Productivity Improvement Tool Research Articles

A Proposed Frame Work for Enhancing Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are important agents of development throughout the world. Promoting a country’s SME sector plays a crucial role in maintaining high employment and income generation and is therefore critical for achieving sustainable grow by enhancing SMEs competitiveness. The general objective of this paper is to develop a theoretical frame work model for garment SMEs competitiveness that supports garment manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their competitiveness by identifying the possible competitiveness factors. To achieve the presented objectives, a purposive sample basis on selected garments manufacturing SMEs found at three different clusters in Addis Abeba city administration is used. The data in this paper are both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected though questionnaires, interviews and observations, while secondary data sources referred from company’s documents and several articles from reputable international journals. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used to analyse the collected data using various statistical programs. The results of the paper found that in garment manufacturing SMEs the main difficulties faced in performance dimension which is divided into financial performance and non-financial performance are the lack of collateral, the lack of proven track records, the lack of proper business plans and the need to show good sales turnover are the major financial performance parameters that deters the competitiveness. The SMEs do not have well established system to support effective and efficient implementation systems for productivity improvement. Finally the garment manufacturing SMEs are potentially wasting valuable and scarce resources since they don’t implement productivity improvement tools and techniques Lack of appropriate machinery and equipment are the main non-financial performance parameter that deters the competitiveness. To tackle the problems and enhance competitiveness of garment manufacturing firms, a theoretical conceptual model based on this requirement has been developed and the implementation requires a coordinated and well organized system among the actors (at macro and micro level) in the value chain. Some of the major problems such as lack of skilled manpower and infrastructure have to be tackled by the government and private sectors. And the other problems could be approached by using some modern management philosophies (such as just-in-time manufacturing, business process re-engineering, lean production) and scientific methods like production planning and control.

The effects of gamification for manufacturing (GfM) on workers and production in industrial assembly

Gamification has been a growing topic of interest in recent years across many fields, especially marketing, healthcare, and education. More recently, researchers of manufacturing and production have begun exploring the potential applications of gamification for manufacturing, to improve psychological well-being of the workers and overall productivity. However, empirical research to support gamification for manufacturing remained scarce. In this research, a detailed methodology was developed to apply gamification to an assembly task and thorough empirical analysis was conducted. The experimental setup utilized a build kit for a Lego Telehandler (kit #42,133). Cycle time data, Myers Briggs Type Indicators, and NASA TLX assessment data from 20 participants for 15 repetitive builds were collected, with data collection amassing well over 110 h and approximately 1,100 data points. The results indicated that gamification has a significant effect on the productivity for the last build in a series of assembly tasks, temporal demand at the first build, and multiple task load ratings over time. While statistical significance was not found for other conducted analyses, thorough discussions regarding trends within the data and limitations of the study indicate that gamification for manufacturing would likely benefit from additional, similar empirical research. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that systematically evaluates gamification as a possible manufacturing productivity improvement tool by considering key manufacturing metrics (cycle time), task load of the operator, and operator-specific attributes (personality). The study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an in-depth analysis of an empirical study that is repeatable by others to continue building empirical evidence for manufacturing assembly tasks.

Electronic applications as a productivity improvement tool in organizations

This paper examines electronic applications as a productivity improvement tool in organizations. The influence and impact of electronic applications as a productivity tool in organizations cannot be overemphasized. This is against the background of transition from analogue to digital era, characterized by significant advancement in science and technology. Technology has pervaded organizational and human systems thereby making human rhythms to succumb to technological rhythms. Technology has now been dictating the technicization of everyday life and the corporate organization is not an exemption. Strategies for the deployment of electronic applications, the areas of usage and the benefits of electronic applications, techniques of productivity improvement, the need for productivity improvement and the concepts of electronic applications, productivity, organizational productivity and productivity improvement was examined. Technologically enabled self-service contributes to increased productivity in organizations. The paper stressed that the level of productivity with electronic applications is determined by the extent of knowledge one have of such electronic applications and the degree of utilizing such knowledge in carrying out certain operations as designed for use. It takes the intelligence, leadership and drive of the people function to make an organization productive.

Green productivity analysis of raw rubber production

Rubber is a well-known commodity that has been cultivated for a relatively long time in Indonesia. Rubber plays an essential role in contributing foreign exchange incomes, job opportunities, and providing industrial raw materials. In 2014, Indonesia became the second-largest rubber producer after Thailand, with a rubber yield of 3,979 tons. Increased rubber production is linear to the environmental damage that occurs so that productivity improvement tools based on environmental or green productivity are needed. This research aims to determine the factors influencing productivity level and improvement efforts by considering the environmental performance indicator. The method used is the Environmental Performance Indicator (EPI). Two expert respondents filled the weighted result, i.e., academician and head of waste treatment. The selection of alternative improvement using Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). The result is Multi Soil Layering (MSL) which could save the cost of IDR 253,651,626.2 per year or 70% water savings. This alternative can increase productivity by 11.12% from 76.13% to 85.25% and raise the EPI value of 0.766 from 0.201 to 0.967.

APPLICATION OF QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT TOOLS IN A POTATO CHIPS PRODUCTION LINE

APPLICATION OF QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT TOOLS IN A POTATO CHIPS PRODUCTION LINE

A study on the barriers to lean manufacturing implementation for small-scale industries in Himachal region (India)

In today's competitive market, lean philosophy has a vital role to play which is mainly governed by a reduction in cost, ameliorated quality, and higher expectations of customers as well as superior productivity. It has been globally witnessed that the companies which implement lean manufacturing in their system result in improved productivity and better customer satisfaction, along with the cost reduction. Lean manufacturing is the most important productivity improvement tool. The aim of this research is to identification and confirmation of the barriers to lean implementation in small-scale industries in the Himachal region (India) and to build up a relationship between the barriers. A total interpretive structural modelling approach is applied to identify the relationship of various barriers. It is evident from the research that the cost of facilities is a major barrier to implementing lean in the small-scale industries. However, the government gives the financial support for the small-scale industries in Himachal Pradesh.

Workplace accommodation for workers with intellectual or psychiatric disabilities

The current study applied productivity improvement tools, e.g., hierarchical task analysis, standard operating procedure (SOP), checklist, and plant layout analysis in two sheltered workshops for the disabled to facilitate the sustainable operation of the workshops. The study was conducted in two sheltered workshops where intellectually disabled workers were trained and employed to perform cleaning tasks as janitors while psychiatrically disabled workers were trained to assemble a stationery box. On-site job analysis was conducted to find feasible workplace accommodations for both workshops. The preliminary on-site job analysis indicated the need of a standard operating procedure for the cleaning tasks in the first sheltered workshop. Therefore, SOPs were developed based on hierarchical task analysis and will be presented in a checklist format for the training and payment of the disabled. In the second sheltered workshop, flow diagram analysis of the initial assembly layout revealed excessive moving and backtrackings of material handling. Thus, a revised layout is proposed to remove all of the inefficiencies. Relevance to industryThe current study demonstrates feasible applications of several productivity improvement tools in two sheltered workshops for disabled workers in order to enhance sustainability.

Structural modelling approach: the strategy for productivity enhancement in manufacturing industries

The research work is carried to develop a structural equation model (SEM) for exploring key productivity factors to overcome some of the issues related with productivity enhancement and measurement in manufacturing industries. The methodology has been executed in four clearly defined steps, starting with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) which increases confidence in the conceptual model. Then, the basic productivity model is conceptualised by using Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework. Further, best fit measurement model showing acceptable goodness of fit (GOF) indices is constructed. Finally, improved productivity SEM having acceptable GOF is worked out. The paper relies on the data collected from 311 employees of manufacturing industries. SEM proposes causal relationship among key productivity factors in terms of driver and system elements. From results it is clear that five-key factors, incorporating 'organisational culture', 'human resource management', 'management strategy', 'production methodology', and 'performance' are leading to a conceptual model. The quantitative relationship will become a key guideline to develop managerial tool for productivity improvement as well as to build productivity models for its measurement at various levels in manufacturing industries.

Influence of key role players on productivity outcomes in the residential building lifecycle

PurposeThis study aims to answer the ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions about the key role players’ influence on the overall productivity outcomes in the lifecycle of residential buildings procured through the traditional route.Design/methodology/approachA mix of exploratory and descriptive research methods was used to obtain feedback from 179 role-players involved in various phases of the residential building lifecycle (RBLC) in New Zealand. Empirical data were analysed using content analysis, multi-attribute method and Friedman’s two-way analysis of variance.FindingsResults showed that designers, building owners, main contractors and project managers were the greatest influencers of the productivity outcomes in the RBLC. The priority drivers of these key role-players’ influences on the RBLC productivity outcomes comprised poor brief interpretation, inclination to lowest tender, inadequate prior risk analysis and miscommunication of owner’s requirements and preferences to service providers, respectively. By taking proactive steps to redress their productivity inhibiting acts/omissions as identified in this study, the various role-players could contribute to significant improvement of productivity outcomes in the building lifecycle.Research limitations/implicationsIt was not possible to interview all participants that made up the representative random samples from each role-player group due largely to workload related excuses. As a result, the findings and the conclusions may not be generalised beyond the study scope. However, the study achieved its purpose, as the main intent was to provide hypothetical constructs that could guide further confirmatory/experimental studies for residential buildings as well as for other building types.Practical implicationsA succinct and easy-to-follow model was developed as implementation pathway for operationalising the key findings of the study in the industry. The model highlights the Owner-Architect-Contractor Influence Triangle (OACIT) as the 20 per cent of the solutions that could deliver 80 per cent of the productivity improvement in the RBLC.Originality/valueThis study re-examines productivity issues not only from a life-cycle perspective but also from the perspectives of the majority of the key role-players. In addition, the OACIT concept offers a novel productivity improvement tool; it stresses that productivity in the traditionally procured building lifecycle could be optimised if the architect could focus greater attention on brief articulation and the issuance and review of design and specification information. Also, the owner should adopt productivity-enhancing procurement and contract strategies and emphasise more on value-addition and less on lowest tender price.

The Impact of Organizational Slack and Lag Time on Economic Productivity

Much like research on the productivity paradox of the 1980s, empirical research has not provided a clear association between investments in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and improved productivity, even though these systems were designed, developed, and marketed as productivity improvement tools. This paper explores the relationship between organizational slack and productivity improvements resulting from investments in ERP systems. The authors provide support for the proposition that during the period of time surrounding implementation, firms build organizational slack; and following implementation organizational slack is absorbed and productivity increases. Furthermore, the authors find that even though manufacturing firms drive the decrease in organizational slack during the post-ERP period, the magnitude of the increase in productivity is significantly larger for non-manufacturing firms.

PENINGKATAN PRODUKTIVITAS ALAT MUAT SEKELAS OHT CAT 777 DI PERTAMBANGAN BATUBARA DENGAN PENDEKATAN QUALITY CONTROL CIRCLE

<p>PT Riung Mitra Lestari trying to improve the main load tool off high way truck (OHT) from one of their<br />job site dari salah satu job site owned PT. RML, Job Site Krassi, North Kalimantan where data showed<br />gains in productivity tools primarily under standard load. In January – August 2015 trend of<br />productivity gains is 83%. Krassi site that has the most difficult locations and conditions of 80% peat<br />land. With the location With a location 80% peat into one unique in handling dan its mining methods.<br />Research conducted using the QCC method to improved productivity mining equipment. Improvement<br />group is often called QCC uses severeal tools improvement and productivity improvement measures.In<br />the analysis of the probem or step 3 there are several causes at the root of the problem of inaccesibility<br />Cat hauler unit 777. In actual achievement prior to productivity improvement tool hauler Cat 777 is 78<br />bcm / hour of a target of 100 bcm / hour.In percentage only reaches 78% and the target after QCC<br />application is expected to reach 95%. Based on fishbone and pareto analysis major problem and the<br />dominant causes of the failure in the productivity tool loading and unloading is less good technique,<br />the second is the lack of a hard material that serves as mixing and blending. By making improvement<br />in loading technique and road repair there is productivity improvement 57,3 % dari from previous data<br />and 22,8 % improvement from target. The other factor that affected incapability of production is loss<br />time. After QCC improvement loss time decreased into 90,14 minutes per days from previously 227,14<br />minutes / days.</p>

Discrete Event Simulation Modelling for Dynamic Decision Making in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing

With the increase in demand for biopharmaceutical products, industries have realised the need to scale up their manufacturing from laboratory-based processes to financially viable production processes. In this context, biopharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly using simulation-based approaches to gain transparency of their current production system and to assist with designing improved systems. This paper discusses the application of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and its ability to model the various scenarios for dynamic decision making in biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector. This paper further illustrates a methodology used to develop a simulation model for a biopharmaceutical company, which is considering several capital investments to improve its manufacturing processes. A simulation model for a subset of manufacturing activities was developed that facilitated ‘what-if’ scenario planning for a proposed process alternative. The simulation model of the proposed manufacturing process has shown significant improvement over the current process in terms of throughout time reduction, better resource utilisation, operating cost reduction, reduced bottlenecks etc. This visibility of the existing and proposed production system assisted the company in identifying the potential capital and efficiency gains from the investments therefore demonstrating that DES can be an effective tool for making more informed decisions. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the utilisation of DES models to develop a number of bespoke productivity improvement tools for the company.

Integrating value stream mapping and discrete events simulation as decision making tools in operation management

Focusing on competitiveness, many companies seek methodologies in order to increase the productive performance. Process optimization focused on quality, productivity improvement, and cost reduction tools has excelled in industrial environments based on the results achieved by many companies. However, the lack of a production simulation system to evaluate advanced scenarios does not effectively address numerous solutions. As a result, this paper aimed to apply the value stream mapping (VSM) and discrete events simulation as decision-making tools to direct the management invest in the best option among the available scenarios generated by simulation system. The analysis was realized in a manufacturing cell part of a Brazil’s metal industry that needs to increase the production capacity in a context of high fluctuation of demand. The results showed the efficiency of VSM and simulation integration as decision making tools. It was possible to display a table with all data sets for both current and future scenarios. From process data, it was possible to calculate the production, unit cost for each piece produced, investment cost, productivity (total of operators), and layout.

한국의 생산관리 : 산업공학의 역할과 관련하여

Korea Productivity CenterThis is a report on the history and current status of production planning and control activities in South Korea with regard to Industrial Engineers’ (IEs’) role. One of the main characteristics of Korean global companies is that they make good use of IEs not only in their production but also in higher strategic fields like supply chain management. In these companies it is well demonstrated that instead of adding small part of IE skills to traditional engineers, it is much more competitive to have IEs work with them as a team since IEs are fully proficient in every kind of productivity and quality improvement tools. It is also observed that IEs become more productive when they have good domain knowledge in their own industries like semi-conductor, automobile, telecommunications, steel, shipbuilding, etc. So teaching the basics for manufacturing processes to IE students seems very important for their future career development.

Development of an innovative low cost weighing lysimeter for potted plants: Application in lysimetric stations

For optimal, cost-saving management of irrigation water, precise knowledge is required of the overall water consumption made by the different species and varieties of plants existing in the area, under different conditions of climate, soil, etc. The most accurate way to determine this water consumption is by using weighing lysimeters. Unfortunately, because of current high costs, very few lysimetric stations are used in crop management to reveal real water consumption. Hence the need to develop new, low-cost lysimeters which make lysimetric stations available at an affordable price, and thus contribute to improve the management of water resources. This paper describes the development of a new, low-cost lysimeter, and its technical and economic valuation through the implementation of a 16-unit lysimetric station applied to analyse water consumption in potted plants. The system has been verified as highly accurate, easy to set up, and capable of filtering and storing data in real time, as well as controlling the electrovalves devised to open or close the tank where water drained from the pots is stored. This new agromotic system offers countless possibilities to accurately determine water consumption of any given plant. Additionally, if we consider its economic sustainability, proven by a study carried out for this specific purpose, which shows a positive net present value of the project, with a probability of 99%, it becomes a fascinating topic for research projects, as well as a highly recommended tool for crop productivity improvement.

Implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automobile industry – an empirical study

Purpose – This paper aims to present existence comprehensive analysis of state of implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automotive companies. Design/methodology/approach – The research is carried out through a mixed method of research approach comprising of a survey of 300 auto companies in India. Out of 300, 48 valid responses together with three additional case studies were used in the data analysis. Inclusion of case studies was aspired to get deeper insight into the issues pertaining to adoption of best practices, and subsequently the implementation of benchmarking activities. Findings – Benchmarking has been unanimously accepted as an effective performance and productivity improvement tool by Indian auto companies. However, Indian automobile manufacturers still see benchmarking as a tool to compare product attributes, quality attributes, operations, and processes. Moreover, it has been perceived as being less applicable at strategic level. Results also show that benchmarking is in its primary stage in the Indian automotive industry, and it still needs much more commitment from top management for its proliferation. Lesser significance is given to competitor benchmarking due to the fear of losing competitive advantage, and the problem of confidentiality. Reasons identified in this study for not using benchmarking include “lack of human resources” as most important, followed by “financial constraints”, and “lack of internal expertise”. Research limitations/implications – Research results should be generalized and reproduced with a larger sample size. Owing to the scarce application of benchmarking in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), separate study should be carried out to find ways to encourage benchmarking implementation in Indian auto component manufacturing SMEs. Originality/value – The paper provides insight into the extent of implementation of benchmarking concepts in Indian automobile industry. This study is the first attempt to understand propagation of benchmarking concepts, exclusively among Indian auto companies.

The Use and Impact of Manufacturing Productivity Improvement Tools and Methodologies within the Automotive Component Industry

This paper presents the results of a study which was undertaken with the overarching objective of investigating the use and impact of manufacturing productivity improvement approaches within automotive component suppliers. It has the specific aims of identifying (i) the level of understanding and use of continuous improvement tools and management methodologies within organisations and (ii) the factors which could contribute to them failing to achieve the results expected. The results of a survey of 161 automotive suppliers are presented. The survey investigated all elements of selection, training and implementation of tools and methodologies. This paper highlights that the adoption of continuous improvement tools and methodologies is widespread and discusses the relatively high failure rates. The reasons which may contribute to failure are presented and discussed, with the major findings being a lack of suitable resources, a lack of understanding and training within senior personnel and a non-strategic approach to the application of tools and methodologies.

Improving productivity in Indian SMEs

The manufacturing environment is now so competitive that the companies must not only continuously improve their performance, but also do it faster than others. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to the industrial output of an economy, and must be competitive for the national economy to be competitive in this era of international business. With almost all productivity improvement (PI) tools requiring a working knowledge of statistics, the Indian SME manager with his semi-literate workforce with little or no technical and mathematical training needs a simple and heuristic PI tool that addresses his particular needs. This article proposes a simple scheduling heuristic to improve productivity quickly and effectively and demonstrates its application and benefits through a case study in a spring manufacturing SME.

Application of constrained management and lean manufacturing in developing best practices for productivity improvement in an auto‐assembly plant

Purpose – To increase productivity in an automotive assembly plant to satisfy customer demand and also develop best practices for productivity improvement for robotic welding operation lines. Design/methodology/approach – Principles of lean manufacturing and constrained management have been applied to increase the plant's output in order. Constrained management was used to identify bottlenecks in the plant that limits the throughput and lean manufacturing helped to identify waste (muda) in the constrained production areas. Analytical tools such as matrices are used for mapping sequence of robotics movements to identify interference and desired path for welding line. Findings – Results of applying constrained management and lean manufacturing in tandem have revealed the plant's overall bottlenecks and means of increasing the throughput. Research limitations/implications – The research findings are from an automotive assembly plant in a mass production industry, and the results may not be applicable to other types of industry. Practical implications – A very useful best practice for the productivity improvement that is easy to use by plants' management to help them identify and manage bottlenecks, and to eliminate waste from the production system. Originality/value – This paper offers practical and easy‐to‐use productivity improvement tools based on lean and constrained management principles to help manufacturing managers to make their operations more productive.

Manufacturing cell performance improvement: a simulation study

This paper reports on the study of the “underbody front”-automated welding cell at Opel Belgium, a major automobile manufacturer of General Motors International Operations. It employs the use of simulation in an experimental design framework to identify potential improvements in average daily output through management of buffer sizes at key buffer locations within the cell. Many practical applications of animated computer simulation stop at the modeling and displaying of the process under study. Simulation as a tool for process reengineering or enhancement can only reach its full potential if incorporated in a comprehensive statistical study, so as to attain statistically significant results. The paper also reports on the reactions of, and issues raised by, management when the experimental design methodology was presented as a tool for process enhancement and productivity improvement.