Production flow improvement and value stream mapping in a lean manufacturing world

Abstract

The importance of lean manufacturing concepts has been discussed many times over the few decades. The most important elements in lean manufacturing practices are value stream mapping (VSM), Kaizen events, load leveling (heijunka), etc. In this case study, a real-world clock assembly simulation has been used to study the performance improvement in terms of production flow and lead time after introducing lean concepts. In each round of simulation, the lean concepts have been introduced one by one and performance metrics were recorded. After implementing the concepts, the productivity was improved enormously. So, this simulation study emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement of production flow through lean concepts in a real production setting.