Title: Development of lean production system using value stream mapping approach: a case study

Authors: Vikram Sharma; Naveen Virmani

Addresses: Mechanical-Mechatronics Engineering Department, LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT), Jaipur, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida, India

Abstract: Intense competition in global market is encouraging management to search for new ways to reduce cost and improve profits. Manufacturing firms are realising that cost reduction through waste elimination can improve their competitive potential. Lean production concepts can be employed for waste elimination. However, managers find it difficult to identify the key areas for waste elimination. The field of lean production has offered value stream mapping (VSM) as a visualisation tool to identify waste elimination opportunities. Using this tool, it is possible to map the current state and accordingly analyse for achieving waste elimination. In order to illustrate this aspect, the case study presented in this paper shows the way the firms can apply VSM for identifying the potential areas for applying this waste elimination technique. The purpose of this research is to examine value stream mapping (VSM) implementation in a gear manufacturing company located in national capital region of India. The case study shows that the production time, inventory and defects can be reduced significantly. Thus, VSM assists the managers to envisage the current level of wastes occurring in an organisation and the future means of eliminating them.

Keywords: lean production; value stream mapping; VSM; manufacturing firm; quality; customer satisfaction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2020.107811

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2020 Vol.30 No.2, pp.168 - 185

Accepted: 13 Dec 2018
Published online: 22 Jun 2020 *

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