Value stream mapping: literature review and implications for Indian industry

Value steam mapping (VSM) is a lean manufacturing technique and it has emerged as the preferred way to support and implement the lean approach Grewal (Int J Manuf Technol Manag 15:3–4, 2008); Singh and Sharma (J Measuring Business Excellence 13:58–68, 2009). VSM is different than conventional recording techniques, as it captures the information at individual stations about station cycle time, up time or utilization of resources, set-up time or change over time, work in process inventory, man power requirement and the information flow from raw material to finish goods. It covers both value adding as well as non-value-adding activities. This paper covers the review and classification of literature on VSM, as there is hardly any paper on literature review of VSM, so it will be very beneficiary for both academician and industry people. Applications of VSM are also presented by a case study of a small manufacturing Indian industry and reduction in lead time, processing time, work in process inventory and manpower requirement at individual stations are noticed     

从精益制造走向精益企业

介绍了精益制造的起源与发展,并结合西飞公司实施精益制造的典型案例,指出精益制造是我国航空制造企业参与国际竞争,实现粗放管理向精细管理过渡的有效途径,并提高航空制造企业对精益制造重要性的认识。本文论述了精益生产体系与精益企业的关系,分析了我国航空制造企业的现状及面临的竞争,认为只有将精益思想贯穿于生产经营的每一个环节,强调各部门业务活动的改善都必须围绕产品和创造价值,努力营造企业合作文化,才能提高企业整体经营绩效,实现从精益制造走向精益企业的宿愿。     

Value Stream Mapping: a study about the problems and challenges found in the literature from the past 15 years about application of Lean tools

Value stream mapping (VSM) is an important tool of the lean approach and is used to identify value-adding activities and those considered wasteful of materials and the flow of information and people. However, when not applied correctly, VSM can complicate the identification of waste, lead to misinterpretations and assessment mistakes, and undermine the implementation of future improvements. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main difficulties and limitations encountered during the construction of current state maps, analysis of the associated causes, and pointing out of guidelines to facilitate the use of VSM to map processes. To do so, a search and evaluation of papers in journals, conferences, theses, and dissertations was conducted, and the articles were categorized according to the field of application (factory floor, supply chain, product development and services) and approach (theoretical or practical). In conclusion, this paper criticizes some ways that VSM has been used, observing that important constraints created by its application must be considered and that when used incorrectly, the tool can lead to mistakes that can cause problems instead of benefits. Considering the problems identified, the paper suggests future works for improving the use of VSM for mapping processes.     

Implementing lean manufacturing with cellular layout: a case study

Lean manufacturing is an applied methodology of scientific, objective techniques that cause work tasks in a process to be performed with a minimum of non-value adding activities resulting in greatly reduced wait time, queue time, move time, administrative time, and other delays. In a cellular manufacturing system (CMS), machines are grouped into several cells, where each cell is dedicated to a particular part family and the objective is to maximize cell independence. CMS helps in reducing the material handling, work-in-process, setup time, and manufacturing lead time and improve productivity, operation control, etc. The facility layout used during lean implementation can be either be a line layout or in the form of cells. After grouping parts in to various part families, machine cells can be formed to produce those parts well inside the cells. As some of the lean manufacturing concepts are different from that of cellular manufacturing, e.g., establishment of Takt time, Takt-based resource balancing, etc., some new cell design methodology is required to be explored that is compatible with lean manufacturing. The rate at which work progresses through the factory is called flow rate or Takt. In the present work, a design methodology for cellular layout is proposed for implementing lean concepts and is exemplified in a manufacturing industry dealing with ammunition components for defense applications. Based on Takt time for various parts, the production flow among cells was optimized thus minimizing several non-value added activities/times such as bottlenecking time, waiting time, material handling time, etc. This case study can be useful in developing a more generic approach to design cellular layouts in lean environment.     

Application of ORFPM system for lean implementation: an industrial case study

This paper presents an on-line radio frequency identification (RFID)-based facility performance monitoring (ORFPM) system. This system supports the implementation of Lean production in a small manufacturing facility. This system uses wireless monitoring via RFID to automatically generate a real-time value stream map (VSM) using computer-aided programming. Creating the VSM automatically saves time, reduces errors, and makes the VSM more visible to supervisors at any time. This up-to-date information allows supervisors to make more accurate, real-time shop floor decisions. The results of this study indicate that the ORFPM system can successfully track performance variations when production has low time consumption requirements and is labor intensive. Several Lean improvement suggestions are also proposed based on the collected data from the ORFPM system.     

An ISA-95-based manufacturing intelligence system in support of lean initiatives

Increasingly, lean manufacturing is being applied by leading manufacturers throughout the world. As continuous improvement cycles of many lean initiatives focus on cost control and improving quality of product, turbulence in world markets demand more agility and responsiveness without compromising cost and quality. In order to attain more agility, information and communication technologies are utilized by many manufacturers, both at shop floor systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) layer. This increasing trend created a disconnect that presents an opportunity for manufacturing intelligence (MI) systems. Bridging this gap, MI can enhance responsiveness by providing visibility into operations and improve quality by tracking long-term data, hence support the continuous improvement philosophy of lean manufacturing. This paper presents an ISA-95-based MI framework that can support lean manufacturing by contextualizing low-level shop floor data using production operation information from ERP systems. Processed data is presented on dashboards via Key Performance Indicators, which managers can use to determine appropriate action for their lean initiatives, timely and effectively.     

Changing the climate [organisational culture for lean manufacturing]

Failure to realize the full benefits of world-class performance can often be attributed to aspects of organizational culture. Many organizations are now looking forward implementing lean manufacturing techniques. However, the employees on whom lean manufacturing is inflicted often frustrates its implementation. Many organizations overlook the importance of organizational culture in the successful implementation of lean manufacturing. It is worth knowing that in order to implement lean, it is vital to understand the culture of the said organization in order to create a cost-effective implementation plan. This paper describes the finding of a study conducted within one organization regarding the implementation of lean manufacturing.     

A proposed integrated model of lean assessment and analytical hierarchy process for a dynamic road map of lean implementation

Lean is a well-approved strategy to enhance quality, improve productivity, and reduce cost via eliminating all non-value-added activities. The absence of a standard model for implementing lean and the strong need for a “road map” or “systematic approach” that set the priorities of enterprise’s perspectives for improvement are essential for enterprise success. A lean radar score (LRS) alone is not enough to define the perspective priorities for improvement to achieve the leanness condition. Other elements have to be considered in order to have the optimum route of implementing lean, including cost, benefits, time of completion, technological capabilities, administrative constraints, and the degree of involved risk. Based on that, an integrated model of lean assessment and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is proposed to define the route of lean implementation based on the perspective priorities for improvement. The proposed path is dynamic and can vary according to the situation of the enterprise. Consistency test is used to ensure that the experts’ judgment in assigning weights within the AHP model does not contain contradiction, and sensitivity analysis is used to verify the robustness of decision regarding the optimum route for lean implementation.     

Application of mahalanobis distance as a lean assessment metric

Lean manufacturing is a competitive philosophy adopted by many companies to produce cost effective products and services. Contemporary lean assessment tools are designed to evaluate a company's status of lean implementation and success. However, most lean assessment tools provide qualitative analysis and do not provide any clear direction of where the improvement efforts should be directed. In this paper, we propose a complementary methodology to assist contemporary lean assessment tools that will provide a quantitative measure of leanness by benchmarking other exemplar lean industries along with specific pointers for improvements based on cost considerations. The proposed Mahalanobis Taguchi Gram Schmidt System (MTGS) based methodology consists of four steps. The first three steps consist of data collection using contemporary lean assessment tools, standardizing the data, and using the standardized data for calculating the Mahalanobis Distance (MD) by the using the MTGS method. The MTGS method provides the direction of abnormality and can be used even in cases of multi-collinear data. The fourth step helps to identify the direction of improvement for a given set of capital constraints. The methodology is demonstrated using an example.     

实施精益生产 应对经济危机

在经济危机影响下,通过对精益生产以及企业所处现状的研究,说明精益生产对处在经济不景气下的企业的重要性,并提出了在实施精益生产中的数点建议.     

Lessons in lean [lean manufacturing]

This paper examines whether lean manufacturing really works based on the experience of several companies that have implemented lean principles. A study conducted by The Manufacturing Foundation, a non-profit organization that researches into manufacturing issues and provides policy advice for government, found that there are strong common implementation themes that run through lean manufacturing programs - programs that achieve both substantial improvements and sustained performance after the initial bursts of effort and uncritical enthusiasm. While the organization recommends lean to every manufacturer, this isn't all they should do. Lean should be in the strategic plan and it should not be an isolated strategy. The organization cautions about the danger for some companies to associate lean with quick wins, many of which will be productivity-related savings, and to lose long-term benefits. The Manufacturing Foundation also recommends better training and accreditation across government-supported lean providers, academics, private sector consultancies and training organizations and that business relationships should be two-way, with government not always giving and expecting nothing in return.     

国外军工企业科研生产管理流程再造案例分析研究

军工企业科研生产管理流程再造（BPR）是一个庞大而复杂的系统工程,在项目实施过程中涉及到多方面的活动和工作。简要介绍了国外军工企业科研生产管理流程再造发展现状,重点叙述了国外精益理论和标杆瞄准理论在企业中应用的案例,以作为我国军工企业管理理论发展的借鉴。     

Lean philosophy: implementation in a forging company

This research addresses the implementation of lean philosophy in a forging company with a focus on radial forging production flow lines. Here, the prime motive is to evolve and test several strategies to eliminate waste on the shop floor. In this research, a systematic approach is suggested for the implementation of lean principles. This paper describes an application of value stream mapping (VSM). Consequently, the present and future states of value stream maps are constructed to improve the production process by identifying waste and its sources. Furthermore, Taguchi’s method of design of experiments is pursued here to minimize the forging defects produced due to imperfect operating conditions. A noticeable reduction in set-up time and work-in-process (WIP) inventory level is substantiated. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of managerial implications and the future scope of research.     

Thermal-error modeling for complex physical systems: the-state-of-arts review

Flexibility and responsiveness to customer demands are very important for success. Generally additional time is needed for setup caused by poor design of equipment. At this point the terms continuous process improvement and SMED (single minute exchange of dies) as an approach of lean manufacturing come into play. A lean manufacturing system is part of corporate culture, like tools and approaches. In this research work, the process capability analysis technique is implemented by using MINITAB14 software to investigate the relation between SMED methodology and equipment design. The index C_pk has been used in this application study to provide a quantitative measurement of the equipment design by applying the SMED methodology in automobile manufacturing. The results of this research study indicated that SMED in other words “quick changeover” is still a suitable method not only for manufacturing improvement but also for equipment/die design development.     

Evaluating Virtual Cells and Multistage Flow Shops: An Analytical Approach

The implementation of cellular manufacturing can be carried out through the creation of manufacturing cells (i.e., groups of dissimilar machines dedicated to a set of part types that are placed in close proximity to one another) or virtual cells (i.e., the dedication of specific machines within the current departments to a prespecified set of part types). Typically, the former involves the reorganization of the shop floor and provides the operational benefit of reduced materials handling. On the other hand, the latter configuration is simpler to implement and easier to reconfigure in light of product demand changes, but it may not offer the same operational benefits. In this paper, we propose and validate analytical approximations for comparing the performance of virtual cells and multistage flow shops. Using these approximations and hypothetical data, we identify some key factors that influence the implementation of virtual cells in a multistage flow shop environment. We conclude with an application of our approximations to industrial data.     

Applying lean manufacturing system to improving productivity of airconditioning coil manufacturing

The main objective of this investigation was to implement lean manufacturing system (LMS) to improve productivity of airconditioning coil manufacturing at Blue Star Limited. LMS was successfully employed to improve coil manufacturing productivity or output by 77 % or from 121 coils to 214 coils per shift. The LMS tools; such as value stream mapping, single minute exchange of die, and Kaizen were employed to reduce the setup time of coil expander machine from 60 to 20 min, an improvement of 67 %. The increase in percentage value addition (%VA) of the coil shop was from 5 to 12 %, an improvement of 140 %. The improvement, especially in coil expander machine was achieved through Kaizen (continuous improvement) targeting design and work method changes. The specific innovative design changes or improvements made in the expander machine to reduce the setup time included the application of: (1) gear rack and gear pinion mechanism, (2) spring and cam and lever mechanism, and (3) one touch mechanism in the various components of the machine. Many method Kaizens were also proposed to simplify the setup procedure by eliminating waste (muda) from the setup of expander. Other benefits were obtained through reduction of work-in-process inventory, which in turn reduced the shop floor congestion and coil damage due to extra coil handling and improved workplace safety.     

Early learning centre [lean manufacturing]

Before introducing lean manufacturing methodologies into the production floor of the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port, all its staff were required to go through a day-long, hands-on experience with its specially built Simulated Working Environment (SWE), manufacturing wooden cars in what is a cross between a high-tech training center and a giant adult playground. The exercise aims to explain lean manufacturing techniques in both an informative and entertaining way through production line working, team meetings and brainstorming sessions. To spice up the experience, there is an added element of competition as teams vie to be the one that leads the way to meet the five stated goals of safety, people, quality, responsiveness and cost.     

The journey to lean [manufacturing]

There are a number of business challenges that significantly impact the degree of success in a lean implementation. However, there are a number of software tools that can help. The author provides a 'back to basics' guide to software tools that support lean manufacturing.     

机械制造技术新发展及其在我国的研究和应用

本文介绍了集信息、制造、管理为一体的计算机集成制造、敏捷制造、并行工程、虚拟制造、精益生产、绿色制造等先进制造技术，以及这些技术在国内研究和应用的情况。其目的在于使更多的企业在日趋激烈的市场竞争中，尽快地优化资源、技术和人员配置，提高效率，降低风险。