TITLE:
Integration of Lean Approaches to Manage a Manual Assembly System
AUTHORS:
Qian Wang, Nick Bennett
KEYWORDS:
Lean Management, Lean Production, Assembly Systems
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.2 No.9,
August
27,
2014
ABSTRACT: Today, importance of flexibility and
reconfigurability needs to be addressed when designing and implementing a
cost-effective and responsive manufacturing system. Such a system should be
able to accommodate dynamic changes of product varieties and production volumes
by maximizing its production capability and minimizing its production costs,
this is particularly useful for a SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) to
remain competitive in the market. For a manual assembly line, it is always a
good practice using a highly skilled workforce that each assembly worker is capable
of performing multiple tasks. Ideally, each worker is fully trained to complete
assigned tasks of a unit from start to finish. This paper presents a case study
of incorporating 5S management rules into an assembly system using so-called
skillful and dynamic walking workers as a combination of lean management
approaches to improve productivity and efficiency of a shop floor production
line at a local plant.