Paper reviewing the use of TRIZ tools and methods in combination with other tools for better manufacturing and production processes improvement. A weakness of the current state of process improvement is mainly solving problems by trivial tools as Brainstorming, which leads to not ideal resolutions to problems in the process. This could be improved by the use of TRIZ. A literature review was used for examination of the current state and history of the use of TRIZ principles in a field of production processes. The review is chronologically structured and focuses on attempts to use TRIZ itself or in combination with other tools with a goal improvement of processes or activities related to the process. The research begins before the year 2000 and it ends by the year 2019. The use of TRIZ for process improvement was described by many authors, and many approaches were tried. From the results, it is seen that TRIZ methods should be beneficial for use in practice. Unfortunately, found solutions are either too complex or without specific descriptions. That could be a cause of why the implementation of TRIZ tools is not spread. Results of review lead to a need for a new, more user-friendly approach based on TRIZ principles for use by engineers in real practice.

Purpose: In production, problems that are difficult to solve could occur. When a classic problem-solving toolset is not enough, a company must accept not fully satisfying solutions or secondary problems. This paper proposes a new method called Innovation by Increasing Ideality (3I), which helps to resolve difficult problems in production.     Methodology/Approach: Based on a previous literature review a new method was designed. The method leads the solver by a set of steps that lead to a well-described problem, with many ideas or ways, where the solver should search for a satisfying solution. The method is based on TRIZ principles, but it is user-friendly even for users who are not TRIZ specialists but have only basic knowledge of TRIZ principles and its tools. The method is demonstrated in a case study, where a problem with the transportation of parts is successfully solved. Findings: Newly proposed method, compared with the traditional way of resolving a problem, got a much better solution in a shorter time. Research Limitation/Implication: Only one example of use. There is a need for more applications in future. Originality/Value of paper: The paper describes a new method for overcoming difficult problems in production. The method uses TRIZ principles to innovate the process where the problem is. The presented method can serve as a new powerful tool for industrial engineers in practice.

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This paper deals with resolving problems with special orders of glass eyes by innovating the process step where the problem occurs. The problem is that when only a few complex eyes are ordered, many prototypes must be made to find glass that fits together and a suitable technique to get the demanded coloring of the iris. The Innovation by Increasing Ideality method based on TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) principles was used to radically improve the process in a way to overcome this problem. A solution was proposed from ideas and proposals generated by the use of the method and TRIZ tools. A new technique of layering resin with paint on the basic crystal eye was found as a possible solution. The technique was tested on several samples and compared with already known and used production methods. The comparison showed that the proposed solution could be used on very complex eyes with better results and lower costs. Also, this proposed technique can be easily improved to get even better results in the future.

Continual efforts to have better processes lead us to search for new ways to improve and innovate. One of the most powerful approaches to innovating technical systems is the TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). TRIZ is, unfortunately, very hard to learn and adequately use. This paper introduces a new comprehensive algorithm for the innovation of processes in production based on TRIZ principles. The Algorithm for Process Innovation by Increasing Ideality (AP3I) helps search for innovative ways to improve or change the process—either the whole process or its segments. Besides the original TRIZ, AP3I is easier to use and might be applied by engineers in industrial practice. On the other hand, results from AP3I are probably weaker compared to full TRIZ. Still, the AP3I can be very helpful in efforts to improve processes and can provide powerful ideas. The overall algorithm is also demonstrated in case studies on processes of packing and assembly.

Companies with custom production often need to store a lot of unique tools. Amount of these tools is always increasing. That can lead to problems with storing of these tools. Storages are often overfull and unorganized. In those cases, it takes a lot of time to find specific tool, and it is an issue which generates many other wastes. Because software solutions for storage management which can resolve this problem are expensive, companies cannot afford to buy them. This problem is calling for some low-cost solutions to manage these storages. Solutions cheap and simple that every company can afford to implement. This low-cost solution could be a system of storage control, based on paper cards with simple database. This article shows how to implement the card system to unorganized storage and how can this system improve storage management, establish order and reduce waste in storage. This all is proven by a case study in glass making company at storage of wooden forms for parts made by glassblowing, that study is also included.