Overall, manufacturers have benefited from being the focal point of value creation (materials, labor, etc. required to produce a product), as their role in the process represents the largest percentage of cost within the supply chain. This status has helped manufacturers propel the development and standardization of process improvement tools and techniques, such as Value Stream Mapping, 5S, And...

The study provides a description of what Lean means in a service context, focused on the energy sector. The study covered a range of operational processes, including TQM, Six Sigma and freestanding benchmarking and Kaizen initiatives. A divide between managers actively implementing Lean and those that are not is clear in both survey results and interviews; this divide is driven wider by the mis...

This case study industry manufactures more than 45 different sizes of tubes for 9 different buyers and is one of the largest manufacturers of Automotive Butyl Inner Tubes in India. In the present plant layout the industries main plant has 8 major aisles. Machines are classified based on the operations and order of process. The machine aisles are arranged using cellular manufacturing concept of ...

Background. Thirty refineries operate within Japan with a total crude processing capacity of about 4.8 million bpd. Capacity and total product demand is closely balanced. Almost all refined products are sold to the domestic market, although Japanese refineries occasionally import and export products between other Asian countries. The Japanese petroleum businesses, once protected, faced tough co...

This paper presents an application of 5S lean technology to a production facility. Due to increased demand, high product variety, and a push production system, the plant has suffered from excessive wastes, unorganized workstations, and unhealthy work environment. This has translated into increased production cost, frequent delays, and low workers morale. Under such conditions, it has become dif...