Applying lean principles for high product variety and low volumes: some issues and propositions

Abstract

Much has been written and talked about on the subject of lean manufacturing (LM) since the idea was first defined by Womack, Jones and Roos. This has stimulated academics and practitioners within various sectors of manufacturing industry to assess the viability of applying lean manufacturing principles to their circumstances. Addresses the vexing question asked specifically by many manufacturers in high variety, low volume (HVLV) segments: "Can we either directly or in adapted form apply LM principles and, if so, how do we go about it in our circumstances?" First describes the main characteristics of HVLV situations and then, drawing from experience of such organizations, contrasts these characteristics with those of the typical large lean manufacturing company. Uses this discussion as the framework to debate some of the major organizational and technological barriers which need to be overcome in applying lean principles in HVLVs. Then proposes approaches which feasibly can be considered when implementing lean manufacturing principles within a typical HVLV situation. Concludes with examples of the application of these principles to real situations in two case companies. The cases present instances of how organizations adapt lean principles to design and implement logistics and manufacturing operations for leanness, in creating and leveraging integrative supplier relationships and in evolving towards a process orientation which permits the institution of consistent measures to gauge strategic performance.

How did the publication of the bookThe Machine That Changed The Worldchange management thinking? Exploring 25 years of lean literature

“…Yet there is no mention of these challenges. Finally, the universal application claims within The Machine are also ignored in the self-assessment in spite of their having stimulated widespread debate and criticism (Cusumano, 1994;Katayama and Bennett, 1996;Miyai, 1996; James-Moore and Jina et al, 1997;Cooney, 2002).…”

An Approach to Improving Customer on-Time Delivery Against the Original Promise Date

“…High variety does not increase the total demand, but firms increase variety to ring-fence their customers [13]. High variety increases the engineering workload through the creation of bills of material (BOM) and general arrangement drawings (GAD) of new product variants [9]. Modular product design is one of the productive ways of achieving product variety [3].…”

“…The modular approach enables producers to offer a greater range of end products without increasing the variety of components [3,11]. Through the use of modularity to configure the design of product variations, the negative impact of product variety on operational performance can be reduced [9]. A mature industry must consider product familial synergy and achieve commonality between components and subsystems [12].…”

Produção enxuta e teoria das restrições: proposta de um método para implantação conjunta na Indústria de Bens de Capital sob Encomenda

“…Embora já existam estudos publicados sobre a implantação, em segmentos específicos da IBCE, tanto da produção enxuta (na indústria naval (STORCH;LIM, 1999;LAMB, 2001)), indústria aeronáutica (DUDLEY, 2005;CRUTE et al, 2003) e máquinas e ferramentas (JINA; BHATTACHARYA; WALTON, 1997;ESWARAMOORTHI;KATHIRESAN;MOHANRAM, 2010) como da TOC (GUPTA; KO;MIN, 2002;CHAKRAVORTY, 2001;LEE et al, 2010), não existe na literatura da área de gestão da produção um método genérico para a implementação conjunta dos seus princípios nesse ambiente, e a proposta de tal método é o objetivo principal deste artigo.…”