Production Flow Analysis through Value Stream Mapping: A Lean Manufacturing Process Case Study

Click 'Lean" approach has been applied more than frequent in many manufacturing management floors over these few decades. Started in the automotive industry, sequential improvement initiatives were implemented to enhance the manufacturing practice changes. The team described a case where Lean Production (LP) principles were adapted for the process sector of an automotive part manufacturing plant. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is one of the key lean tools used to identify the opportunities for various lean techniques. The contrast of the before and after the LP initiatives in determine managers potential benefits such as reduced production lead-time and lower work-in-process inventory. As VSM involves in all of the process steps, both value added and non-value added, are analyzed and using VSM as a visual tool to help see the hidden waste and sources of waste. A Current State Map is drawn to document how things actually operated on the production floor. Then, a Future State Map is developed to design a lean process flow through the elimination of the root causes of waste and through process improvements. An Implementation Plan then outline details of the steps needed to support the LP objectives. This paper demonstrates the VSM techniques and discusses the application in an LP initiative on a product (Front disc, D45T) case study. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of the Centre of Humanoid Robots and Bio-Sensor (HuRoBs), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA.