Integrated, Virtual Plant Design and Commissioning Methodology using Digital Manufacturing and Lean Principles

Value addition and performance improvement are important to deal with increasing local and global market competitiveness. Interventions and automation based on Lean and ergonomics principles have strong influence on performance improvement of the production systems. This study focuses on implementation of lean manufacturing and ergonomics principles to improve work environment and performance of the soccer manufacturing production line. Work visualization and value stream mapping (VSM) techniques were employed to identify the opportunities for improvements. Time of value and non-value-added activities is recorded using time study method. Working postures and associated risk factors are evaluated using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. Lean manufacturing principles are employed to minimize wastes and non-value added activities. Similarly, improvements in work environment are made through ergonomics interventions. Various models comprising different levels of lean and ergonomics interventions were evaluated through simulation before actual implementation. The results of the finalized model in terms of decrease in cycle time (8.64 to 7.018 seconds), increase in daily production (20505 to 24176 soccer balls), and improved work environment are evident of performance improvements in all aspects. The integration of lean and ergonomics principles leads to improve the productivity and working environment for workers in soccer ball manufacturing industry.

The purpose of the work. The purpose of the work is to develop a plan for the implementation of lean manufacturing principles at the enterprise of JSC "Tannery" in order to improve in-shop logistics and ensure the competitive advantages of the enterprise. The relevance of the work. The relevance of the chosen research topic is due to the fact that in modern conditions of a rapidly changing external environment, an enterprise needs to have competitive advantages in order to sell its products. For most enterprises, the main competitive advantage is to reduce the cost of production, which can be provided, for example, by optimizing in-store logistics. And here lean manufacturing comes to the rescue, which allows you to optimize existing resources. In this regard, the author identified the need to develop a plan for the implementation of lean manufacturing principles on the example of a leather goods manufacturing enterprise. The method or methodology of the work. The research is based on a general scientific methodology, which provides for the application of a systematic approach to solving the problems of in-store logistics by developing a specific plan for the implementation of lean manufacturing principles on the example of the enterprise JSC "Tannery". Results. In this work, a plan was developed to implement the principles of lean manufacturing in order to improve in-house logistics and ensure competitive advantages on the example of the enterprise JSC "Tannery" for the production of leather products. The paper considers the methods of traditional planning designed for analysis and decision-making in uncertain situations when implementing the principles of lean production on the example of the enterprise JSC "Tannery". The author assessed the effectiveness of the logistics system of JSC "Tannery" and identified its weaknesses; spaghetti diagrams for bottlenecks were constructed, a tree of problems and a tree of goals were formulated and constructed. Based on the results of the analytical study, the author proposed to redevelop the racks, which is reflected in detail in the developed plan for the introduction of lean manufacturing principles in order to improve in-store logistics and ensure the competitive advantages of the enterprise of JSC Tannery. Thus, the effectiveness of the plan developed by the author to implement the principles of lean manufacturing in order to improve in-store shelving logistics is beyond doubt and is confirmed by the calculations performed by the author. The scope of the results. The results of the conducted research can be used in the implementation of the principles of lean manufacturing at enterprises producing leather products in any region of the Russian Federation in order to improve warehouse logistics and ensure competitive advantages. Conclusions. In general, all of the above will lead to an improvement in the organization of financial and economic activities of enterprises producing leather products in the Russian Federation. This is especially relevant at present in the context of sanctions imposed by foreign countries against the Russian Federation.

This chapter discusses the key lean manufacturing principles and then relates these to various available Andon hardware and software that can be used for tracking and continuous improvement. Implementation of lean manufacturing principles can have a large impact on profit. Also, lean manufacturing principles can be applied to energy, as well as manufacturing activities and processes. The introduction to lean manufacturing principles and their importance has laid the groundwork for a deeper look into the concept of Andon. The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide information for energy professionals to use to make their industrial customers aware of the lean tool of Andon and its potential benefits to manufacturing processes. The benefits of implementing lean manufacturing are well documented. Lean manufacturing practices can have a very positive impact on industrial plant process efficiency and the associated financial bottom line.

Modelling of barriers encumbering the advancement of processing technologies towards lean manufacturing principles

Lean manufacturing practices focus on minimizing all forms of waste from the production system. The applicability of lean manufacturing concepts and principles has often been questioned in sectors including aerospace manufacturing primarily due to their high variety - low volume environments. The key challenges include the difficulty in changing the factory layout, lack of plant-specific manufacturing strategies, lack of benchmarking between manufacturing plants and non-existence of learning through experimentation culture. Consequently, the aerospace manufacturing industries have struggled to implement lean principles over the years successfully. Industry 4.0 is a new paradigm that is significantly influencing several manufacturing industries across the globe. Applying the concepts of Industry 4.0 along with the conventional lean transformation technology could potentially address these challenges. The focus of this research is to study the possibilities of integrating Industry 4.0 tools with existing lean manufacturing philosophies within the aerospace manufacturing sector in order to improve various aspects of manufacturing processes in a cyber-physical environment. A case study is performed considering a quality inspection department in a typical aerospace industry. The case study is simulated using discrete event simulation tool — Arena. The study found that a hybrid approach involving the holistic merger of the lean principles along with the Industry 4.0 tools known as Lean Industry 4.0 is the best way forward for the aerospace manufacturing sector. The outcomes of this research provide an understanding of the role of industry 4.0 paradigm and their implementation in several other high-technology and high-risk manufacturing sectors including life sciences, space, and defense industries.

ObjectivesIn recent years, Lean manufacturing principles have been applied to health care quality improvement efforts to improve wait times. In Ontario, an emergency department (ED) process improvement program based on Lean principles was introduced by the Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care as part of a strategy to reduce ED length of stay (LOS) and to improve patient flow. This article aims to describe the hospital‐based teams’ experiences during the ED process improvement program implementation and the teams’ perceptions of the key factors that influenced the program's success or failure.MethodsA qualitative evaluation was conducted based on semistructured interviews with hospital implementation team members, such as team leads, medical leads, and executive sponsors, at 10 purposively selected hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Sites were selected based, in part, on their changes in median ED LOS following the implementation period. A thematic framework approach as used for interviews, and a standard thematic coding framework was developed.ResultsTwenty‐four interviews were coded and analyzed. The results are organized according to participants’ experience and are grouped into four themes that were identified as significantly affecting the implementation experience: local contextual factors, relationship between improvement team and support players, staff engagement, and success and sustainability. The results demonstrate the importance of the context of implementation, establishing strong relationships and communication strategies, and preparing for implementation and sustainability prior to the start of the project.ConclusionsSeveral key factors were identified as important to the success of the program, such as preparing for implementation, ensuring strong executive support, creation of implementation teams based on the tasks and outcomes of the initiative, and using multiple communication strategies throughout the implementation process. Explicit incorporation of these factors into the development and implementation of future similar interventions in health care settings could be useful.

The relationship between system theory and the product design, the process of product development has been described. It compared the merits and demerits of serial and parallel product development processes and, with the guidelines of system theory, put forward and analyzed the planning actions and corresponding necessity existed in the indistinct initial phase in product development process. It also analyzed the optimizing effect of planning actions in product design & development process. Thus, it obtained the model of product design & development process based on system theory so as to clarify the indistinct initial phase, shorten product development time and, improve the effectiveness of enterprise's product development.

Electronic manufacturers are at increasing risk from offshore competition; often due to significantly lower labour costs abroad (Roberts, 2012). The implications are serious and, ignoring the threat, will, at best, lead to loss of market share and, at worst, the closure of many businesses with significant effect on the South African economy and society. This kind of competition has been seen in other industries. The clothing industry in South Africa, for example, has either failed or moved offshore. Traditional manufacturing production systems offer no solution to the problem, while a lean manufacturing has been associated with productivity increase, quality improvement, reduction of lead time and cost (Marudhamuthu & Krishnaswamy, 2011). According to Taj and Morosan (2011), waste is anything other than the minimum amount of equipment, materials, parts and working time which is absolutely vital to production. The focus of this study is the adoption of lean manufacturing principles in the electronic manufacturing industry in South Africa: a case of Altech UEC. The aim of this research is to identify the possible or potential of adopting lean manufacturing principles in the electronic manufacturing industry and, in particular, Altech UEC. The study identified the tools, techniques and drivers for implementation. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the following objectives were developed: • To capture employees’ perception of lean manufacturing and the principles that they believe have been implemented within Altech UEC; • To establish the impact being made or lack thereof of implementing lean manufacturing at Altech UEC; • To ascertain the challenges being faced by the implementation of lean manufacturing at Altech UEC; and • To explore the ways in which the implementation of lean manufacturing can be improved within Altech UEC. For the purpose of obtaining necessary information, the researcher employed a descriptive research design. With this research design, the primary data needed in this research are derived from the answers of the respondents of the survey through a previously used questionnaire. This study sought to explore the use and implementation of lean manufacturing principles at Altech UEC as the basis for understanding how lean manufacturing can benefit an organisation within a South African context. There were four research questions asked under the broader topic of lean manufacturing and through extensive research of previous literature and logical inferences made from the analysis of the data it was found that while some aspects of lean manufacturing principles were being used to improve upon the lean manufacturing process, there was still a great deal of improvement for Altech UEC to be a lean manufacturing organisation. The study was able to effectively conclude that lean manufacturing impacts positively on the manufacturing process and, if implemented correctly, the manufacturing process will run smoothly and efficiently. The more lean manufacturing aspects applied to the manufacturing process, the more likely it was to run smoothly and efficiently at an increased rate of production.

The reduction of lead time in the product development process (PDP) is one of the main challenges faced by organizations operating in dynamic and competitive markets, such as the textile sector. In this context, the application of lean manufacturing principles has proven to be a promising strategy to eliminate waste and increase efficiency. This article aims to analyze the joint application of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and the Gemba Kaizen (GK) method in a multi-project PDP of a textile industry in Santa Catarina, seeking to highlight how these practices can contribute to continuous improvement. Methodologically, the study adopts action research, conducted in two intervention cycles: the first focusing on waste identification through VSM, and the second on implementing improvements via GK. The results revealed the existence of excessive information inventories, rework, and inconsistencies in material and data flows, which directly impacted lead time. The application of lean practices resulted in a 63% reduction in the rework rate in printing and a decrease of two days in the total PDP lead time. As a contribution, the study demonstrates the applicability of Lean Product Development in sectors still scarcely explored in the literature, such as textiles, while also highlighting the relevance of integrating classical quality tools with lean methodologies. It further suggests the need for future research on the digitalization of VSM and GK, aligning product development with the principles of Industry 4.0 and the circular economy.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Tool management remains a persistent challenge in manufacturing, where misplaced or poorly calibrated tools such as torque guns and screwdrivers cause downtime, quality defects, and compliance risks.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming tool management from manual entries in spreadsheets and logs to real-time, data-driven solutions that enhance operational efficiency. With ongoing advancements in IoT architecture, a range of cost-effective tracking approaches is now available, including Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, RFID, and LoRaWAN.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper evaluates these technologies, comparing their trade-offs in accuracy, scalability, and cost for tool-management scenarios such as high-precision station tracking, zonal monitoring, and wide-area yard visibility. Unlike prior work that focuses on asset tracking in general, this study provides an ROI-driven, scenario-based comparison and offers recommendations for selecting appropriate technologies based on business needs.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The paper also discusses integration of IT and OT through protocols such as MQTT and Apache Kafka to enable real-time connectivity and explores how sensor data acquisition can support predictive analytics, including calibration compliance and maintenance forecasting.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The proposed multi-layered framework combining sensing, communication, and predictive intelligence demonstrates how digital tool tracking enhances efficiency, reduces downtime, and supports Lean manufacturing principles such as just-in-time readiness, continuous improvement, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).</div></div>

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) serve as critical control mechanisms in manufacturing systems, yet systematic approaches for quantifying procedural inefficiencies remain theoretically underdeveloped. Unlike traditional qualitative SOP analysis methods that rely on expert intuition and subjective assessment, current procedural optimization approaches lack the systematic rigor applied to physical process improvement. While lean manufacturing principles have demonstrated effectiveness in physical process optimization, their systematic application to procedural analysis represents an unexplored theoretical domain with significant potential for manufacturing systems improvement. This research addresses this gap by developing the Procedural Waste Index (PWI) framework, which establishes the first systematic theoretical integration of lean waste identification principles with procedural analysis. The framework extends the seven wastes of lean manufacturing to procedural analysis through systematic mapping to procedural elements identified via the extended Procedure Representation Language (e-PRL), creating a quantitative approach that enables the objective measurement of procedural efficiency where only subjective assessment methods previously existed. The PWI framework provides the following three key advantages over existing approaches: (1) systematic waste identification using proven lean principles rather than ad hoc improvement methods, (2) quantitative measurement capability enabling objective assessment and statistical process control, and (3) multi-perspective analytical framework through three complementary calculation methodologies (weighted aggregation, maximum constraint identification, and root mean square analysis) providing comprehensive analytical perspectives on procedural waste across discrete manufacturing contexts. The theoretical framework demonstrates practical applicability through a systematic analysis of a respirator fit testing procedure, revealing inventory waste as the primary inefficiency (70.0% waste score). This represents the first quantitative procedural waste assessment in the manufacturing literature, contributing to the foundational theory for systematic procedural optimization while establishing a methodology for future empirical validation studies.

Biopharma Is Going Digital … Bit by Bit

<div class="htmlview paragraph">SPC is discussed with a view to indicating its implications not only to manufacturing and quality but to research and product development as well.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">In the manufacturing/quality area, the efforts and methods attending full scale implementation of SPC are briefly reviewed with special reference to the differences inherent in powder making versus manufacturing of parts. SPC charting techniques suitable for powder making are described and discussed.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">In the product development area, it is shown how SPC influenced a major research program. The objective of the program was to improve premixed products with a view to reducing variability in parts manufacturing.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">ANOVA studies of production mixes generally showed that the main sources of premix variability were mix to mix differences and within mix differences arising from demixing subsequent to premix manufacture. It was recognized that SPC is especially applicable to dealing with the first of these and subsequent efforts to implement it to premixes are described. In the case of demixing, the development of a new premixing process is reported in which the alloy admix ingredients are bonded to the iron.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The general findings of extensive studies which show the benefits of the new process in terms of reduced variability in parts manufacturing are reviewed and the results of a study of an FC-0208 premix are presented as an example. SPC theory and concepts are used to indicate the significance of the results and their potential applicability to the production of parts.</div>

ABSTRACTCharacteristics of complex systems and systems engineering practices are reviewed. A workshop program (WES‐21) sponsored by the U. S. Navy for promoting wise technology investments in the engineering and management of complex systems in the 21st century is described. Topics and results from the three annual workshops held in 1994, 1995, and 1996 are discussed. Due to changes in the way the Department of Defense (DoD) acquires goods and services, the third workshop was designed to couple the group discussions closely with the DoD mandated concepts of Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD). The Lean Aircraft Initiative (LAI) program, which is independent of WES 21, is also discussed. LAI is aimed at lean manufacturing principles and practices.

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The basis for an environmental benign design of the production is the knowledge of the environmental impacts of processes. By setting up an <u>Environmental Knowledge Management System (EKMS)</u> the perception can be organized. The application of the EKMS is divided into two steps:</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <ol class="list nostyle"> <li class="list-item"><span class="li-label">1.</span><div class="htmlview paragraph">Documentation of the actual state with the focus on data collection and modeling of technical systems (production of products).</div></li> <li class="list-item"><span class="li-label">2.</span><div class="htmlview paragraph">Derive from prognostic statements by means of evaluated data and the identification of potentials for optimizations.</div></li> </ol> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The implementation and updating lays the foundations for the environmental optimization of the planning, development and production. The target is to ensure the availability of environmental information in the entire product developing process. The decision maker can identify optimization potentials with the help of this system already in an early stage of the product development process. Therefore measures can be arranged for the sustainable production which also causes cost savings.</div>