Value Stream Management in the "Lean Manufacturing Laboratory"

The University of Luxembourg has recently launched its learning factory, the "Lean Manufacturing Laboratory". With the help of this manual assembly line, students gain valuable insights in the operation of a manufacturing line as well as in buffer, waste and congestion management. Currently, one of the main research topics at the University of Luxembourg in the field of Lean Management is the further development of the method Value Stream Management (VSM). The application of VSM in the "Lean Manufacturing Laboratory" with a projected focus on industry and service sectors reveals the need for a standardized VSM approach. Thus, one of the research objectives is the development of a common VSM method accompanied by standardized software and process interfaces to ensure robust product and information flows within a company and also throughout supply chains. On the way towards a VSM method as standard, existing VSM approaches have to be investigated and validated. By a detailed comparison of existing VSM approaches, all necessary fields of action for the development of a standardized Value Stream Management approach are shown. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.