Continuous improvement of the assembly process of an automotive part applying lean manufacturing tools

Abstract

The object of research: The analysis of the entire assembly process of any automotive part is of utmost importance, given that optimizing any indicator such as time, cost, labor, materials, among others, will allow increasing the productivity and efficiency of the companies.
 Investigated problem: analyze how to reduce cycle time in the assembly process of an automotive part that is sold to Ford, this with the purpose of reducing costs and delivery times by making use of industrial engineering tools, specifically techniques related to lean manufacturing.
 The main scientific results: the assembly process of the upper B Post of the F-CX727 platform was optimized, through continuous improvement tools, improving indicators such as the reduction of cycle time and the cost of the product sold to the customer.
 The scope of practical application of the research results: auto parts companies specialized in the manufacturing of products for the automotive industry require the application of continuous improvement tools necessary to balance assembly lines and make incremental improvements in an organization.
 Innovative technological product: The use of soft techniques and methodologies allows a company to be flexible in its assembly system, this allows it to generate value in its processes as well as the control and reduction of key efficiency indicators.
 Scope of the innovative technological product: the scope of the research work is basically to present the development of continuous improvement techniques for an assembly product made in an auto parts industry in Mexico with the purpose of optimizing the process.