The strategic integration of agile and lean supply

Lean supply is closely associated with enabling flow and the elimination of wasteful variation within the supply chain. However, lean operations depend on level scheduling and the growing need to accommodate variety and demand uncertainty has resulted in the emergence of the concept of agility. This paper explores the role of inventory and capacity in accommodating such variation and identifies how TRIZ separation principles and TOC tools may be combined in the integrated development of responsive and efficient supply chains. A detailed apparel industry case study is used to illustrate the application of these concepts and tools

A3 thinking approach to support knowledge-driven design

Problem solving is a crucial skill in product development. Any lack of effective decision making at an early design stage will affect productivity and increase costs and the lead time for the other stages of the product development life cycle. This could be improved by the use of a simple and informative approach which allows the designers and engineers to make decisions in product design by providing useful knowledge. This paper presents a novel A3 thinking approach to problem solving in product design, and provides a new A3 template which is structured from a combination of customised elements (e.g. the 8 Disciplines approach) and reflection practice. This approach was validated using a case study in the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) design issue for an automotive electrical sub-assembly product. The main advantage of the developed approach is to create and capture the useful knowledge in a simple manner. Moreover, the approach provides a reflection section allowing the designers to turn their experience of design problem solving into proper learning and to represent their understanding of the design solution. These will be systematically structured (e.g. as a design checklist) to be circulated and shared as a reference for future design projects. Thus, the recurrence of similar design problems will be prevented and will aid the designers in adopting the expected EMC test results

A strategy for achieving manufacturing statistical process control within a highly complex aerospace environment

This paper presents a strategy to achieve process control and overcome the previously mentioned industry constraints by changing the company focus to the process as opposed to the product. The strategy strives to achieve process control by identifying and controlling the process parameters that influence process capability followed by the implementation of a process control framework that marries statistical methods with lean business process and change management principles. The reliability of the proposed strategy is appraised using case study methodology in a state of the art manufacturing facility on Multi-axis CNC machine tools

Integrated automotive exhaust engineering : uncertainty management

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-108).The global automotive industry has entered a stagnating period. Automotive OEMs and their tier suppliers are struggling for business growth. One of the most important strategies is to improve the engineering efficiency in the product development process. The engineering uncertainties have been identified as the main obstacles in the Lean Engineering practices. This study will be focused on the engineering development process of ArvinMeritor Emission Technologies. The lean engineering principles and techniques are applied to the current product development process. The Value Stream Mapping and Analysis method is used to identify the information flow inside the current engineering process. Based on the value stream map, the uncertainties at various development stages in the process are identified. The Design Structure Matrix is used to identify any unplanned design iteration, which results in lower engineering efficiency. The House of Quality is used to prioritize the importance of the iterations. The suggested excel program can effectively evaluate the effect of task duration, probability, impact and learning curve assumption.(cont.) In order to quantitatively predict the effects of the uncertainties, a System Dynamic model is specifically developed for the current engineering of Emission Technologies. The results clearly indicate the control factors for on-time delivery, efficient resource allocation, and cost reduction. This study has integrated the techniques from system engineering, system project management, and system dynamics. An improved automotive exhaust engineering process is proposed.by Xitian Fang and Deming Wan.S.M

A review of data visualization: opportunities in manufacturing sequence management.

Data visualization now benefits from developments in technologies that offer innovative ways of presenting complex data. Potentially these have widespread application in communicating the complex information domains typical of manufacturing sequence management environments for global enterprises. In this paper the authors review the visualization functionalities, techniques and applications reported in literature, map these to manufacturing sequence information presentation requirements and identify the opportunities available and likely development paths. Current leading-edge practice in dynamic updating and communication with suppliers is not being exploited in manufacturing sequence management; it could provide significant benefits to manufacturing business. In the context of global manufacturing operations and broad-based user communities with differing needs served by common data sets, tool functionality is generally ahead of user application

A next generation manufacturing control system for a lean production environment

This thesis focuses on addressing the need for a new approach to the design and implementation of manufacturing control systems for the automotive industry and in particular for high volume engine manufacture. Whilst the operational domain in the automotive industry has moved to lean production techniques, the design of presentday manufacturing control systems is still based on systems intended for use in a mass production environment. The design and implementation of current manufacturing control systems is therefore inappropriate when viewed from a business context. The author proposes that it is possible to create a more appropriate manufacturing control systems based on an optimised use of advanced manufacturing technology within the complete business context. Literature is reviewed to provide a detailed understanding of the relationship between modem operating practices and the application of contemporary control systems. The primary tasks of manufacturing control systems, within the context of a structured systems approach to manufacturing technology, production management and industrial economics are identified. A study of modem manufacturing control system technology is carried out, highlighting the fundamental principles that influence application engineering in this area. The thesis develops a conceptual design framework that aids the identification of attributes required of a next generation manufacturing control system (NGCS), in order to enhance the business performance of lean automotive manufacturing. The architecture for a next generation control system is specified and a Proof of concept system implemented. Potential advances over contemporary practice are identified with the aid of a practical implementation at a major automotive manufacturer

Information technology and performance management for build-to-order supply chains

En las siguientes líneas se plantea un artículo de reflexión que tiene en cuenta parte del marco teórico que sustenta la investigación titulada “Prácticas pedagógicas que promueven la competencia argumentativa escrita (CAE) en niños campesinos de los grados 4° y 5° del Centro Educativo Municipal La Caldera, Sede Principal de Pasto”, desarrollada en el año 2012. En él se contemplan los aportes de las ciencias del lenguaje y la comunicación, la teoría de la argumentación, la didáctica de la lengua escrita y los géneros discursivos, que dan cuenta de la necesidad de desarrollar la capacidad crítica en los estudiantes a través de la argumentación, lo cual implica transformar las prácticas pedagógicas para que se alejen de la transmisión de conocimientos y den paso a la comunicación, para que la palabra escrita sea apropiada de manera significativa