Diagnostic of the production process applying Value Stream Mapping in the plastics industry

Abstract

The Lean Manufacturing methodology brings together a wide range of tools that all companies, including SMEs (small and medium businesses), can use to enhance their competitiveness and reduce bad habits that generate waste. The objective of this study is to make a diagnosis of the production process in the plastics industries based on the Value Stream Mapping tool of the authors Rother, Shook (1999), in order to identify the causes related to material waste, and provide improvement strategies. The approach is qualitative, relying on non-participant observation for the study of times and movements; and on the semi-structured interview applied to production line workers to explore the root cause of waste. The results show that the main origin of the waste is the lack of knowledge of the execution of the tasks by the personnel in at least three out of five areas of the process. It concludes with a proposal for the future of the production process while relying on the 5s.