mapping and value stream mapping — visualising production flows to identify bottlenecks and non-value-adding activities

Key performance indicators (KPIs) — how organisations measure improvement using metrics like OEE, defect rates and cycle time

Sample question

16.1 — Continuous Improvement Principles and Practices

A performance measure combines machine availability, performance speed and product quality. What is this measure called?

OEE — measuring overall equipment effectiveness

SMED — reducing equipment setup time

TPM — improving machine maintenance practices

Kanban — controlling production signals

✓ Correct answer: A — OEE. OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) combines three factors: Availability (is the machine running?), Performance (is it running at the right speed?) and Quality (are good parts being produced?). It is a key metric in lean manufacturing for identifying and reducing losses.