Abstract
Ball Aerospace, which manufactures highly innovative products, recently implemented a just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing system to reduce costs, improve lead times, and enhance customer satisfaction. The company manufactures under customer requirements that dictate the timing and quantities of sales. In the first phase of our study, we used value stream mapping (VSM), a precursor to implementing JIT, for two products in the company’s advanced antenna and video systems division. Using this approach, we reduced the lead times and identified opportunities for improvement in the manufacturing facility. In the second phase, we quantified the trade-off between operational and financial considerations of the JIT implementation. Using detailed data from the facility, we analyzed these trade-offs by investigating batch-sizing decisions under different types of demand patterns. Our analysis provided the company with the input it needed to make resource-allocation decisions and current and planned process improvements under changes in external demand.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
