Work standardization and line balancing in a windmill gearbox manufacturing cell: A case study

Abstract

In the current manufacturing world, the utilization of proper resource and making the process fool proofing plays a significant role. These challenges can be addressed with the aid of lean manufacturing tools and concepts. Lean manufacturing focuses on eliminating wastes in the entire manufacturing process. Eliminating waste along the whole value streams adds value to the process, product, and the whole supply chain. The project focuses on standardization and line balancing of the CNC machine cells. The foremost objective is met by implementing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen approach) to standardize the process. Time study has been done using stopwatch and video-based study for identifying the critical time elements. As a result, cycle time has been abridged. However, the production line seems to be unbalanced. To overcome the issue, line balancing is done between operations, which enable the production line to meet takt time and enhance productivity.