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Assembly AutomationMaterials flow improvement in a lean assembly line: a case studyRosario Domingo Roberto Alvarez Marta Melodía Peña Roque Calvo
Article information:To cite this document:Rosario Domingo Roberto Alvarez Marta Melodía Peña Roque Calvo, (2007),"Materials flow improvement in a lean assemblyline: a case study", Assembly Automation, Vol. 27 Iss 2 pp. 141 - 147Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01445150710733379
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Research article
Materials flow improvement in a lean assemblyline: a case study
Rosario Domingo
Department of Manufacturing Engineering, National Distance University of Spain (UNED), Madrid, Spain
Roberto Alvarez and Marta Melodıa PenaDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Antonio Nebrija University, Madrid, Spain, and
Roque CalvoDepartment of Manufacturing Engineering, National Distance University of Spain (UNED), Madrid, Spain
AbstractPurpose – This paper seeks to analyse the internal materials flow in lean manufacturing in an assembly line of the Bosch factory, located in Spain. Theobjective is to develop a handling system in a small space, capable of solving the problems of accumulated intermediate stocks of parts. Animprovement is proposed adopting the milkrun handling system, while verifying the advances by means of lean metrics.Design/methodology/approach – Based on this case study, the paper identifies data from value stream mapping and uses lean metrics, such asdock-to-dock time and lean rate. The case study develops a timetable and routing analysis for the milkrun to improve materials flow.Findings – The proposed logistics allows an improvement of lean metrics, without modifying the layout and production planning. The routing flexibilityof the milkrun reduced stocks, work-in-process and dock-to-dock time, while increasing lean rate.Research limitations/implications – The findings are limited due to the focused nature of the case study. Although the solution is designed for aparticular plant, the methodology is fully exportable.Practical implications – The paper shows a real case study illustrative for systems management. This research shows significant benefit associatedwith the implementation of lean programs.Originality/value – It details how the application of lean manufacturing tools could necessitate a study of materials handling to improve lean metrics.
Keywords Lean production, Assembly plants, Materials handling equipment
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Lean manufacturing focuses on reducing waste and non-
value-adding activities (Womack et al., 1990), and includes
forms of just-in-time (JIT) strategy. The waste can be
overproduction, defects, unnecessary inventory, inadequate
processing, excessive transportation, waiting and unnecessary
motion (Womack et al., 1990). Firms measure their degree of
commitment to lean production via total quality management
(TQM) and JIT programmes (Soriano-Meier and Forrester,
2002). However, the implementation of lean management in a
manufacturing system is a complex task. Lean manufacturing
systems are designed for a smooth demand. However, some
degree of flexibility is necessary to cope with uncertainties,
and this might include a variable number of kanbans, set-up
reduction through single minute exchange of dies, and the
layout of machines in flexible workstations. Layout and
kanban system play an important role in materials flow.In manufacturing plants, the assembly areas usually
maintain a store of components to be assembled in the
finished part. The main problem associated with the supply of
these components is the limited space of the workstation,
optimising the overall production-shop layout. This could
mean that the quantity of components stored in the workplace
does not cover the daily production requirement.
Consequently, it is important to replace the consumed
material at convenient time intervals, to keep the assembly
line running. However, the improvement process of
synchronous production (Womack and Jones, 1996) is
creating problems with internal transportation of materials
to the assembly workstations, and collection and storage of
finished product.Shah and Ward (2003) found that the influence of lean
practices contributes substantially to the operating
performance of plants. However, the implementation
requires customised solutions. The internal materials flow to
and from each workstation depend on the production
conditions and particular characteristics of each workplace.
The work-in-process must be as reduced as much as possible.
The immediate requirements are problems solution and a
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0144-5154.htm
Assembly Automation
27/2 (2007) 141–147
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0144-5154]
[DOI 10.1108/01445150710733379]
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fluent flow, balance and synchronization, and a shorter cycle
time. For this, routing flexibility is a key factor. Routing
flexibility is defined by Sethi and Sethi (1990) as the ability to
produce a part by alternative routes through the system.
Although this routing flexibility can be achieved by means of
machines, we take routing flexibility to mean the versatility of
material handling systems of Sethi and Sethi (1990).
Moreover, according to Lejtman et al. (2002), the design of
the routing requires an evaluation of the entire loaded and
unloaded handling system for a given shop layout for efficient
material flow. In lean manufacturing, material handling
systems must contribute to synchronous materials flow.Different authors have studied these problems, and the
literature includes many papers related to the routing problem
and its mathematical solutions. These include items such as
the assessment of routing flexibility (Calvo et al., 2006),
transporter routing models (Hwang, 2004) or sometimes
routing of milkruns (Du et al., 2006), but not directly related
to lean manufacturing. However, a lean approach has the
added advantage that it allows the use of easily applied
industrial tools. A tool used to identify where waste occurs is
value stream mapping (VSM). The literature shows examples
of its utilization in other fields (Sullivan et al., 2002), althoughthey do not deal with materials handling.The objective of this paper is to standardise materials flow
in a reduced floor space through materials handling, to show
the relationship between routing flexibility and performance
in a lean assembly line. In this paper, we use a case study in
the context of lean production implementation. The study,
accomplished by the authors, is part of a broader project
related to the application of lean manufacturing tools in a
Bosch factory, located in Spain. The case analyses the internal
materials flow in the assembly line. First we describe the
research approach. Next, the paper describes the existing
materials flow in the manufacturing process. After that, we
analyse the new materials flow. Finally, some results are
discussed and conclusions are drawn.
Research approach
The research approach is based on a case study. A detailed
study of the assembly line is carried out for a particular
company. It is the assembly line of combustion injection
valves of in the Bosch GMB factory in Alcala de Henares
(Madrid), following the Bosch Production System
methodology. This methodology includes a pull system,
Total Productive Maintenance and kanban system. The plant
has adopted lean manufacturing principles, for both the
supply system and for stock control. However, there are some
problems in the supply to the lines:. The available storage space in the assembly workplaces is
insufficient, originating from a global shop layout
optimisation, and the number of components held does
not cover the daily consumption.. Operators must walk out of their workplaces to replace
material.
This contributes to a lower productivity and a poorer
synchronization between different workplaces.A study of the assembly line has been carried out using the
tools of lean manufacturing:. collecting the data during the time horizon (that is the
months of March, May and August);
. VSM application to help understand and streamline the
work processes; and. analysis of data according to lean metrics.
Although the paper focuses on the improvements carried out
in May, we also consider the situation in March, because
during the period March-May the following tasks were
accomplished: modification of layout and kanban
implementation. These actions have worsened the
intermediate stocks and handling times, even when final
stock was reduced. VSM is a visualisation tool for identifying
and eliminating the waste and improving the materials flow
(Womack and Jones, 1996; Sullivan et al., 2002). VSM was
deployed in March, May and August. On the other hand, the
literature on lean manufacturing presents metrics studies such
as those of Martınez and Perez (2001), Pavnaskar et al. (2003)
or Agarwal et al. (2006), which yield metrics to define lean
manufacturing. For this reason we have adopted the typical
indicators in these systems. Consequently, the metrics of lean
manufacturing to consider are: stocks of parts, stocks in
intermediate warehouse, dock-to-dock time, lean rate. These
are adequate for this situation. Dock-to-dock time is the time
the product spends from reception in plant to delivery or
shipping, excluded the storage time. Lean rate is the relation
between value-added time and the time the product spends in
the plant from when it enters until it leaves.The solution to the problem is a reordering system,
established across the production line to a fixed timetable and
with a defined path, picking up any empty packages, and
supplying full packages to the same point. This system can be
a transport system for the horizontal movement of materials,
such as an automated guided vehicle, container or conveyor,
appropriate to the needs of each production area and to the
volume of parts to be transported. The adopted solution is
not usually automation. According to Coffey and Thornley
(2006) in lean assembly plants, the current priority is to
manage the manual part of the process. When the vehicle
travels the path, if there are no parts to pick up or supply, then
the vehicle continues on its programmed route.This supply system is called the milkrun, because it is a
production system similar to that used in small supermarkets
with a fixed amount of shelf space; the operator takes the
necessary material for production and stocks the empty
packages after consumption. The supermarket’s capacity
must allow for material availability between two consecutive
runs, so that the operator does not stop working. In the
milkrun path, the empty packages are withdrawn. They are
not replaced until the following path of the milkrun, when it
restocks the material and withdraws any further empty
packages that it finds. Therefore, the objective of the milkrun
(helped by the kanban system) is to integrate the internal
supply of parts with the supply in the assembly area.
Existing materials flow
The product is a combustion injection valve called the EV6.
The basic component of an EV6 is the stem. The lower end of
the stem holds a conical-shaped cup, with an injection hole
drilled in its centre. Inside the stem is a needle, attached to a
ball that presses against the inside of the cup under spring
loading, to give a tight valve, as part of the engine. When a
current passes through the coil, the magnetic field pulls the
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
Assembly Automation
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needle, compressing the spring. This is controlled by the
engine electronics.The main join technique of the EV6 is laser welding. This is
used in the stem, the needle and cup subassembly, and the
support fixtures. The casing of the subassembly of stem, coil,
supporters and adjustment sleeve, is injected with plastic. The
major process steps in manufacturing are illustrated and
described below. Figure 1 shows the existing manufacturing
processes. The washing machine 2 is repeated to show a linear
process and make it easier to understanding the order of
activities. All the component parts of the EV6 are received in
the production area, where they are stored until consumed.
From this point, all the parts undergo different processes
before they arrive for final assembly. Each is decontaminated,
demagnetised and washed (washing machine 2) before
assembly (Figure 1). The assembly process includes three
main subassemblies: the cup, the stem and the needle. These
parts are first received in subassembly workstations where
independent tasks are carried out.The subassembly has several stages, which are performed in
automatic and independent workstations. These workstations
are physically isolated and do not allow for continuous
materials flow. These stages are described briefly as follows:. Machining of cup. The contact area within the cup is
prepared to precise dimensions.. Assembly of cup. After washing, the cup is welded to the
plate which directs the combustion jet. The plate is a
particular part for each type of EV6.. Assembly of needle. The three parts are assembled by
welding. The needle assures the tightness of the cup.
. Assembly of stem. It is assembled with two tubular parts,
with an internal sleeve to adjust the characteristics of theEV6.
After each subassembly, a visual inspection is made to verifythat the parts are clean, without chips or damage. The cups
and needles are washed and introduced to workstation 5 of
the assembly line.Frequent lack of stock and changes of production plan
necessitate rushed-orders and repeated communication withsuppliers. However, sometimes parts or materials were not
delivered fast enough and at other times the production partsaccumulated for hours at some workstations. This downtime
and binge-inventory create no value, so the elimination ofeven a portion of that wasted time could create a huge
improvement. The positioning of machines and equipmentcreated unnecessary internal transport and intersecting
material flows. As a first solution, in a global project for thefactory, a kanban path was designed to improve the storage-
shelf control. Although the inventory has been reduced, someproblems related to materials flow continue. In the VSM done
during the month of March we noticed accumulatedinventory at different points. A critical point is workstation 5.
In this station parts accumulate for a waiting period of 32 hbefore utilization.
Designing the new materials flow
In the subassembly process of the valve parts, the company
decided to use a kanban system to assure a materials flowaccording to the pull system. These sub-assembled parts go to
the line for final assembly, as follows: different numbers of
parts are present at different workstations because the trayshave different capacities. Because of this, idle material
accumulates. There is insufficient control of internallogistics. The internal logistic problem cannot be tackled
just by mathematical programming. To get the correctreplacement of material it is necessary to use the milkrun,
and an efficient and effective standardized routing must bedetermined.Previously, a decision had been taken about the kind of
conveyor to use; this must run through the line without
interrupting the workers. This conveyor must have thecapacity to transport the trays between the workstations. The
layout was unchangeable due to a decision by the companyafter several studies of capacity, distances, speed and
manageability (Figure 2). The decision was that the bestmilkrun would be a conveyor with wheels handled by a worker
(Figure 3).To establish the route for the milkrun, it is necessary to
consider the following information:. The rate of consumption of material. This involves
calculating the speed of the assembly line.. The number of trays needed for each part.
Therefore, it is necessary to establish the number of milkrunroutings and the visit frequency to the workstations
(frequency of pick-up/delivery).This information is necessary to calculate the needs of each
workstation. The available storage shelf area for each of theseworkstations is known in advance. The data are: capacity the
storage shelves (trays), workstation capacity (trays), trayscapacity, spend per tray, visit frequency and stop points of the
milkrun to withdraw and reorder the material in workstations
Figure 1 Flowchart of production process
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
Assembly Automation
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2, 5, 16, 14, cup subassembly, needle subassembly and stem
assembly. The speed of a tray is sufficient to produce
300 valves/h. The maximum visit frequency is one hour (at
7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00 and 14.00 on the
morning shift). Figure 2 shows the results of this study. Note
that the workstation labels are not in sequence since we have
used the existing labels of the Bosch factory.The pick-up and delivery points are shown in Figure 4,
which indicates the layout of workplaces in the shop. The
routing begins and ends in the assembly washing; so it is
necessary to establish the direction of routing. Note that the
turn-around point of the U-shaped route is movable. Then
the milkrun can begin. The sequence of operations is defined
in the layout.With this information the minimal frequency of the milkrun
is set. We also define different routings for different hours,
since it is not necessary to visit each job with a high frequency.
The routing is set according to Figure 5.This routing could change according to the needs of the line
because the process is flexible and in a state of continued
improvement. It is possible to increase or reduce the visit
frequency to workstations. The plan shows only the first shift,
Figure 3 Milkrun
Figure 2 Intermediate warehouses regulated by the milkrun
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
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but is obviously applicable to any other shift. Figure 6 shows
the detailed scheme of milkrun paths around the different
workstations; it is a development of Figures 2 and 5.
Results
The verification of results was carried out during the months
of March and August. A VSM analysis was performed on the
cup, since it is the most critical part of the valve because it
covers the two machining operations and their respective
washings (Figure 1). The results are positive in terms of
inventories of parts in different key points. Metrics are
important to confirm the progress and identify areas for
further improvement. The lean rate is still large, and we
should strive to reduce it. It is useful to find and mark
inventory accumulations where the flow has to be interrupted
because of process problems.Lean rate is calculated by dividing added-value-work-time
by the dock-to-dock time. Dock-to-dock time characterises
the material flow through the value stream, the time it takes
for material to flow from the receiving dock (or order entry
point) to the shipping dock. It is thus, a measure of the ability
to deliver on time and is generally a good indicator of the
effectiveness of lean initiatives to improve the lean flow. It is a
reliable indicator of the extent to which inventories are being
reduced and cash flow improved (Womack and Jones, 1996).During the month of May the inventories were reduced by
1,195 parts, and in August the reduction was 456 queue
parts. This led to the reduction of idle times, from 32 to
10.9 h in August. The objectives were twofold: reducing
stocks while avoiding idle times or movements of workers due
to accumulated material. Both have been achieved. The
metrics of lean rate and dock-to-dock time, have been
improved. Dock-to-dock time is reduced from 19.75 days in
the March VSM to 10.7 days in August. At the same time,
lean rate is increased from 0.38 to 0.44 per cent.Improvements attributed to the milkrun began in May and
were measured in August. In this time (May-August), the
stocks total has been reduced from 17,303 parts to 16,020
parts, and stocks in the intermediate warehouse have been
reduced from 20 to 10.7 days, dock-to-dock time from 22.8 to
17.1 days, and lean rate has increased from0.33 to 0.44 per cent.
These are shown in Figure 7. Note that the milkrun effects
have improved three metrics. These metrics had not improved
Figure 4 Pick-up and delivery points in the routing of the milkrun
Figure 5 Routing of milkrun
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
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Figure 7 Results from VSM
Figure 6 Detailed routing of the milkrun
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
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during the period March-May in spite of the implementationof a kanban system in the machining 1 stage.
Conclusions
This paper has introduced a real industrial case study ofassembly line improvement by means of lean management.The empirical results drawn from the case study serve todemonstrate that an operating decision has helped to improvethe lean metrics, in particular reducing the dock-to-dock timeand increasing the lean rate, and shows the transformation ofa former line manufacturing organization into a better leanorganization that has attained lowest cycle time. The milkrunreduces waste in terms of unnecessary inventories, excessivetransportation and idle times, without changing theproduction philosophy or layout. However, thisimprovement cannot be static and isolated, it is part of acontinuous improvement strategy. The advances will continuein the future. Therefore, in future researches, it will beinterested to develop a framework for modelling the practice.The combination of milkrun and VSM is an important tool
for routing flexibility increases and process improvement forany industry. Experience indicates that they are suitable,useful and practical tools for any company. Nevertheless,every factory is different and needs to adapt these tools to itsparticular manufacturing characteristics, layout, inventory,flow charts, and organization.
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Corresponding author
Rosario Domingo can be contacted at: rdomingo@ind.
uned.es
Materials flow improvement in a lean assembly line
Rosario Domingo et al.
Assembly Automation
Volume 27 · Number 2 · 2007 · 141–147
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16. Mohammed Alnahhal, Bernd Noche. 2013. Efficient material flow in mixed model assembly lines. SpringerPlus 2:1, 415.[CrossRef]
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19. ANIL GUPTA, T K KUNDRA. 2012. A review of designing machine tool for leanness. Sadhana 37:2, 241-259. [CrossRef]20. Anand GurumurthyMechanical Engineering Group, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India Rambabu
KodaliMechanical Engineering Group and Engineering Technology Group, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani,India. 2011. Design of lean manufacturing systems using value stream mapping with simulation. Journal of ManufacturingTechnology Management 22:4, 444-473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
21. Bimal NepalDepartment of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University, College Station,Texas, USA Malini NatarajarathinamDepartment of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&MUniversity, College Station, Texas, USA Krishna BallaDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, Purdue
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University‐Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. 2011. Improving manufacturing process for biomedical products: a case study.Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management 22:4, 527-540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
22. Bhim Singh, Suresh K. Garg, Surrender K. Sharma. 2011. Value stream mapping: literature review and implications for Indianindustry. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 53:5-8, 799-809. [CrossRef]
23. Bhim SinghDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Galgotia's College of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida,India S.K. GargDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Delhi Technological University, Delhi, IndiaS.K. SharmaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India ChandandeepGrewalDepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary,Calgary, Canada. 2010. Lean implementation and its benefits to production industry. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma1:2, 157-168. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
24. Roberto Álvarez, Roque Calvo, Marta M. Peña, Rosario Domingo. 2009. Redesigning an assembly line through leanmanufacturing tools. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 43:9-10, 949-958. [CrossRef]
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