Lean Manufacturing at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems

This paper presents several of the initiatives and practices executed and being implemented at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) to achieve lean manufacturing. The paper provides the background of past accepted manufacturing practices and the features/practices being dictated by today's competitive pressures. Lean Manufacturing must start at the beginning of the design process, and the paper gives examples of methods for obtaining customer requirements. The benefits of International Quality Standard ISO 9001 are described. The necessity of achieving a low-cost producible design as an ingredient of lean manufacturing is featured. Also, design processes and analytical tools are described. Formation of work teams and their integration into manufacturing cells are presented, along with selected manufacturing processes deemed necessary to achieve lean manufacturing. Cultural and organizational structural changes essential to the manufacturing environment of the future also are detailed.