Combining lean tools application in kaizen: a field study on the printing industry

Lean concepts play a fundamental role in the promotion of continuous improvement in the workplace. This chapter seeks to assess the impact of Kaizen events on an organization's bottom line, in the case of Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) that is a system for dramatically reducing the time it takes to complete equipment changeovers. In this case study, SMED was used in combination with other lean tools such as 5S and standardized work in a bid to promote continuous improvement of the “flawed” operations that occur in a world-class manufacturer plant. This analysis is critical in determining whether the path to achieving continuous improvement process for the team in the organization can be achieved through the use of SMED. The results have shown that a lean strategy like SMED, coupled with other lean strategies like 5s and TPM, plays a fundamental role in reducing process inefficiencies in the plant.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to uncover the significance of lean manufacturing technique in manufacturing environments.Design/methodology/approachLean manufacturing is a management approach focused on incremental improvements in operations. Different lean strategies are being utilized by manufacturing industry to improve the performance of current manufacturing system processes. This study attempts to evaluate the performance of different lean manufacturing tools in the manufacturing industry of northern India. The importance level of different lean tools, important benefits achieved after successful implementation of lean manufacturing approach and benefits occurred after implementation of different lean tools have been identified. A questionnaire survey in the case company has been performed and the most important element of lean manufacturing has been implemented.FindingsResults explicitly depict that just-in-time manufacturing is the most important element of lean manufacturing. Results indicate the net savings of rupees 242,208 annually after implementing lean manufacturing technique in a case company.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates the practical application of lean technique showing how it can bring real breakthroughs in saving cost in the manufacturing industry.

Objective: To study and implement the lean tools and to reduce lead time without much affecting the current working systems in a small scale automotive component manufacturing industry. Method/Analysis: An attempt was made in increasing the capacity of a machining cell with appropriate lean techniques. The enhancement of capacity was to be completed with zero capital investment. Findings: A lean approach by using value stream mapping and line balancing was adopted to improve the performance of the manufacturing cell. By collecting the past production data and deciphering the information, gaps were identified for enhancement. Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) was used to regulate the production and Kaizen was also introduced in all work stations. Leveled operator loading for output consistency was suggested. Finally capacity intensification was achieved without any major capital investment. Application/Improvements: Implementation of lean tools reduced the setup time and idle time. The overall lead time got reduced from 6.9 days to 3.6 days and total cycle time got reduced from 170 to 140 minutes and the customer demand was also met on time by the execution of lean tools.Keywords: Cycle Time, Lead Time, Line Balancing, SMED, TAKT Time, VSM

Line balancing using the Takt Time method is recognized as a modern tool forassisting businesses in reducing costs and increasing profits. It is possible for the enterpriseto smoothly produce the most optimal number of products by rational calculation andresource arrangement. This paper presents a case study on the application of line balancingby the Takt Time method in a steel factory in Vietnam. The methods selected for the studyinclude describing the current situation of the factory, applying Lean Manufacturingimprovement tools, applying modern equipment technology, and rearranging factoryresources, finally calculating Line Balancing metrics and implementing them in practice.According to the findings of the research, using the Takt Time line balancing methodprovides numerous benefits to the factory. The number of operators decreased by 9 people.The percentage of line balance increased by 22% from 77% to 99% and the efficiency ofline balance increased by 6% from 93% to 99%. In addition, the study also helpsVietnamese businesses have a more objective view of the application of Takt Time linebalancing in the future.

Productivity improvement has long been approached by greatly diversified techniques. More often than not, these approaches were confined to a specific theme such as statistical and process-centric optimisations, production-centric (layout, line balancing, etc.) optimisations, machine-centric optimisations or product design-centric optimisations. Each of those areas was proved to be capable of improving the productivity of the systems to some extent. However, significant productivity improvement of any system is only possible by the collective application of all the aforementioned approaches to mitigate the inefficacy of any system. In the present study, an attempt was made to improve the productivity of a production line by the collective application various productivity improvement techniques such as process-improvement, line balancing, statistical tools and machine centre modification. The quality parameters of the product were constantly monitored and weighed against every effort of productivity improvement.

Work standardization and line balancing in a windmill gearbox manufacturing cell: A case study

In Line Balancing principles, the total workload in the assembly process is divided as evenly as possible among the workstations, without violating the sequences and relations in the assembly operations. Line balancing is important in an assembly system as it balances the line and increases the efficiency, as well as the productivity of a system. A case study was conducted in the assembly line of an electrical accessories manufacturer in Malaysia. The cycle time for each station was recorded, and the standard cycle time was estimated. The productivity, as well as the efficiency of the current assembly line, were studied. In terms of the productivity, the performance of the current systems was 500 units/worker/day, while the expected productivity was 600 units/worker/day. An assembly line setting was proposed based on the Line Balancing Method; the productivity for the proposed line increased to 671 units/worker/day, or in rough additional increase around 34%.

The purpose of this paper is to propose improvements in the productivity of the logistics processes of a book distributor, which consisted of three points. First, theoretical notions were included to delimit and understand the field of development of the company in the world industry considering that the organization studied does not compete alone in the market, but belongs to an industrial sector where companies meet certain characteristics and market behavior in general. Topics included: Logistics, Supply Chain, Lean Thinking, Productivity, among others. Second, the current situation was analyzed from the Peruvian industrial sector of book distribution to the particularities of the company; the latter show the current processes and the problems encountered. Using systematically quality tools, the main causes of the increase in overtime carried out by the company's collaborators were identified. These causes were associated and analyzed in three groups: Process, Operation and Management; highlighting those adhered to the «process». Third, the implementation of the Lean Logistics methodology for optimizing productivity and reducing overtime was presented as a solution alternative. To do this, Lean tools and principles were used and adapted, such as VSM, KPI, 5S analysis, Standardization, Line Balance. Finally, there was a reduction in the cycle time of the logistics processes in 39 h and the reduction in the variability of the reception, picking and packing processes by more than 85% based on their standard deviation

Introduction. For the success of domestic dairy companies in the world market, they must be focused on the production of high quality and safe products with minimal production costs, which will ensure their maximum competitiveness. In addition to choosing the optimal raw materials, consumables, packaging materials, components, etc., it is necessary to optimize processes that do not bring profit to the company. One of the most well-known and most successful methods of reducing production losses is the implementation of the principles of "lean production" in the enterprise. The purpose of the article is to analyze individual elements of lean production, especially flow mapping, as one of the simplest and most obvious methods of practical use in dairy enterprises. Results. The list of losses allocated by economical production is made and their short characteristic is given. LEAN tools and methods for production systems are developed, the main task of which is to reduce enterprise losses. The article analyzes in detail such a Lean production tool as value creation flow mapping. This method is a simple and visual graphical diagram that depicts the material and information flows required to manufacture a product or provide a service to the end user. The value creation flow map makes it possible to see immediately the "bottlenecks" of the flow, and on the basis of its analysis to identify all unproductive costs and processes, to develop a plan for improvement. The main stages of creating a flow map are highlighted and implemented for a graphical image using the Gantt chart of the process of receiving raw milk at the dairy plant, also the analysis of the obtained data and recommendations for its optimization. Recommendations for using a mapping tool such as SIPOC are provided. Conclusions. Using the Value Stream Mapping method and SIPOC allows to see quickly and clearly the entire research process, set the limiting stages and start working with them. The end result is a reduction in cycle time and calculation of the time of each cycle, and the expression of this in the Gantt chart allows to visualize the process for workers, which is part of the processes of describing Standard Work and flow equalization (Heijunka). Keywords: lean production, losses, Value Stream Mapping, Gantt chart, competitiveness.

With the technological change in digital color data processing, the color management based on ICC (international color consortium) profiles becomes a new strategy in the printing industry. However, this change is driving to reengineer the color reproduction workflows and how to help printing companies in improving their printing processes by means of color management has not been clearly spelled out by ICC yet. This is the main challenge for ICC to uphold color management for the printing industry in the next generation. This paper aims to address such a problem encountered in printing industry. It provides process modeling for a variety of color work flows, identifies the primitive activities in a unified process model for next generation color management to improve the color print quality and efficiency. It also discusses the key issues for the implementation of the color management processes, especially based on CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) output profiles, in terms of accuracy and efficiency.

Nowadays, customers are well aware of quality and they purchase only quality products. Thanks to globalization! In order to achieve highest quality products, companies need to adapt the latest and advanced technologies in their industries. Failure to adapt these new trends would lead to less profit and or huge loss and eventually shutdown of their business to its competitors. A case study on discrete manufacturing company was conducted to analyze the above phenomenon. The selected case study company is pioneer in manufacturing plastic injection moulding machines in India. Several lean tools and techniques are implemented to eliminate its unwanted waste in their production line. All these aid to development of optimum facility layout, good workplace, ergonomic designed work cells for operators, improvement in productivity of the operator (by 28%), to name a few. By achieving all these, the overall product (plastic injection moulding machine) quality is improved by 23%.

In powder coating industry, product over-cured and poor surface finishing are both utmost issues faced by the manufacturer. One of the reasons is due to the poor synchronization between powder coating conveyor speed, number of operators in loading and unloading bay, and variety of products to be powder coated. This study is conducted in a metal industry company located at Johor with powder coating facility. Raw data were collected through documentation and observation such as complete operation activities of the powder coating process, the actual layout of the powder coating workstation. The raw data were then converted into simulation scenario using Arena software to determine the configuration between conveyor speed, number of operator, and consideration of three variants of product (small, medium, big) in order to achieve best synchronization. Next, the obtained findings were validated with the actual industry data. A balanced synchronized matrix is developed in the end of this study which could contribute to enable better understanding of line balancing in powder coating process. Perhaps the findings could be utilized to assist the practitioner in operation planning and productivity improvement

The paper discusses possible applications of wireless technologies in support of lean manufacturing tools. The typology of lean tools is provided. It distinguishes three main categories, which are identification and analysis of waste, improvement implementation, and process monitoring. The set of lean tools was analyzed in terms of information requirements. On the other hand, the typology of wireless technologies was discussed including RFID and Wi-Fi. The literature review of wireless technology applications for support of lean tools was conducted. The literature was systematically reviewed from the point of view of specific technologies and specific tools which were the subjects of the analyzed publication. Both typologies were synthesized to establish a framework for wireless technologies applications in the context of lean manufacturing implementation. It also could serve as a guideline for lean practitioners and implies future research directions.

To sel the scene, the developments in typesetting and colour reproduction systems through the 1970s and early 1980s are briefly examined.In more detail we will look at the state of the art today in terms of text capture, construction of databases, text processing, page makeup, monochrome systems that combine text and graphics, colour page assembly systems including the merging of text and computer-to- plate systems. Finally, certain technology and usage trends are identified, which suggest changes not only in method but in the structure of the printing and publishing industry.

A good manufacturing practice for production assembly can result in better productivity for the organization. This study focusses on productivity improvement of Electronics Manufacturing Service Company (EMSC) production assembly. It also aims to reduce waste and to propose a leaner line balancing with the elimination of non-value-added activities during the assembly. This study also aims to utilize current workstation to carter for the needs of the workstation to achieve 39 seconds takt time. Time study has been conducted for all workstations and found that all of the cycle time for each workstation exceeds the required takt time of 39 seconds. The bottleneck is at workstation number two with a recorded standard time of 54.1 seconds to complete the assembly thus causes high work in progress at workstation number two and excessive operator idle time to subsequent workstations. The main issue of EMSC is high volume demands from the customer and committing to the shipment plan. By adding one additional operator to workstation number two and a proper distribution of tasks may help EMSC to increase their production output. Time study is recorded in standard work form for future improvement.