Post by Ali Tanjir

Lean Transformation in Action: Reducing Time Waste in the Thermal Section of Nilorn Bangladesh Ltd. Every Lean journey begins with one simple question: “Where is our time really going?” When I started our Lean pilot project in the Thermal section of Nilorn Bangladesh Ltd., my goal was clear — not just to improve output, but to identify and reduce time waste hidden in our daily activities. Although I had no formal Lean certification, I had a strong desire to learn by doing and help our team build a culture of continuous improvement. The Challenge Our challenge wasn’t about defective products — it was about lost time. We identified several recurring time-wasting areas, including: 1. Long machine cleaning and setup time between orders. 2. Delays during shift changes. 3. Waiting for materials and instructions. 4. Short or irregular order quantities, affecting workflow balance. 5. Unaligned washroom and prayer breaks, disrupting production rhythm. All these factors silently reduced overall performance and caused inefficiencies in our daily operations. The Actions To address these issues, we applied Lean principles with a practical approach: 1.     Implemented 5S to organize workstations and reduce motion waste. 2.     Introduced OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) tracking to measure and visualize time loss. 3.     Conducted team discussions to identify and solve daily workflow bottlenecks. 4.     Applied Kaizen ideas suggested by our operators to minimize minor stoppages. Strengthened coordination between production and planning teams to ensure timely material supply. 5.     Formed a 6-member monitoring team to sustain progress and follow up weekly. The Results The outcomes were both encouraging and measurable: 1. OEE improved from 82% to 87%, a 5% gain compared to the base month. 2. Our target OEE is 90%, and the team is now actively working to achieve the remaining gap. 3. Machine idle and waiting times were significantly reduced. 4. Shift handover and cleaning routines became faster and more organized. 5. Operator engagement and time awareness visibly increased. Even with space constraints, the team’s commitment and creativity proved that Lean success is possible anywhere — when people take ownership.   My Reflection This pilot project taught me that Lean is not about having more resources — it’s about using existing ones wisely. When everyone starts seeing waste as an opportunity for improvement, productivity naturally rises. Every minute saved is a step toward excellence, and every small improvement builds a culture of efficiency.   Gratitude Heartfelt thanks to our management, production team, and Thermal section operators for their active involvement, teamwork, and continuous effort. #LeanManufacturing #Kaizen #5S #OEE #ContinuousImprovement #ProcessExcellence #NilornBangladesh #OperationalExcellence #Teamwork #LearningJourney #HRLeadership #Sustainability #Productivity