This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
Lean Engineering Implementation Challenges for Automotive Remanufacturing
Technical Paper
2009-01-1188
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
Remanufacturing, or Reman, is an industrial process whereby used products referred to as cores are restored to useful life [13]. The automotive reman products in the current state account for two thirds of all reman according to Steinhilper [12]. The growing “Green” awareness can force the automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to demand more reman products from the OE suppliers in their contracts. Also reman makes a lot of economic sense for the customers and the OE suppliers since the reman products are sold at an average price range of 60% of the price of a new product [12].
This paper is a case study of how the authors applied lean principles to increase the project throughput through the reman engineering organization to meet the growing demand for reman products. Extensive literature exists on how to apply lean in the plant floor. But very few papers talk about how to apply the same lean principles in the office environment even before it hits the plant floor. Applying lean principles to the office area is more challenging since the transactional processes are not easily visible like a product moving through the different operations in a manufacturing plant. The authors were challenged with a heavy influx of reman projects and demonstrate a systematic application of lean principles to increase throughput. Also they were confronted with strategic and organizational challenges that impacted the culture change to a lean engineering system. The authors conclude that a strong sense of urgency combined with a systematic application of lean transformed the organization. The lean effort improved the reman project throughput by 153% for the Delphi reman engineering organization.
The success factors that contributed to lean reman product development includes: a strong top management commitment with proper project selection, long term vision and participation, a tight development schedule that surface issues and a “must-do” attitude [14], a strong process understanding of the current state, process visibility of projects using visual controls, weekly meetings and a competent work force supported by proper lean and project management training.
Recommended Content
Technical Paper | Experience with Static Dissipator Additive in Aviation Fuels |
Technical Paper | Netting a Corporate Web Community: Industry Sponsorship of the Internet |
Technical Paper | Parts Salvage When Does It Pay To Rebuild Worn Parts? |
Authors
Citation
Subramoniam, R., Abusamra, G., and Hostetler, D., "Lean Engineering Implementation Challenges for Automotive Remanufacturing," SAE Technical Paper 2009-01-1188, 2009, https://doi.org/10.4271/2009-01-1188.Also In
References
- Adler, Paul S. Mandelbaum, Avi Nguyen, Vien Schwerer, Elizabeth 1996 Getting the Most out of your Product Development Process Harvard Business Review 134 152
- National Science Foundation 2003 Science and Engineering Indicators
- nsg.gov/sbe/srs/seind02/pdf/volume2.pdf.
- Henderson, Rebecca Repenning, N. 2007 http://mitsloan.mit.edu/sustainability/pdf/Henderson.pdf
- Henderson, Bruce A. Larco, Jorge L. 2000 Lean transformation-How to change your business into a lean enterprise First Virginia The Oaklea Press
- Liker, Jeffrey K. 2004 The Toyota Way McGraw-Hill Publications 007139231-9
- Mader, Robert P. 2005 Lean thinking works in construction too Contractor February
- Miller, Scott Richmond, James Bowman, Aron 2006 Streamlined from the Start Mechanical Engineering Design March 31 32
- Liker, Jeffrey K. Morgan, James M. 2006 The Toyota Way in Services: The Case of Lean Product Development Academy of Management Perspectives 20 2 5 20
- Spear, Steven J. 2004 Learning to lead at Toyota Harvard Business Review 82 5 78 86
- Spear, Steven Bowen, Kent H. 1999 Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System Harvard Business Review 77 5 97 106
- Steinhilper, Rolf 2001 Recent Trend and benefits of Remanufacturing: From Closed Loop Businesses to Synergetic Networks IEEE
- Sundin, Erik 2004 Product and Process Design for Remanufacturing Ph.D Dissertation No. 906 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Linkopings University Sweden 91-85295-73-6
- Tang, Victor Lin, Bing Kellam, Benjamin A. Otto, Kevin N. Seering, Warren P. 2005 Enabling Factors in Successful Product Development International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED 05 Melbourne August 15 18
- Womack, James P. Jones, Daniel T. 1994 From Lean Production to the Lean Enterprise Harvard Business Review 72 2 93 103