Author: Kevin J. Duggan
How can you apply value stream mapping and lean concepts to the more complex environment created by mixed model (high variety) manufacturing operations? Creating Mixed Model Value Streams helps you to address the challenges of high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, including: Coordinating products and services as they intertwine between multiple processes; Tracking and managing flow for products that have a multitude of options as well as variations in lead times and cycle times; Discerning between equipment that must be dedicated to a product family, and equipment that can be used as a shared resource; Addressing the challenges of scheduling high-mix production while using shared machines; Adapting to continual changes in material and information flow. The author employs a case study, based on his actual experiences at a toy manufacturer, to show how to determine product families, map the current state, create a future state, schedule the work, and deal with changes in customer demand in this more complex environment. Creating Mixed-Model Value Streams' comprehensive and down-to-earth approach gives readers the information they need to implement lean in an environment that is less abstract, more complex, and more like what manufacturers face when they actually try to do it on their own shop floor.
