Simplification is a simplification of any process, regardless of the field of activity. It is generally accepted that this term is used in a situation of unacceptable simplification of the problem statement. The bottom line is the deliberate exclusion of the main and leading nuances.
Production issue
Simplification is a type of standardization, the purpose of which is to reduce the number of types of components involved in the development and manufacture of products, brands of semi-finished products, materials, etc. The number of manufactured parts and composite fragments is taken to be technically and economically feasible and sufficient to release the product with quality standards. Being the simplest form and the initial stage of other, more complex forms of standardization, simplification turns out to be beneficial from an economic point of view by simplifying production, facilitating logistics, warehousing, and workflow.
Simplification is an activityaimed at identifying such objects that are recognized as irrational for further production and use in social production. Selection and simplification are carried out in parallel. They are preceded by the classification of objects, their ranking, a special assessment of the future potential and comparison of objects with expected needs.
Standardization methods
The goals of standardization (activities for the application of standards, rules and norms in order to achieve the optimal degree of ordering of the system under consideration) are achieved using a combination of techniques or their individual variants. Object conversion methods in standardization:
- Simplification (this is a rational limitation of the range of objects allowed for use, the design of technical devices in such a way that the workflow is as simple as possible).
- Selection (selection of specific objects suitable for further production for use in direct production).
- Organization (management of diversity by reducing it, for example, albums of typical products, finished products, management documents).
- Typification (prototyping of structures, documentation forms, standard rule patterns).
- Systematization (reasonable classification of standardization objects).
- Optimization (detection of the main ideal parameters and values of quality and economy indicators, the goal is to achieve the required level of efficiency and streamlining).
- Parametric differentiation (distributionobjects by quantitative characteristics: weight, size, power).
- Unification (rational reduction in the number of types of elements of the same functional purpose).
Structural simplification
A system is considered to be a set of elements that are in close relationship with each other. The simplification of the whole implies the simplification of the development of knowledge problems within the framework of a systematic approach. Considering that the very concept of "simplification" implies the exclusion of certain elements, due to which the overall picture acquires new functionality, depending on the situation under consideration, the contribution of each of its elements will be evaluated in the system: structures, subsystems, connections.
Simply reducing the number of components to a rationally possible minimum is an elementary kind of unification. Simplification is often used to rationally reduce the number of nomenclature of a particular system in the development of standards.
Types of unification
During the process of simplification, only those elements that are considered indispensable and necessary are left. The unification of which simplification is a part could be:
- intratype;
- standard size;
- intertype.
The organization of such a process covers all the components of production. To achieve a successful result, managers and subordinates must actively participate in the transformation of production elements.or document flow. Organizational issues for simplification, which looks like a simple limitation in the form of a simplification of the production system, should be handled by all departments under the strict control of the head of the standardization department.
Increase in profitability
Examples of simplification: faster cash flow, reduced equipment costs, improved planning. In the United States, the savings from periodically running the simplification process is about 5% of the cost of production. The SSS system, in Russia it stands for "specialization, standardization, simplification", the latter leads to a simplification of production by removing unnecessary tool sizes, and this also applies to documentation, reporting and ordering stocks of finished materials.
The efficiency of the enterprise is achieved through the complex action of the general unification process: selection, typing, simplification, ranking, classification and optimization of finished product elements.
Simplification program
This is a draft or policy document. It was created on the basis of teaching aids. Overseas (in the States) there is a textbook called "Increasing productivity through simplification, standardization, and specialization." This describes the process of bringing the system to maximum savings when ensuring the correct consistency of each element. The value of simplification is enormous forproducers and consumers.
Successful productive facts can be called formation:
- restrictive parts lists for end products;
- standard forms of management documents;
- albums of similar product designs.
Discrete process
The development of standardization is associated with the need to overcome thematic barriers that characterize the boundaries of each of its methods. For each option, the optimal expedient topic is selected.
The character of the simplification is discrete, with undefined time boundaries. Compared to unification, whose similar parameters are wider, simplification does not delay the progress of technology, and does not stimulate the introduction of the new. Such a stable process takes a step towards the creation of new products, but the modernization itself can only come when all forms of standardization and unification work together.
Sometimes, when carrying out standardization, there is no need to make technological or design changes to already existing varieties of products. If a production product is included in a certain standard, the nomenclature is limited (in the case of documentation, its technical base is standardized) - this is simplification.
Opposite goals
Ordering of standardization objects occurs due to systematization, optimization, simplification, selection, typing. The distinguishing characteristics of each method lie in the approach used ineach transformation.
What is the difference between selection and simplification methods? The first method is based on the selection of objects that, according to the conclusion of the commission or a professional specialist, are recognized as appropriate for further production, and the second version of standardization, on the contrary, seeks out inappropriate objects through analysis. Accordingly, both processes can only be carried out jointly.
This is the only way to achieve the prospects for the use and production of the analyzed products: the first GOST for stamped aluminum utensils was equated to the production of pots, which turned out to be more than 50 standard sizes. After the analysis, it was concluded that it was necessary to reduce the types to 22 units. We excluded some containers (1, 7, 1, 3, 0.9 l), leaving the most rational ones (1 and 1.5 l).