Discovering information inefficiencies in manufacturing processes with modified value stream mapping An analysis approach for facing the challenges of Industry 5.0

Abstract

Manufacturing environments that rely on empowered shopfloor workers with decentralized decision making, as proposed in the Industry 5.0 vision, call for adapted approaches to production management. Aside from personal competencies, efficient decision making in VUCA environments primarily requires high-quality, up-to-date information. Based on popular value stream mapping methods, this paper proposes an approach to systematically analyze the shopfloor decision making in terms of information efficiency. The modified value stream mapping approach (MVSM) offers support for discovering informational bottlenecks in manufacturing processes, which subsequently can be addressed with targeted optimization measures. Qualitative results from the first practical implementations indicate the capabilities, limitations and improvement potentials of the proposed approach.