Future State Value Stream Mapping Research Articles

Lean production system design for fishing net manufacturing using lean principles and simulation optimization

Value stream mapping (VSM) is a useful tool for describing the manufacturing state, especially for distinguishing between those activities that add value and those that do not. It can help in eliminating non-value activities and reducing the work in process (WIP) and thereby increase the service level. This research follows the guidelines for designing future state VSM. These guidelines consist of five factors which can be changed simply, without any investment. These five factors are (1) production unit; (2) pacemaker process; (3) number of batches; (4) production sequence; and (5) supermarket size. The five factors are applied to a fishing net manufacturing system. Using experimental design and a simulation optimizing tool, the five factors are optimized. The results show that the future state maps can increase service level and reduce WIP by at least 29.41% and 33.92% respectively. For the present study, the lean principles are innovatively adopted in solving a fishing net manufacturing system which is not a well-addressed problem in literature. In light of the promising empirical results, the proposed methodologies are also readily applicable to similar industries.

Redesigning an assembly line through Lean-Kaizen: an Indian case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the adoption of Lean-Kaizen approach to process improvement by the largest manufacturer of steering systems for passenger car and utility vehicle market in India. The company was facing severe liquidity crunch due to falling customer demand (25 percent lower than forecasted), rising cost of raw material and bank borrowing rates. In order to survive in such stiff scenario, the company systematically deployed Kaizen events and drastically improved their internal efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The study categorically illustrates the employment of value stream mapping (VSM) to target the areas for Kaizen improvement events. Current state VSM was developed to display the non-value-added activities in the existing assembly process. Future state VSM was proposed. After identifying root cause of wastes using 5 Why, three Kaizen events were proposed. Findings – The current state VSM revealed cumulative inventory of 61 days in the entire process, long distances travelled by subassembly for final assembly (294 meters) and a high defect rate (879 parts per million). After modifying the assembly line using lean strategies, the company reduced its inventory levels by 66 percent, defect rate reduced by 32 percent and achieved other benefits such as reduced equipment, production staff and storage space. These reductions helped the company in saving the working capital and also contributed significantly to its profitability. Originality/value – The study exhibits implementation of Lean-Kaizen approach for redesigning assembly line in an auto component manufacturing unit. The proposed lean strategies are considered to be highly valuable for manufacturer of steering for passenger cars and utility vehicles market.

Applying lean techniques to nougat fabrication: a seasonal case study

Lean manufacturing has been increasingly applied by leading manufacturing companies throughout the world, led by the major automobile manufacturers and their equipment suppliers. The aim of this case study is to show the applicability of lean manufacturing’s body of knowledge to a different environment: a seasonal food industry. Several techniques and analyses such as value stream mapping (VSM), overall equipment efficiency, spaghetti diagrams, work balance, and discrete event simulation were applied in this case study. Some of the improvement ideas resulting from the tools used were tested in the field to corroborate the findings. Finally, the future state VSM was mapped, where most of the improvement ideas identified throughout the project were consolidated. Whether the path to improvement is marked by increased spending on systems and machinery, human capital, or both, engineers and managers in the frontlines of food production recognize that improvement is a quest and not a destination. Although process industries need a special version of lean manufacturing tools, this case study shows how, with slight modification, several tools can be applied to the seasonal traditional craft industry.

Application of lean methods to compounding services in hospital pharmacy

ObjectivesTo implement, and evaluate the use of, lean methods in highly congested areas of the pharmacy department such as the clean room. Through the use of lean tools such as...

Analisis Waste dalam Aliran Material Internal dengan Value Stream Mapping Pada PT XYZ

The main focus of the research is excess inventory and motion waste which commonly occur in warehouse and production floor. This research is carried out to minimize the average level and eliminate unnecessary motions, with consideration of electronic pull and traceability system characteristics. Product X, the highest-selling product, is the object of this research. To identify the current condition, the current state Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is developed as the basis to arrange improvement plan to minimize the wastes. Safety stock is determined through average and maximum consumption difference; and reorder point is determined to comply with pull approach. Average inventory level is calculated using continuous review method. The simulation was conducted and it was shown that 8.29 minutes is the maximum lateness. Thus, safety stock and reorder point are adjusted accordingly to anticipate stockout due to lateness. The improvement of process cycle efficiency is shown to increase from 4.1 % to 5.1 % as projected in future state VSM.

Improvement of manufacturing operations at a pharmaceutical company

Purpose – The current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) are followed in the pharmaceutical sector to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled to the appropriate quality standards as required by the marketing agencies. The purpose of this paper is to share improvement experiences due to implementation of lean principles combined with cGMP in a pharmaceutical company.Design/methodology/approach – To conduct the study, an intensive review of literature has been conducted. For analysis of the problems existing in the selected production line, the 5‐whys methodology was followed. The current state value stream map (VSM) has been developed after making several company visits and necessary computations. For improvement of the system, various lean strategies have been proposed and the future state VSM developed.Findings – The methodology assisted this company in reducing lead times, cycle times and WIP inventory in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the storage area was reduced by 38 p...

Using Value Stream Mapping to Analyze an Upholstery Furniture Engineering Process

This study presents a systematic approach of streamlining an upholstery furniture engineering process based on a case study in one of the largest export-oriented furniture manufacturers in China. The approach encompasses an analysis of the current state of the engineering process and the proposal of a lean future state value stream map (VSM). The current state analysis includes the definition of the product family, analysis of current customer demands, and the definition of the process metrics of the engineering process. Data were collected during a half-month visit to the furniture plant in China. Results from the current state VSM show that the value-added ratio of the current engineering process is 26.0 percent. Many engineering steps present deficiencies, such as the processes of creating drawings, compiling mass production documents, checking and signing off on engineering documents, creating CNC programs, and generating packaging files. After the current state VSM, it is found that unpredictable process cycle time and expediting engineering change orders are two major problems in the current engineering process. Based on current state VSM, the research focuses on countermeasures to solve the root causes of the major problems and proposes the best practices for the future VSM.

Design of lean manufacturing systems using value stream mapping with simulation

PurposeGenerally, the implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) starts with the development of value stream maps. However, it has been found that value stream mapping (VSM) suffers from various shortcomings. Hence, researchers have suggested the use of simulation along with VSM. The purpose of this paper is to present an application of VSM with simulation during the design of lean manufacturing systems (LMS) using a case study of an organisation following a job shop production system to manufacture doors and windows.Design/methodology/approachSimulation models were developed using QUeuing Event Simulation Tool for the case organisation to demonstrate how the case organisation will be changed after implementing various LM elements, apart from analysing the impact of implementing these LM elements on the organisation's performance.FindingsSimulation studies were carried out for different scenarios such as “before LM” (current state VSM) and “after LM” (future state VSM). It was found that the case organisation can achieve significant improvement in performance and can meet the increasing demand without any additional resources.Practical implicationsIt is believed that this paper will enable practitioners to appreciate the role of simulation in helping them understand how the operations department of the case organisation will be transformed during the design of LMS.Originality/valueAccording to the authors' knowledge, no case study exists in the literature that discusses the application of VSM with simulation in an organisation that manufactures doors and windows using a job shop production system. Furthermore, the paper simulates the impact of those LM elements which were not considered by other researchers on the performance measure of the case organisation.

Applying value stream mapping techniques to eliminate non-value-added waste for the procurement of endovascular stents

OJECTIVES: To eliminate non-value-adding (NVA) waste for the procurement of endovascular stents in interventional radiology services by applying value stream mapping (VSM). The Lean manufacturing technique was used to analyze the process of material and information flow currently required to direct endovascular stents from external suppliers to patients. Based on a decision point analysis for the procurement of stents in the hospital, a present state VSM was drawn. After assessment of the current status VSM and progressive elimination of unnecessary NVA waste, a future state VSM was drawn. The current state VSM demonstrated that out of 13 processes for the procurement of stents only 2 processes were value-adding. Out of the NVA processes 5 processes were unnecessary NVA activities, which could be eliminated. The decision point analysis demonstrated that the procurement of stents was mainly a forecast driven push system. The future state VSM applies a pull inventory control system to trigger the movement of a unit after withdrawal by using a consignment stock. VSM is a visualization tool for the supply chain and value stream, based on the Toyota Production System and greatly assists in successfully implementing a Lean system.

Simulation model for the design of lean manufacturing systems – a case study

Many organisations are implementing 'lean manufacturing' (LM) with the objective of achieving a superior competitive advantage over other organisations. Few companies have attained their objective, while many of them did not. One of the reasons for failure is that the managers of these organisations have not understood clearly: how the performance measures of an organisation are affected, when it gets transformed through LM. This paper is an attempt to fill in this gap. It reviews the literature related to LM, simulation and explores how simulation can be used along with value stream mapping (VSM). It describes a case of a shop floor of an automobile industry, where LM is getting implemented and demonstrates the application of QUEST simulation software for developing the simulation models for both current and future state VSMs. These models will help the managers to analyse the impact of various LM elements on the performance measures of the organisation.

Basics of Quality Improvement in Health Care

Basics of Quality Improvement in Health Care