Papers by Keyword: Kaizen

Abstract: In recent years, the textile industry has increased its exports compared to previous years and produces thousands of jobs per year. However, some manufacturing companies in the textile industry experience low efficiency, such as the current textile company under study associated with unplanned machine downtime and idle time. In this sense, this study aims to promote the capacity, productivity, and efficiency of textile companies that manufacture garments. Therefore, a Lean Maintenance model supported by the integration of Lean Manufacturing instruments and techniques such as TPM, 5S, Kaizen is proposed in order to improve machine availability and quality through management metrics. After the implementation of the proposed tool integration, the activities of the operations were standardized, an increase in efficiency was generated, and a favorable change in maintenance metrics was achieved.

Abstract: This research work mainly focuses on the flexibility and productivity improvement through the execution of different lean techniques in the valve assembly of medium scale manufacturing unit. The different types of wastes percentage are determined to find out the waste which mainly affects the productivity. The major wastes of motion waste by about 30% and unwanted distance of 250 square foot were reduced by implementation of kaizen in the valve assembly area. Value stream mapping was used to identify the bottleneck process and by eliminating the bottleneck process results in the reduction of excess motion and non-value added activity by 45%. Work-in-process aging and work-in-process inventory cost was calculated and the production level was estimated by using 95th Percentile calculation. The total lead time was reduced about 54minutes with reduction of transportation time 2.7minutes after the implementation of lean techniques and the productivity of the valve assembly was also increased to about 6% after reducing the non-value added activities.

Abstract: In recent engineering practices, the manufacturing industries are more technically able to produce product with high quality to desire the customer needs. For accomplishing customer needs many lean tools are used to improve the methods of manufacturing practices in industries. The aim of this research work is enhance the productivity of spool casing assembly used in horn armature core per shift by using method study, time study and VSM. Cycle time for each operation of the product is determined by time study and the value added, non-value-added activities and transportation wastes occurred in the current state process identified and plotted in the current state VSM. The future state VSM was developed to reduce unnecessary wastes such as transportation, inventory, waiting which occurred in the current state VSM. Both current and future state time study are simulated using Flexsim simulation software. From the observed results it was found that, P3 and P5 model productivity was improved by about 5.5% and 6.5% respectively after implementation of appropriate lean tools.

Abstract: The main aim of this study is to achieve the maximum productivity in an assembly line of a valve manufacturing industry through the implementation of different lean tools to minimize the production time. The existing manufacturing data were collected and interpret the information’s for identifying the gaps for productivity improvement. For obtaining the production line performance we shall introduce a solution after finding the problemswhich affects the lead time. In this research, an attempt was made to introduce a new fixture with appropriate lean methods by focusing on value stream mapping, kaizen etc to eliminate different kinds of lead times consuming phases in the overall process. Designing a fixture for the process is also done in Kaizen, in order to exclude the sub operations. After execution of various lean tools the total cycle time was reduced about 10.49 minutes and the productivity was improved about 20% by eliminating all those non value added activities in the operations to meet the customer demand.

Abstract: Productivity is an important parameter for all small and medium scale manufacturing industries. Lean manufacturing emerged as production strategy capable of increasing productivity by identifying and eliminating non value added activities. This article deals with productivity improvement in a pre-assembly line of gearbox manufacturing company with a case study using lean concepts like process flow chart, process Gantt chart and time study. This paper illustrates using a case study on how a value stream mapping has to be carried out in a planet carrier pre-assembly line. Value stream mapping and work standardization are the key tools used in lean manufacturing and lean transformation. It makes the process smoother, helps in reduction of lead time and ultimately increasing the productivity. From the observed results it was found that, the productivity has been increased from 7 pieces to 10 pieces in the first step assembly when the proposed VSM was implemented. The second step processing time was reduced by the execution of proposed value stream mapping with TAKT time of 126 minutes and 165 minutes of processing time for demand of 10 pieces were achieved and the overall processing time has been reduced by about 24%.

Abstract: Increasing concern over the resource consumption and utilisation alongside of any manufacturing process decides the sustainability of the product. Many contemporary organisations due to stringent government regulation and policies now focus on management of waste generated across their units. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) generally focuses on reducing task time and thereby reducing monetary over heads. From the environmental perspective, the type of waste produced is important because of the difference in level of toxicity and environmental impact. This work focuses on imbibing environmental waste into the lean method of value stream mapping. The proposed integrated model was implemented in a case organisation and environmental impact was computed. The developed model can be used by stake holders and represent environmental impact at individual process and product levels to align organisation practices with strategic objectives for waste reduction.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a method to quantify the costs of potential losses from production processes for new products to prioritize improvement projects based on the target cost and provide data and information for feasibility studies of continuous improvement projects. The specificity of the manufacturing cost policy deployment for new products is to identify the percentage of cost of future production phases which does not add value from a customer perspective, dynamically throughout the product life cycle. The percentage of non-value added cost is based on loss of each manufacturing process and is determined scientifically based on data and facts. Using the proposed method helps manufacturing companies in the acceptance of certain orders which at first glance are unprofitable. Moreover, the proposed method will help develop scenarios for continuous cost reduction after starting production through continuous improvement of productivity and quality required. The empirical results are based on the study during a year and a half in the automotive company, using action research methodology.

Abstract: A study on Autonomous Maintenance (AM) implementation was conducted for CNC machine at automotive components manufacturing line in order to identify and measure equipment losses related to availability, performance and quality rate. These values were used to determine the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the manufacturing line before and after AM implementation. The project started with AM team formation before it was continued with 5S activities and fuguai (abnormality) detection and restoration. Kaizen was used for continuous improvement to restore deteriorated parts and components of the machine. Autonomous Maintenance standards such as cleaning, lubricating and inspection were developed. The AM team members consistently followed the operator maintenance standards to ensure that machine is always in good working condition. The OEE results were taken daily after AM implementation and compared with the data before the implementation. The average OEE result shows significant improvement from 65.8% to 80.4% after the AM implementation. However, the result still did not achieve the company’s target. The main reason was because the machine was very old, which almost reaches deterioration stage according to the bath tub curve. Some recommendations are suggested as to push the OEE value closer to the company’s target including a review on other pillars in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

Abstract: This project is related to the improvement of cab transfer process from Painted Body Storage (PBS) area to General Assembly (GA) line. The objectives of this project are to eliminate the root cause of cab defect and to streamline the transfer process with the reduction of process cycle time. From the current process study, it is found that the lifting method causes the quality defect to the cab and the usage of different type of trolley between PBS and GA contribute to the high cycle time. The new process design has been introduced from the findings with the use of towing method and the use of common trolley for both PBS area and GA line. With the new and improved cab transfer process, the cab changing process can be eliminated. Hence, the number of operator required has been reduced, from two operators to only one operator. A trial run has been conducted with a prototype trolley and a forklift. The objectives of this project are fulfilled with the new towing method that eliminate the quality defect and the use of common trolley for both PBS and GA line resulting new cycle time of 7.13 minutes per unit from 9.77 minutes per unit. Further studies are needed for commissioning and monitoring to the new cab transfer process with the actual trolley and tow tug or buggy.

Abstract: The paper deals with the issues of Slovak industrial enterprises in the field of Logistics and Manufacturing. The authors describe theoretical possibilities of improving manufacturing systems through the use of Kaizen, Simulation and Optimization. Authors also present results of the survey, which was conducted in Slovak industrial enterprises. The last part of the paper shows practical examples of improving manufacturing systems using different methods. The main aim of the paper is to summarise theoretical knowledge for the improvement of manufacturing systems through Kaizen and Optimisation by Simulation, compare results of the survey in Slovak industrial enterprises and finally suggest new approaches for industrial enterprises to improve their manufacturing systems.