Browse Topic: Lean manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM) is currently being used to produce many aerospace components, with its inherent design flexibility enabling an array of unique and novel possibilities. But, in order to grow the application space of polymer AM, the industry has to provide an offering with improved mechanical properties. Several entities are working toward introducing continuous fibers embedded into either a thermoplastic or thermoset resin system. This approach can enable significant improvement in mechanical properties and could be what is needed to open new and exciting applications within the aerospace industry. However, as the technology begins to mature, there are a couple of unsettled issues that are beginning to come to light. The most common question raised is whether composite AM can achieve the performance of traditional composite manufacturing. If AM cannot reach this level, is there enough application potential to warrant the development investment? The answers are highly
After so many supply chain and logistics challenges since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen numerous headlines proclaiming a new era of reshoring and the end of lean production and just-in-time manufacturing strategies
Munro & Associates is leading competitive analysis into the EV age - and spreading the gospel with a global YouTube fan base. Competitive benchmarking has long played a vital role in the auto industry, but until recently it's been an insider's game. Then came a surprise hit on YouTube: Munro Live. The ongoing series (https://www.youtube.com/c/MunroLive/videos) is informative, addictive and valuable for those involved in vehicle development and manufacturing. It's a must-see for engineers seeking to understand the relationship between cost and quality - particularly as the industry transitions into the electric vehicle (EV) age. Who could have guessed that in 2021, YouTube viewers would flock to watch veteran benchmarking expert Sandy Munro expose the inner workings of the mysterious “octovalve” heart of Tesla's HVAC system? In dozens of episodes, he has compared EV electrical architectures, detailed the intricacies of the new 4680-format battery cell, revealed new applications of rivet
The project of lean management is implemented in General Motors India Private Limited, Pune, India plant. The aim of the project is to improve manpower utilization by removing seven types of wastes using lean management system in kitting process. Lean manufacturing or management is the soul of Just-In-Time philosophy and is not new in Automobile manufacture sector where it born. Kitting area is analogs to the modern supermarket where required components, parts, consumables, subassemblies are kept in bins. These bins are placed in racks so that choosing right part at right time can be achieved easily. Video recording, in-person observation, feedback from online operators and other departments such as maintenance, control, supply chain etc. are taken. It is observed that the work content performed by current strength of operators can be performed by less number of operators. After executing this project, it was possible to reduce one operator and increase manpower utilization. Continuous
This research is an attempt to investigate the significance of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in the lean transformation of manufacturing units (largely automotive) and then apply the same in a tool room. It is an essential tool used to interpret both material and information flow in a system. The tool room under study specializes in production of a large variety of high precision tools for the automotive industry. A product family is chosen to map and analyze various stages of its production process, starting from the raw material (R/M) to the finished goods’ (F/G) stage. VSM is then implemented in the tool room to correctly identify wastes and thus improvement areas to bridge gaps between current and future states. Both current and future state maps are drafted along with usage of other lean tools to justify its implementation in a small setup like tool room. Given the customized nature of work being performed in the setup, task standardization is not a priority but employee specific
During the 4 last years, Lean has been successfully implemented in one of the Tenneco’s Business Units: Ride Performance. This paper reflects on the results and more specifically on the third principle of Lean [1] “How to make flow” and on the fifth principle “To strive for perfection” obtained in the fields of “Product Development” related to Processes, Tools and People. Processes and Hard Tools. How to improve the flow in the engineering processes? It will be shown that In general standardized processes supported by some integrated tools and, more specifically Some workload leveling in testing, CAD Departments, Standardization in design processes, testing procedures and prototypes development processes and Standardization and availability of components and parts for prototype building are key enablers to enhance flow in the Product Development. Additionally the application of some Poka Yoke principles improves the Product Development quality and front loading of the development
The paper presents integrated approach to Automobile Assembly Process. The approach describes about “Production Process Simulations” for New Products under development. This leads towards design verification during early prototype assembly process establishment for newly developed automobile vehicles and its control plan which regulates to final production practice. In recent years the Indian automotive business is expanding and with growing needs of faster new product development, the cycle time reduction becomes very crucial for environmental and economic reasons. The Lean production assembly and robust engineering processes are optimized in this approach. It's an advanced mechanism to identify process failures during final production setup. The experimentation has resulted towards establishing micro level study and critical stages to be captured well in advance for better planning. The actual verification of design at early stage builds confidence in New Product Development. This
The lean production system has been successful in the cost-based winning order criterion markets. However, the automotive market has been volatile and the new criterion of winning orders has been availability, which has called for an agile system. The present paper argues that because of fierce competition the current automotive market winning order criterion is now a blend of cost and availability. It shows how a hybrid lean-agile system can strategically meet such a challenging criterion. The study presents the drivers, attributes and providers in lean manufacturing, agile manufacturing, and hybrid lean-agile manufacturing systems. It investigates how the strategic facet of the proposed hybrid lean-agile manufacturing system addresses the six manufacturing competitive dimensions. It presents as well the hybrid lean-agile manufacturing key performance indicators. The strategic facet of the proposed hybrid lean-agile manufacturing system has been validated through industrial case
This standard is applicable to all phases of the system acquisition life cycle. It is intended for use on all programs with manufacturing content. It requires proven manufacturing management practices with the goal of delivering affordable and capable systems to the extent that it is invoked contractually. The term “organization” as used in this document refers to the company or facility that is implementing this standard, such as when imposed contractually by the customer. NOTE: The term “shall” is used wherever the criterion for conformance with the specific recommendation requires that there be no deviation. The term “should” is used wherever noncompliance with the specific recommendation is permissible
Cost reduction in the automotive industry becomes a widely-adopted operational strategy not only for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that take cost leader generic corporation strategy, but also for many OEMs that take differentiation generic corporation strategy. Since differentiation generic strategy requires an organization to provide a product or service above the industry average level, a premium is typically included in the tag price for those products or services. Cost reduction measures could increase risks for the organizations that pursue differentiation strategy. Although manufacturers in the automotive industry dramatically improved production efficiency in past ten years, they are still facing the pressure of cost control. The big challenge in cost control for automakers and suppliers is increasing prices of raw materials, energy and labor costs. These costs create constraints for the traditional economic expansion model. Lean manufacturing and other traditional 6
This paper makes an analysis of problems encountered in assembling components from automotive vehicles. It shows wheel and tires assembling cases of an automaker that applies lean manufacturing concepts in the production process. This study not only makes the analysis from the best way to apply the methodology to seek for the root cause, but also uses methodology to identify containment measures, defining robust solutions capable of preventing the incidence of similar problems. This methodology can be applied to solving problems of any production process, even outside of the automotive industry
The article discusses the common shortcomings of contemporary standardized automotive brake tubing connectors (tube joints) against the modern requirements. These shortcomings are originated in the inborn disadvantages of currently utilized cone-to-cone sealing surfaces' mating. During last decade modern production excellence mindset and lean manufacturing practice have developed additional requirements to the tube joints, with the focus on their assembly process. Correspondingly, at least 99.9% probability to assemble and seal each connector from the very first attempt at the designated assembly station is necessary to resolve the challenge. The article deliberates that 99.9% probability as the design target in pursuing connectors' excellence. The article also discusses the pathway to the connectors' design perfection via replacement of the existing cone-to-cone mating type between the sealing surfaces with a sphere-to-cone one. Operational windows' comparison provides the evidences
Lean logistics is an application of lean manufacturing principles. The core of lean logistics is to eliminate all non-value-added activities (waste) within productions, movements and storages. It reduces lead time, cuts cost, and improves quality. In order to be competitive, enterprises in western countries widely use lean manufacturing and logistics principles in automotive industries, especially for engine manufacturing system due to its high contents of assembly work. However, in China, lean logistics and its applications are fairly new to many companies. This article analyzes the current status of lean logistics in engine manufacturing in China, summarizes lean logistics principles, put forwards application of lean logistics principles based on a real case study of a new manufacturing system planning. In details, origins of the lean logistics are introduced, characteristics of engine manufacturing logistics are outlined, requirements of the lean logistics system are proposed, PFEP
In order to meet the requirement of Flexible Manufacturing System, tool management, including tool preparation and tool setting, has to be planned systematically at the beginning of manufacturing engineering planning and flexible manufacturing line planning based on lean manufacturing principles. The objective of this article is to study the tool management factors that lean and flexible manufacturing system required, based on the planning of tool management in a new engine factory. This article introduces the main contents of tool management systems, analyzes the process of tool management, and summarizes the steps of tool planning process. In details, this article includes planning on tool management procedures, plant floor layout and information system. In addition, the article puts forwards a formula for calculation of tool presetting time, so that the demand of tool equipment quantity and personnel in a tool presetting room can be decided. This article can be used as reference or
Automated testing of manufactured products reduces the lead time to considerable extent in the process of production to delivery. Products like automobiles demand automated testing, for which robots and vision systems are widely employed. The basic functionality of a vision system in automation is to detect an object and then recognize it. In current automotive industry such systems are being used for robotic guidance, component tracking, dimensional gauging etc. There is a need to test the proper functionality of a speedometer fitted on a motorbike in the production line itself. Focused work on detection and recognition of Analog type and Digital type speedometer console reading of a motorbike is described in this paper. A vision based system is proposed which recognizes the speedometer reading instantaneously at the desired time. Image binarization, connected component analysis combined with character recognition algorithms are used to achieve the desired recognition, which resulted
Lean manufacturing principles were introduced to several western companies at 80's [1]. Since them, those who want to implement lean principles focus mainly on building a robust lean process [2], becoming excellence models within their corporate group. But frequently they face an obstacle when trying to implement a lean process, even when the organization has a clear purpose and engaged people: the lack of Lean designed equipment, which avoids obtaining the maxim benefits of a real lean process. In parallel, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating systems with 1.6 million feet certifying per day around the world is growing significantly each year, delivering more sustainable design constructions [3]. Companies such as Volkswagen plant, in Chattanooga; American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC) office, in Charlotte, North Carolina and General Motors' new Lansing Delta Township (Mich.) assembly plant are some of those companies that received a certification from the
In the pursuit of manufacturing excellence BorgWarner, Inc., USA has utilized some key aspects of Toyota Production System and General Motors Quality System Basics tools to create a systematic framework called as Borg Warner Production System (BWPS). The goal of BWPS is to have robust manufacturing systems to deliver flawless quality products at lowest possible cost and give hassle free customer experience. This case study covers the BorgWarner Production System implementation experience of DivgiWarner Pvt. Ltd. India, one of the BorgWarner's plant based in Pune and Sirsi, India. The BWPS consists of 7 foundational elements and 23 tactical strategies. These seven foundational elements are Safety and Environment, Quality Systems, Employee Development, Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Pre-Production Planning, Metrics and Audits This framework delivered following benefits to the company: “Zero” safety incidences Customer PPM reduced from 675 to 122 100% On Time Delivery to
Optical metrology has long been a high performance research tool for scientists in the laboratory. Modern forms of photogrammetry are now supporting engineering and manufacturing measurements. These optical metrology tools provide rapid, full-field measurements that are easy to use, broadly applicable and directly comparable to today's computer models and simulations. 3D Photogrammetry is the basis of Digital Image Correlation, White Light Scanning and Dynamic Photogrammetry metrologies. This paper will discuss the real world engineering and manufacturing applications where these optical methods are providing a more precise and holistic measurement of materials, structures and operating machines. This precise, detailed knowledge is allowing direct solutions to problems and rapid, real-time comparison to engineering design. Like a team of engineers in a box, optical metrology is providing the tools to achieve lean manufacturing for better, more advanced products
After having successfully implemented lean manufacturing in the 1990ies and lean engineering since 2004, Tenneco Europe expanded lean to its administrative organizations in October 2009. The implementation approach was directly derived from lean engineering previously implemented in Tenneco Europe as this was considered closer to administration processes than manufacturing processes were. A first SAE paper on lean transactional was presented in 2011. This paper covered a vision, a road map and a process to roll out the lean Spirit in the Administrative world. This paper and the papers listed in the reference list provide in detail the lean tools and principles used in lean transactional and engineering. This new paper is focussed on some concrete applications where the lean mindset has been implemented mainly by the finance team supported by sales, project management, marketing, manufacturing and engineering. After more than two years of implementation, the results are very encouraging
Purpose - This research aimed to investigate the process of lean manufacturing implementation in automotive industry in China in order to identify the critical success factors. Design/methodology/approach - A review of relevant literature is used to identify potential critical success factors for lean manufacturing implementations. The research had targeted lean-manufacturing management, practitioners, process users, and consultants working in automotive industry in China. Data were collected with an electronic survey which included 20 close ended questions, each measured by using five-point scale, Out of total 200 questionnaire distributed, 80 useable responses were received resulting in 40 % response rate. A judgmental sampling technique had been selected. Both descriptive and inferential statistics had been used to analyze this data. Findings - Our findings indicated that the belief among the respondents that management engagement, communication, training, monitoring progress among
In Aeronautic industry, when we launch a new industrialization for an aircraft sub assembly we always have the same questions in mind for drilling operations, especially when focusing on lean manufacturing. How can we avoid dismantling and deburring parts after drilling operation? Can a drilling centre perform all the tasks needed to deliver a hole ready to install final fastener? How can we simplify specific jigs used to maintain parts during drilling operations? How can we decrease down-time of the drilling centre? Can a drilling centre be integrated in a pulse assembly line? How can we improve environmental efficiency of a drilling centre? It is based on these main drivers that AIRBUS has developed, with SPIE and SOS, a new generation of drilling centre dedicated for hard materials such as titanium, and high thicknesses. The first application was for the assembly of the primary structure of A350 engine pylons. The main solution that was implemented meeting several objectives was the
This paper describes a simple statistical method to statistically disaggregate industrial energy use into production-dependent, weather-dependent and independent components. This simple statistical disaggregation has many uses, including improving model calibration, quantifying non-productive energy use and identifying energy efficiency opportunities. The process is called Lean Energy Analysis (LEA) because of its relationship to Lean Manufacturing, which seeks to reduce non-productive activity. This paper describes the statistical models, discusses the application of the LEA approach to over 40 industrial facilities, and provides case study examples of the benefits
After having successfully implemented lean manufacturing in the 1990ies and lean engineering since 2004, Tenneco Europe decided to expand Lean to their administrative organizations in October 2009. The implementation approach was directly derived from lean engineering [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]. After having defined a vision and a road map, a lean steering committee, composed of senior managers and a lean coordinator, identified and supported the first areas for implementation of lean in their transactional processes. It was decided to challenge the organization by selecting some critical cross functional processes. Transactional workshops were defined and executed according to Tenneco's best practice: a 2-day-training of all the people involved in the workshops an intensive 3-day-workshop to identify: the customer and its needs the current state map and its gaps the future state map and finally an action plan and metrics to track the progress of the project 3 months for the
The article presents an innovative approach to the implementation of a robust design optimization solution in an automobiles assembly process. The approach of the entire project is specific to the 6 Sigma optimization process, by applying the DMAIC cycle integrated in a robust engineering approach for rendering lean the final product assembly process. According to the improvement cycle, the aspects specific for such a process are presented sequentially starting with the “Define” phase for presenting the encountered problem and continuing with the presentation of the scope of the project and its objectives. The “Improvement” cycle phase is applied by the analysis of the monitored 6 Sigma metrics (defined during the previous “Measure” phase and the cause and effect analysis, done during a brainstorming meeting developed during the “Analyze” phase). There follows a proposal for the innovative robust solution by which the assembly process is optimized. Therefore, we propose the final
In traditional manufacturing processes a lot of material is wasted in hidden ways. These can be identified through Lean Manufacturing systems. It is proven that the Lean Approach eliminates waste and improves value. This reduces excessive investment in working capital and improves Return on Invested Capital (RoIC). As a result, the shareholder's value is maximized through simultaneously reducing costs and increasing capital efficiency. To demonstrate this we analyzed the production process of the Upper Output Shaft , a key component in a typical drive train assembly like a Four Wheel Drive transfer case, used in a pickup truck or SUV. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is used to identify and reduce non value-added activities. VSM methodology for Output Shaft delivered the following benefits for DivgiWarner: Reduction in Inventory by 66%, Process cycle efficiency improved by 228%, Manpower cost reduced by 43% Material movement in the plant reduced by 68% Improvement in RoIC by 32% Cost of part
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