Utilization of Factory Physics in Reducing Span and Variation in Production

An analytical approach to identify manufacturing span reduction opportunities is presented. Span and variation reduction are key elements in operations management that lead directly to improved inventory turns. Generic solutions (such as implementing one type of corrective action across all gates of a production line) is a conventional approach that can lead to poor long term decisions. Statistical measures, such as coefficient of variation, standard deviation, and average span, are calculated and compared against target values to identify span and variation reduction opportunities. The focus is on gated areas of the production flow, where improved targets need to be achieved. This approach identifies Lean, Variation Reduction and Design Improvement opportunities and was used to implement corrective actions that resulted in 29.3% reduction in the average span for a production Bell main rotor blade in 2017.