An integrated approach for lean production using simulation and data envelopment analysis

According to the extant literature, improving the leanness of a production system boosts a company’s productivity and competitiveness. However, such an endeavor usually involves managing multiple, potentially conflicting objectives. This study proposes a framework that analyzes lean production methods using simulation and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to accommodate the underlying multi-objective decision-making problem. The proposed framework can help identify the most efficient solution alternative by (i) considering the most common lean production methods for assembly line balancing, such as single minute exchange of dies (SMED) and multi-machine set-up reduction (MMSUR), (ii) creating and simulating various alternative assembly line configuration options via discrete-event simulation modeling, and (iii) formulating and applying DEA to identify the best alternative assembly system configuration for the multi-objective decision making. In this study, we demonstrate the viability and superiority of the proposed framework with an application case on an automotive spare parts production system. The results show that the suggested framework substantially improves the existing system by increasing efficiency while concurrently decreasing work-in-process (WIP).Q10006980682000012-s2.0-8511520297

Lean manufacturing e ergonomia na industria metalúrgica: uma abordagem integrada para a melhoria de desempenho

Due to an increasingly competive market, most companies can only survive through continuous improvement, by increasing their productivity and reducing costs. The Lean Production System (SPL) is more and more often used for this purpose.However, the workers' well-being is often neglected, leading to musculoskeletal problems and other occupational diseases. Several authors have identified a gap in the literature regarding the identification of the best practices in the integration of the prevention of musculoskeletal diseases in an SPL. The main objective of this thesis is to clarify the relationship between Ergonomics and LPS and provide the necessary tools for practitioners to implement an ergonomic LPS in their production areas. To achieve this objective, a systematic review was performed and case studies were conducted in four production areas in a metallurgical company using Lean concepts, ergonomic analysis and simulation. From the results found in the literature, which were validated by the four case studies, we can conclude that the integration of Ergonomics during an SPL implementation has the potential to result in gains in productivity and simultaneously improve working conditions. To potentiate these results, several components must be taken into account, namely: the integration of ergonomics in the design of the workstation, the tools for monitoring and evaluation, training and the automation of the manual tasks. Beyond the results obtained and the lessons learned from the case studies, two important tools were developed and validated which were a great support to the implementation of future studies in different areas or sectors: the methodology flowchart and ErgoSafeCI (a tool to evaluate and monitor the LPS implementation while taking into account the ergonomic and safety aspects of a production area). This work offers a valuable contribution for researchers and professionals because it demonstrates how the integration of ergonomics into an SPL increases productivity by providing the necessary tools which make it possible to replicate the procedure in other production areas or sectors.Atualmente, devido ao mercado cada vez mais competitivo, a maioria das empresas só sobrevive através da melhoria contínua, aumentando a produtividade e diminuindo os custos. O Sistema de Produção Lean (SPL) é cada vez mais usado com esse objetivo. No entanto, o bem estar dos trabalhadores é muitas vezes negligenciado, levando a problemas músculoesqueléticos e a outras doenças profissionais. Diversos autores identificam uma falha na literatura quanto à identificação das melhores práticas na integração da prevenção das doenças músculoesqueléticas num SPL. O objetivo principal desta tese é clarificar a relação entre a Ergonomia e um SPL e desenvolver as ferramentas necessárias para ajudar os profissionais na implementação de um SPL ergonómico nas suas áreas produtivas. Para atingir esse objetivo foi realizada uma revisão sistemática à literatura e foram desenvolvidos casos de estudo em quatro áreas produtivas numa empresa metalúrgica onde foram usados vários conceitos Lean, análises ergonómicas e a simulação. Através dos resultados encontrados na literatura e validados nos casos de estudo, concluímos que a integração da ergonomia durante a implementação de um SPL resulta em ganhos de produtividade e simultaneamente melhora as condições de trabalho. Para potenciar estes resultados, diversos fatores devem ser considerados, nomeadamente: a integração da ergonomia no desenho do posto trabalho, nas ferramentas de monitorização e avaliação, na formação e a automatização das tarefas manuais. Para além dos resultados obtidos através dos casos de estudo, e da identificação de algumas “best practices” através das lições aprendidas ao longo deste trabalho, foram ainda desenvolvidas e validadas duas ferramentas importantes no apoio à implementação de futuros estudos em diferentes áreas produtivas e setores: a ErgoSafeCI (ferramenta para avaliar e monitorizar a implementação de um SPL considerando os aspetos ergonómicos e de segurança numa área produtiva) e uma proposta de metodologia geral para abordar a questão da integração das práticas Lean com as práticas de ergonomia. Este trabalho apresenta um contributo, que se espera valioso, para investigadores e profissionais por demonstrar como a integração da ergonomia num SPL potencia a produtividade fornecendo as ferramentas necessárias para a replicação da metodologia proposta noutras áreas produtivas.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia e Gestão Industria

Applying SMED methodology in cork stoppers production

Organizations are increasingly required to have a high level of quality and flexibility in production. In order to remain in the market and become competitive, the working methods practiced must be reliable and efficient. The present project sought the improvement of an equipment of the cork industry by introducing a variation, through the application of Lean methods. The equipment under study performs the union of a cork stopper to a capsule, which is done by gluing it with hot-melt glue. The amount of production makes the changeover activity a regular process. The method followed in this work was the study and collection of information on the Lean production philosophy and its application in the cork industry. The working conditions of the assembly machine were also analyzed in order to find opportunities for improvement. Thus, the tool used was the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) technique in order to acknowledge the processes that really add value to the product. The SMED (Single Minute of Exchange of Die) methodology was applied in a way to reduce the downtime caused by tool changes, and a reduction of 43% in total changeover time was obtained. It was also created an A3 model to monitor the entire development of the SMED project, Finally, the OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) calculation was implemented as an indicator of overall equipment efficiency, in order to improve the monitoring of possible deviations during production. The feedback also proves that lean tools are a powerful method to get solid returns without large investments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The development of an excellence model integrating the Shingo model and sustainability

Companies are continuously looking to improve their production systems using excellence models, with lean thinking, the Shingo model, six sigma and lean six sigma being the most comprehensive and applied. It is expected that the initial focus for the survival of companies is their economic profitability, but when economic needs are met, the next step is to achieve operational excellence. For this, in addition to economic objectives, it is necessary to include social and environmental objectives, i.e., the other two pillars of sustainability. This study aims to propose a conceptual model identifying the tools that can help achieve the desired results in the three pillars of sustainability aligned with operational excellence. The design of the conceptual model was based on a bibliometric analysis of the literature that relates the concepts of lean thinking, six sigma, lean six sigma and the Shingo model. The Web of Science was the platform selected for the collection of data, and the timeframe considered was 2010 to 2021. A total of 125 articles were analyzed using the VosViewer software, through which it was possible to analyze different topics of study related to the literature. The bibliometric analysis allowed for the identification of the temporal distribution of publications, the categorization of topics, different areas of application and the importance of the tools used in different practical cases. This study points out that companies have at their disposal several tools to achieve economic objectives. On the other hand, there is a set of more restricted tools that are used to meet the objectives of the social and environmental pillars. Future research should focus on identifying tools that meet social and environmental goals in order to strengthen these pillars that are essential for operational excellence and for the sustainability of companies.The work of the author Vanda Lima is supported by national funds, through the FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project UIDB/04728/2020

Integrated single minute exchange of die (ismed) approach to improve tandem press line operation output in automotive industry

In today's economic world, competitiveness is characterized by great agitation and extreme conflict. This disturbed environment has compelled firms to renew themselves by implementing various approaches such as Agile, Lean, TPM, TQM, and so on, to remain competitive in the market and achieve their goals successfully. This research is focusing on the production performance of the stamping process in Malaysia’s automotive industry. Most of the changeover or setup time reductions are governed or associated with Shingo’s Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) method, which suggests the conversion of internal setup operations to external operations. SMED has been initiated by most of the companies but failed to implement it. Thus, what is observed and evidenced in data collected from industry players is that an unacceptably long time is taken in the die/tooling change process, which grossly affects the planned production output. The most significant direct impact of this situation on the industry is the increase in operating costs due to additional time taken to meet the planned production output. Therefore, this research aims to establish a new framework that can improve the efficiency of the die changeover process, which could lower the overall production cost, which could partially transfer the savings to the consumers. The study was conducted in few stages first, data collection correlates with the automotive stamping premise to create a simulation procedure. Second, analyse the current production output using WITNESS simulation. This simulated output data will later be compared to the actual industrial data. Using a systematic die changeover process, a new alternative framework was proposed. The framework combined "Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)", lean tools and simulation to become an "Integrated Single Minute Exchange of Die (ISMED)". It shows that the proposed method decreased the changeover processes from the initial 1509.5 seconds to 750.75 seconds, then further decreased to 569.75 seconds, with a net 62.2% time reduction. In the third stage, the selected process is then subjected to analysis using WITNESS simulation. The result shows that the daily production output has increased gradually from 1,100 pieces to 1,500 pieces, then further increased to 2,145 pieces. The output was later further validated through Delphi Method analysis. The new framework proposed in this study has been verified by five experts selected from various backgrounds in the automotive industry. As evidenced by analytical data, it is believed that this new framework will strengthen the total output in the manufacturing process, especially in the manufacturing of automotive stamping parts

Analisis Prosedur dan Perbaikan Waktu Set up Mesin Cetak pada Industri Percetakan Kertas Dekorasi Furnitur (Studi Kasus: PT. XYZ)

PT. XYZ merupakan perusahaan yang bergerak pada bidang produksi cetak kertas dekorasi untuk melapisi furnitur berbahan kayu. Terdapat proses produksi yang menggunakan mesin cetak, di mana sebelum menggunakan mesin tersebut diperlukan aktivitas set-up. Waktu terlama yang diperlukan untuk aktivitas set-up mesin cetak mencapai 5 jam. Perusahaan telah memiliki poin-poin aktivitas dalam set-up mesin cetak namun tidak ada ketentuan urutan pengerjaannya. Pemborosan waktu yang ditimbulkan perlu dianalisis terkait dengan urutan aktivitas dan reduksi waktu set-up yang terlalu panjang. Pembobotan aktivitas dilakukan dengan metode Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) agar dapat diketahui aktivitas mana yang didahulukan. Kemudian untuk perbaikan waktu set-up dapat direduksi dengan metode Single Minute of Dies (SMED). Hasil dari TOPSIS adalah urutan aktivitas pemanasan silinder cetak (A2), pemanasan drying (A3), pemasangan bahan dan lintasan (A1), yang terakhir adalah pemompaan tinta dan pemasangan doctor blade (A4) yang disusun rinci dalam manual prosedur.  Untuk hasil SMED terdapat perubahan aktivitas internal ke eksternal pada aktivitas persiapan alat & bahan dan pemanasan drying, kemudian waktu set-up turun hingga 62%.&nbsp

Understanding and improving the manufacturing and changeover process in Saudi Arabian business - a multiple case study approach

The importance of the changeover process in the manufacturing industry is becoming widely recognised. Changeover is a complete process of changing between the manufacture of one product to manufacture of an alternative product until specified production and quality rates are reached. The initiatives to improve changeover exist in industry, as better changeover process typically contribute to improved quality performance. A high-quality and reliable changeover process can be achieved through implementation of continuous or radical improvements. This research examines the changeover process of Saudi Arabian manufacturing firms because Saudi Arabia’s government is focused on the expansion of GDP and increasing the number of export manufacturing firms. Furthermore, it is encouraging foreign manufacturing firms to invest within Saudi Arabia. These initiatives, therefore, require that Saudi manufacturing businesses develop the changeover practice in order to compete in the market and achieve the government’s objectives. Therefore, the aim of this research is to discover the current status of changeover process implementation in Saudi Arabian manufacturing businesses. To achieve this aim, the main objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model to understand and examine the effectiveness of the changeover process within Saudi Arabian manufacturing firms, facilitating identification of those activities that affect the reliability and high-quality of the process. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of this area, this research first explores the concept of quality management and its relationship to firm performance and the performance of manufacturing changeover. An extensive body of literature was reviewed on the subject of lean manufacturing and changeover practice. A research conceptual model was identified based on this review, and focus was on providing high-quality and reliable manufacturing changeover processes during set-up in a dynamic environment. Exploratory research was conducted in sample Saudi manufacturing firms to understand the features of the changeover process within the manufacturing sector, and as a basis for modifying the proposed conceptual model. Qualitative research was employed in the study with semi-structured interviews, direct observations and documentation in order to understand the real situation such as actual daily practice and current status of changeover process in the field. The research instrument, the Changeover Effectiveness Assessment Tool (CEAT) was developed to evaluate changeover practices. A pilot study was conducted by examining the CEAT, proposed for the main research. Consequently, the conceptual model was modified and CEAT was improved in response to the pilot study findings. Case studies have been conducted within eight Saudi manufacturing businesses. These case studies assessed the implementation of manufacturing changeover practice in the lighting and medical products sectors. These two sectors were selected based on their operation strategy which was batch production as well as the fact that they fulfilled the research sampling strategy. The outcomes of the research improved the conceptual model, ultimately to facilitate the firms’ adoption and rapid implementation of a high-quality and reliability changeover during the set-up process. The main finding of this research is that Quality’s factors were considering the lowest levels comparing to the other factors which are People, Process and Infrastructure. This research contributes to enable Saudi businesses to implement the changeover process by adopting the conceptual model. In addition, the guidelines for facilitating implementation were provided in this thesis. Therefore, this research provides insight to enable the Saudi manufacturing industry to be more responsive to rapidly changing customer demands

Learning, continuous improvement, world class manufacturing and the South African plastics industry

Bibliography: leaves 62-66.South African manufacturers are re-entering the global market where competition is fierce. Greater and faster learning is necessary for organisational survival in the turbulent global market Learning is understood to be a continuous cycle of activities. Continuous Improvement is shown to be a continuous learning cycle. World Class Manufacturing methodologies are described as being an effective manner to make performance improvements as they are based on Continuous Improvement. Reviews of Learning, Continuous Improvement and World Class Manufacturing methodologies and techniques used by companies in international industry are presented. Examples of implementations are focused on the plastics conversion industry. This industry has a record of poor performance in South Africa

Development of a lean design framework for enhancing the application of product design

Substantial benefits can be achieved through the adoption of lean type thinking earlier at the design stage to create more viable products. A complex design cannot be easily leaned out in production; therefore, the production of affordable and sustainable products requires effective lean design considerations at the conceptual level. The research presented in this thesis investigates and demonstrates the application of lean design for product enhancement. The aim of the research was to develop a novel lean design framework that would support the generation of product design with attributes such as maximise value, manufacturable, and operable with minimum waste and resources ensuring avoidable harm is eliminated. The framework consists of a systemised process which is organised in to phases and activities that provides a unique practical manner to lean out a design. The construction of the framework initiated with an extensive literature review and proceeded with an industrial field study which consisted of 34 interviews with 11 manufacturing companies in Europe. The findings were amalgamated to generate a lean design definition and principles which would form the foundations of the framework. A real-life industrial case study of an offshore oil/water separator was used to validate the framework. In conclusion, the lean design framework provides the necessary means by which a lean design can be achieved. As a result a functionally viable and enhanced design that is cheaper to manufacture through controlling waste and eliminating avoidable harm occurrence can be realised with minimal effort. The research makes the following contributions: (1) identification of essential elements in lean design, (2) generation of a lean design definition and principles, (3) Lean Design Framework development and (4) illustrative guidelines based on the framework to be used by designers in realising a lean product design