This thesis discusses and demonstrates the benefits of simulating and optimising a manufacturing control system in order to improve flow of production material through a system with high variety low volume output requirements. The need for and factors affecting synchronous flow are also discussed along with the consequences of poor flow and various solutions for overcoming it. A study into and comparison of various planning and control methodologies designed to promote flow of material through a manufacturing system was carried out to identify a suitable system to model. The research objectives are; • Identify the best system to model that will promote flow, • Identify the potential failure mechanisms within that system that exist and have not been yet resolved, • Produce a model that can fully resolve or reduce the probability of the identified failure mechanisms having an effect. This research led to an investigation into the main elements of a Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) environment in order to generate a comprehensive description of the requirements for DBR implementation and operation and attempt to improve the limitations that have been identified via the research literature. These requirements have been grouped into three areas, i.e.: a. plant layout and kanban controls, b. planning and control, and c. DBR infrastructure. A DBR model was developed combined with Genetic Algorithms with the aim of maximising the throughput level for an individual product mix. The results of the experiments have identified new knowledge on how DBR processes facilitate and impede material flow synchronisation within high variety/low volume manufacturing environments. The research results were limited to the assumptions made and constraints of the model, this research has highlighted that as such a model becomes more complex it also becomes more volatile and more difficult to control, leading to the conclusions that more research is required by extending the complexity of the model by adding more product mix and system variability to compare results with the results of this research. After which it will be expected that the model will be useful to enable a quick system response to large variations in product demand within the mixed model manufacturing industry.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The political changes in South Africa since 1994 and globalisation have brought about a dramatic increase in competition for South African companies. To ensure long-term survival and success, companies have to focus their strategies on continuous improvement and the ability to adapt to continuous change. Lean manufacturing principles were derived from the Toyota Production System (TPS) which was created by Taiichi Ohna, who is widely credited to be the father of Lean manufacturing principles. Lean principles originated in the automotive industry and transformed an industry that previously focused all its improvement efforts on the theory of mass production. Lean principles can be summarised as continuous improvement through focus on the elimination of waste from processes. Lean principles specify that organisations: • Change from using their view to using the view of the customer when evaluating value-creating activities; • Change production plans that focus on mass production to production plans that produce only what customers want now in flow production with small production batches; • Reduce lead times; • Improve quality; and • Achieve the above-mentioned by eliminating waste in all processes. Lean principles are based on the assumption that once waste is removed, the process improves and results in reduced lead time, improved quality, reduced costs and improved customer service. The aim of this research study was to test Lean principles by implementing applicable parts of it in the engine rebuilding section of MultiMech, a division of Golden Arrow Bus Services. The changes that formed part of the implementation included: • Reduced work in progress through improved production planning; • Improved performance of inbound processes through improved communication based on improved production planning; and • Improved productivity due to improved inbound processes and improved performance measuring. The results from the pilot implementation of Lean principles at the engine rebuilding section support the benefits documented in the theory. The major results were: • An increase in the number of engines built for the months June to September, from 54 in 2007 to 88 in 2008 which represents a 63 per cent improvement in productivity; • A decrease in the number of works orders from 58 to 21, which represents a decrease of 63 per cent in work in progress; and • A reduction in stores' lead time from 3.5 days to 1.4 days, which represents an improvement of 60 per cent. The results from the pilot implementation is only an indication of the total potential that will be realised when Lean principles are implanted throughout MultiMech. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die politieke veranderinge in Suid-Afrika sedert 1994 en globalisering het 'n dramatiese verhoging in mededinging vir Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye tot gevolg gehad. Ten einde langtermyn oorlewing en sukses te verseker, moet maatskappye hul strategiee fokus op aanhoudende verbetering en die vermoe om by konstante verandering aan te pas. 'Spilvrye' vervaardigingsbeginsels ('Lean manufacturing principles') is afgelei van die Toyota produksiestelsel ('Toyota production system') (TPS), wat ontwikkel is deur Taiichi Ohno, wat algemeen beskou word as die vader van spilvrye vervaardigingsbeginsels. Hierdie beginsels het ontstaan in die motorvervaardigingsindustrie en 'n industrie transformeer wat voorheen al sy verbeteringspogings gefokus het op die teorie van massaproduksie. Spilvrye beginsels kan opgesom word as konstante verbetering deur te fokus op die eliminasie van verspilling uit prosesse. Spilvrye beginsels bepaal dat organisasies: • Nie meer vanuit hulle eie perspektief nie, maar vanuit die klient se perspektief waardeskeppende aktiwiteite beoordeel; • Produksieplanne verander wat fokus op massaproduksie tot produksieplanne wat slegs produseer wat kliente nou wil he in 'n vloeiproduksieproses met klein produksievolumes; • Wagperiodes verminder; • Kwaliteit verbeter; en • Bogenoemde bereik deur verspilling in alle prosesse te elimineer. Spilvrye beginsels is gebaseer op die aanname dat sodra verspilling verwyder is, die proses verbeter en verkorte wagperiodes volg, kwaliteit verbeter, kostes verminder en klientediens verbeter. Die doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om Spilvrye beginsels te toets deur toepaslike gedeeltes daarvan te implementeer in die enjinbou afdeling van MultiMech, 'n divisie van Golden Arrow busdienste. Die veranderinge wat deel uitgemaak het van die implementering sluit in: • Verminderde werk-in-proses deur verbeterde produksiebeplanning; • Verbeterde prestasie van inkomende prosesse deur verbeterde kommunikasie gebaseer op verbeterde produksiebeplanning; en • Verbeterde produktiwiteit as gevolg van verbeterde inkomende prosesse en verbeterde prestasiemeting. Die resultate van die loodsimplemetering van Spilvrye beginsels by die enjinbou afdeling ondersteun die voordele wat in die teorie gedokumenteer is. Die vernaamste resultate sluit in: • 'n Toename in die aantal enjins gebou vir die maande Junie tot September, van 54 in 2007 tot 88 in 2008 wat 'n 63 persent verbetering in produktiwiteit verteenwoordig; • 'n Afname in die aantal werksopdragte vanaf 58 tot 21, wat 'n afname van 63 persent in werk-in-proses verteenwoordig; en • 'n Afname in store se wagperiode van 3.5 dae tot 1.4 dae, wat 'n verbetering van 60 persent verteenwoordig. Die resultate van die loodsimplementering van Spilvrye beginsels is 'n teken van die totale potensiaal wat gerealiseer sal word met die implementering in ander departemente van MultiMech.

Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between information sharing, information quality, strategic partnership and internal lean practices among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in South Africa. It is essential to understand practitioners’ and entrepreneurs’ current knowledge towards the topic at hand in order to determine what interventions would be most beneficial in helping to curb the problem of the lack of knowledge in this area and to understand the underlying causes behind the problem, while creating awareness and giving new insight to those who are already aware of this topic. Data was collected from a sample of 350 Small to Medium Enterprises and the measurement items in the measuring instrument were measured using a 5-point likert scale. Thereafter the collected data was coded and analysed by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS 21 software package. The results indicate that supplier information sharing and information quality have a strong influence on strategic partnership and in turn strategic partnership has a strong influence on internal lean practices among Small to Medium Enterprises. This indicates that the level and quality of information shared between Small to Medium Enterprises and their suppliers has a positive effect on the strength of their partnerships as well as on the internal practices of each Small to Medium Enterprise. Based on these results, conclusions were drawn and recommendations were put forward on how internal lean practices in Small to Medium Enterprises can be improved by means of information sharing, information quality and strategic partnerships.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science in Industrial Engineering. October 2016 / The research project aimed at determining employees’ experiences of the application of the flow efficiency methodology. The flow efficiency methodology was the selected management methodology from the broader scope of process-focused methodologies. The significance of the flow efficiency approach is that it’s an alternative approach to the traditional management approach of optimising resource efficiency, but rather focuses on improving the flow of the process in which the resources work. The research was conducted in the context of the labour-intensive, South African manufacturing sector using a case study approach. The purpose of the research was to understand front-line employees’ and supervisors’ perceptions during the application of the flow efficiency approach. The assessed perceptions came from four selected change factors that stemmed from the Lean change iceberg model commonly found in literature. The motivation for research was two-fold: (1) prior research of the flow efficiency methodology in the socio-technical environment focused on operational improvement impact, and not on the impact on people; and (2), most research of improvement approaches and methods in South Africa tended to focus on success factors and pre-requisite maturity levels of various methods. The chosen flow efficiency approach required no pre-requisite culture requirements. The researcher was of the view that gaining an insight (through a case study) into employees’ perceptions of change factors during a flow efficiency approach, could lead to benefits of development and empowerment of employees and management in the labour-intensive, manufacturing sector of South Africa. The case study selected was a flow efficiency-based, improvement initiative in a multinational dairy plant in South Africa. The researcher used an unstructured, group-administered questionnaire to assess operational and supervisory employees’ perceptions of the selected change factors after process changes were made in the process where they work. The four selected process-improvement change factors derived from the Lean change iceberg were: Leadership Behaviour; Social System Change; Effectiveness of Change; and Employee Involvement & Empowerment. Content validity was conducted with external and internal experts to refine the questions and sequence of the questionnaire. A trained research assistant facilitated the multiple questionnaire sessions. Thematic content analysis was used to categorise participant’s responses into themes and sub-themes for each question. The occurrence of themes and sub-themes per question was tallied up and discussed for operational and supervisory employees with respect to the research objectives. The research did not yield a broad-based view on the impact of the flow efficiency management approach on employees’ perceptions in the greater industry context. However, it did give an insight, through the case study, into some universally applicable perceptions of changes experienced by South African, front-line and supervisory employees when the flow efficiency management approach was used. Perceptions of: leadership commitment and coaching, improved teamwork, simplification of jobs, improved flow, and improvements in individual performance, and employee empowerment were prevalent perceptions felt by most employees at both levels. / MT2017

El objetivo del presente trabajo es identificar la situación problemática y determinar los problemas de la empresa Packaging Products del Perú S.A. basándonos en la información y data recopilada. En PPP la cantidad de tapas producidas es insuficiente para cubrir la demanda debido a la mala planificación de ésta, que conlleva a incurrir en altos costos. Sobre la base de este marco descriptivo, se identifican los motivos, evidencias y lo que se plantea para mejorar. La presente tesis se divide en tres partes. El primer capítulo es una recopilación teórica necesaria para el tema a tratar, que se encuentra disponible en artículos académicos indexados de la base de datos de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas y libros de Ingeniería Industrial actualizados. Además de presentar información sobre la gestión de procesos, también se presentan casos de éxitos que nos serán de utilidad en la propuesta de solución. El segundo capítulo describe la situación actual de la empresa PPP S.A. Asimismo, se realiza la identificación de los problemas del área de operaciones, en la que se involucran directamente el área de planeamiento y producción, se reconocen las causas sustentadas en información real de la empresa. El tercer capítulo describe las propuestas de mejora para la empresa PPP S.A. Asimismo, se desarrollan herramientas de la metodología Lean Manufacturing que involucran al proceso productivo demostrando la viabilidad con resultados financieros y simulación en Arena. Además, se proponen el uso de herramientas y formatos de control para el respectivo seguimiento y control. / The objective of this paper is to identify the problematic situation and determine the problems of the company Packaging Products del Perú S.A. based on the information and data collected. In PPP, the quantity of caps produced is insufficient to cover the demand due to poor planning, which leads to high costs. On the basis of this descriptive framework, the reasons, evidences and what is proposed to improve are identified. This thesis is divided into three parts. The first chapter is a theoretical compilation necessary for the topic to be addressed, which is available in academic articles indexed from the database of the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences and updated Industrial Engineering books. In addition to presenting information on process management, there are also cases of successes that will be useful in the proposed solution. The second chapter describes the current situation of the company PPP S.A. Likewise, the identification of the problems of the area of operations is made, in which the area of planning and production is directly involved, the causes based on real information of the company are recognized. The third chapter describes the improvement proposals for the company PPP S.A. Likewise, tools of the Lean Manufacturing methodology are developed that involve the productive process demonstrating viability with financial results and simulation in Arena. In addition, the use of tools and control formats for the respective monitoring and control are proposed. / Tesis

En el presente estudio, tiene como objetivo reducir el alto índice de productos defectuosos, incrementando así los niveles de productividad en la empresa. Se explicarán los beneficios de la implementación de la metodología Lean Manufacturing en el proceso productivo textil en el área de tintorería y acabado de tela de la empresa TEXTIL SAN RAMÓN S.A. Por esta razón, se señala que si se implementa la metodología Lean Manufacturing, El trabajo está compuesto por tres capítulos. En el primer capítulo, se explica en qué consiste la metodología Lean Manufacturing. En el segundo capítulo, se presentará la situación actual de procesos actual de tintorería y acabado de tela. Asimismo, se describirá los principales beneficios de la implementación de la metodología Lean Manufacturing en el proceso de productivo textil, que buscará reducir el número de productos defectuosos en el proceso de tintorería y acabado de tela e incrementar los niveles de productividad de la empresa. Finalmente en el tercer capítulo se logra plasmar la implementación de esta metodología la cual resulta ser beneficiosa en el proceso de tintorería y acabado. Con estos resultados se evidencia que mediante la metodología Lean Manufacturing se puede reducir el índice de productos defectuosos significativamente, incrementando así en nivel de productividad, con el fin de reducir costos, aumentar la rentabilidad de la empresa y satisfacer las necesidades de los clientes. / In the present study, it aims to reduce the high rate of defective products, thus increasing productivity levels in the company. the benefits of implementing Lean Manufacturing in the textile production process in the area of fabric dyeing and finishing of textile SAN RAMON SA For this reason, it explained, noted that if the methodology is implemented Lean Manufacturing, The work is composed of three chapters. In the first chapter, it explains what Lean Manufacturing methodology. In the second chapter, the current situation of current processes dyeing and finishing fabric will be presented. Also, the main benefits of implementing Lean Manufacturing methodology will be described in the process of textile production, which seek to reduce the number of defective products in the process of dyeing and finishing fabric and increase the productivity levels of the company. Finally in the third chapter it manages to capture the implementation of this methodology which proves to be beneficial in the process of dyeing and finishing. With these results it is evident that through Lean Manufacturing methodology can significantly reduce the rate of defective products, increasing in level of productivity, in order to reduce costs, increase profitability and meet the needs of customers. / Trabajo de investigaciòn

Orientador: Messias Borges Silva / Coorientador: Robisom Damasceno Calado / Banca: Otávio José de Oliveira / Banca: Nelson Tavares Matias / Banca: Fabrício Maciel Gomes / Banca: Rosinei Batista Ribeiro / Resumo: Esta pesquisa teve o objetivo de diagnosticar o nível de maturidade de diversas unidades produtivas de uma empresa do ramo químico e se elas poderiam ser consideradas Classe Mundial, identificando os pontos fortes e fracos da gestão de cada uma das fábricas analisadas, visando buscar oportunidades de melhoria em seu Sistema de Gestão. O método científico utilizado, as limitações da pesquisa e implicações, os resultados de investigação e pesquisa são exploratórios. O estudo foi feito por meio de uma pesquisa tipo Survey por análise combinada inicialmente qualitativa e em seguida quantitativa, referente ao grau de maturidade das empresas analisadas, utilizando-se do método de Análise de Correlação Grey. Referente ao método de pesquisa, foi utilizado o questionário combinado do LAI Enterprise Self-assessment Tool (Lesat) do Massaussuchets Institute of Technology (MIT) e Baldrige Performance Excellence Program do National Institute of of Standards and Techonology (NIST) do United States Department of Commerce, aplicados ao Método de Diagnóstico de Empresas (MDE). Pesquisas futuras podem ser realizadas em estudos de correlação entre um número maior de empresas de manufatura de outros segmentos. Este estudo amplo e com diversidade de organizações proporcionará um melhor entendimento do nível maturidade das organizações. A contribuição do estudo está na capacidade de diagnosticar o nível de maturidade da organização pesquisada. Avaliar se a aplicação das ferramentas do MDE, Lesat, B... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This research had the purpose to diagnose the level of maturity of the several production plants in a chemical industry and evaluate if they could be consider World Class, in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the management of each of the analyzed factories, to identify opportunities for improvement in its Management System. The scientific method used, research limitations and implications, the results of investigation and research are exploratory. This study done through a survey type Survey combined qualitative analysis initially and then quantitative, concerning the degree of maturity of the factories analyzed, using Grey Correlation analysis method. Concerning the study method was the combined questionnaire LAI Enterprise Self-assessment Tool (Lesat) of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Baldrige Performance Excellence Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States Department of Commerce, using the Business Diagnostic Method (BDM). Future research can be carry out and correlation studies among a larger number of other branches manufacturing companies can be perform. A larger study with a diversity of organizations will provide a better understanding of the maturity level of the organizations. The contribution of this study is in the ability to diagnose the organization's maturity level. Evaluate if the application of BDM, Lesat & Baldrige and Grey System tools between the different factories inside a ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

As operações industriais são objeto de muitas estratégias de gestão que visam melhorar o desempenho da empresa. Dentre estas estratégias podem ser encontradas a Produção Enxuta (Lean) e a Produção mais Limpa (P+L), implementadas de forma independente segundo objetivos distintos. Contudo, na prática, é frequente observar que as estratégias interagem dentro do contexto das indústrias, potencializando o ganho de desempenho operacional/ambiental ou prejudicando uma a outra quanto a seus objetivos. A academia vem recentemente evidenciando o possível relacionamento entre Lean e P+L dando principal atenção às interações positivas entre as estratégias, havendo poucos trabalhos que observam as interações negativas ou estudam os mecanismos pelos quais é possível descrever seu relacionamento. Como resposta a esta lacuna, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo principal propor diretrizes para a integração entre o Lean e P+L nas empresas. Esta proposta de diretrizes se baseia no levantamento do estado da arte da integração entre as estratégias, que fornece as informações sobre o seu relacionamento, que são, por sua vez, verificadas empiricamente. Para executar essa estratégia de pesquisa foi feita a aplicação de dois métodos científicos: a Revisão Bibliográfica Sistemática (RBS) e o estudo de caso. A RBS, desenvolvida para analisar o conhecimento disponível sobre a integração entre Lean e P+L, investigou 5 bases de dados científicas através das quais foram avaliados 380 estudos, que após a aplicação de filtros e adição de estudos citados por estudos selecionados foi possível chegar a 38 relevantes para a avaliação da integração entre Lean e P+L. A partir desses estudos, que reúnem desde artigos em periódicos e conferências até relatórios de agências governamentais, foi possível obter informações iniciais sobre o relacionamento entre o Lean e P+L, por exemplo os principais temas de convergência e divergência e o fenômeno compartilhado entre as teorias, definidos segundo a literatura. Para verificação empírica dessas informações, foram feitos estudos de caso em duas empresas brasileiras e duas empresas inglesas para observar a integração em contextos diferentes e setores diferentes. Os estudos mostraram que, de maneira geral, os departamentos ambientais, onde a P+L é praticada, e de Lean se encontram distantes. Dessa forma, nos casos não havia iniciativa de integração entre o Lean e a P+L, mas sim interações espontâneas que levavam a benefícios os prejuízos de uma ou outra estratégia. O conhecimento, primeiramente obtido na literatura e depois submetido a uma avaliação empírica, foi reunido em diretrizes de integração dentro dos temas de integração entre o Lean e a P+L: Objetivos, Custos, Desperdícios, Ciclo de Vida, Risco Ambiental, Impactos Ambientais, Práticas, Consumidor e Sociedade, Cultura, Recursos Humanos, Requisitos Legais e Cadeia de suprimentos. Estes resultados contribuem para que, ao invés de uma abordagem segregada entre as estratégias, a sustentabilidade possa ser inserida diretamente dentro dos sistemas produtivos. Desta forma, a integração entre o Lean e a P+L passa a ser tanto uma resposta à demanda do consumidor por melhor desempenho ambiental quanto uma alternativa para que as empresas aumentem a eficiência de seus processos. / Industrial operations are the subject of many management strategies aimed at improving the company\'s performance. Among these strategies are Lean Manufacturing (Lean) and Cleaner Production (CP), implemented independently according to different goals. However, in practice, it is often observed that the strategies interact within the industries´ context, increasing the operational/environmental performance improvements or harming each others´ goals. The academy has recently started emphasizing the possible relationship between Lean and CP giving primary attention to the positive interactions between strategies, having few studies observed negative interactions or studied the mechanisms through which it is possible to describe their relationship. In response to this gap this research´s main objective is to propose guidelines for the integration between Lean and CP in companies. This guidelines proposition is based on a study of the state of the art of the integration between the two strategies which provided information about their relationship, that was in turn verified empirically. To run this search strategy two scientific methods were applied, the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and the case study. The RBS was performed to analyze the available knowledge about the integration between Lean and CP investigated 5 scientific databases in which 380 studies were evaluated. After applying filters and adding studies cited by the selected studies, 38 studies were reached, which were the most relevant to the evaluation of the integration between Lean and CP. These studies ranged from journal and conference articles to government agencies reports, and from them it was possible to obtain the initial information about the relationship between strategies such as their main themes and the shared phenomenon defined according to the literature. For empirical verification of this information, case studies were performed in two Brazilian companies and two English companies to observe the integration in different contexts and different sectors. The studies have shown that in general the environmental departments, where CP is practiced, and Lean are distant. Thus no integration initiative between Lean and CP was observed, but spontaneous interactions that led to randomly to convergences and divergences. The knowledge obtained first literature and then subjected to an empirical evaluation was gathered in integration guidelines displayed according to the integration themes between Lean and CP: Objectives, Cost, Waste, Life Cycle, Environmental Risk, Environmental Impacts, Practices, Consumer and Society, Culture, Human Resources, Legal Requirements and Supply Chain. These results contribute to, rather than maintaining a segregated approach between strategies, inserting sustainability directly into the production systems. Consequently, the integration between Lean and CP becomes both a response to consumer demand for a better environmental performance and an alternative for companies that want increase processes efficiency.

O principal propósito deste trabalho é avaliar as principais variáveis que devem ser consideradas no dimensionamento do buffer de componentes de uma empresa que trabalha sob a ótica da Manufatura Enxuta, que devem ser fornecidos a uma célula de manufatura com mix variado de conjuntos similares a serem produzidos. Como mecanismo de validação da investigação, devido ao dinamismo inerente a operação de sistemas de produção com layout célular, foi utilizada a ferramenta Mapeamento de Fluxo de Valor com o apoio de uma estrutura de um software comercial de simulação computacional aplicando o otimizador do aplicativo desenvolvido a partir de um algoritmo genético a fim de contrapor o uso do abastecedor das células com o controle efetivo do nível de inventário do buffer. Como resultado são apresentados diferentes cenários definidos como experimentos tendo como principal fator a variação do tempo de ciclo de abastecimento executado e o fluxo de material como parâmetro inerente a demanda por cada um dos componentes consumidos na operação da célula de manufatura. Através das análises dos resultados foi concluído que os elevados níveis de estoque se tornam ou não necessários dependendo preliminarmente da capacidade de carregamento por ciclo de abastecimento do transportador e o tempo de ciclo necessário para a realização da atividade de ressuprimento. A relevância do tema de pesquisa estudado encontra-se na contribuição pertinente às informações adquiridas in loco na realidade de uma empresa que trabalha sob a ótica da Manufatura Enxuta, no crescente aumento da complexidade dos sistemas produtivos e, consequentemente, da dificuldade de análises mais precisas do impacto que as variáveis de fluxo, como por exemplo, tempo de abastecimento e movimentação, tempo de setup e os respectivos roteiros de fabricação podem causar no desempenho dos processos no chão de fábrica. / The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the main variables that must be considered in the component buffer dimensioning of a company that works with Lean Manufacturing, which to a manufacturing cell should be supplied with a varied mix of similar sets to be produced . As a research validation mechanism, due to the dynamism inherent in the operation of production systems with cell layout, the Value Stream Mapping tool was used with the support of a commercial software simulation structure applying the developed application optimizer from a genetic algorithm in order to counteract the use of the cell supplier with the effective control of the inventory level of the buffer. As a result, different scenarios defined as experiments are presented, the main factor being the variation of the supply cycle time executed and the material flow as a parameter inherent to the demand for each of the components consumed in the manufacturing cell operation. Through the analysis of the results it was concluded that high levels of stock become or not necessary depending on the loading capacity per transport cycle of the conveyor and the cycle time required to perform the resupply activity. The relevance of the studied research theme lies in the relevant contribution to the information acquired locally in the reality of a company that works from the perspective of the Lean Manufacturing, in the increasing complexity of the productive systems and, consequently, of the difficulty of more precise analyzes of the impact that the flow variables, such as supply and handling time, setup time and the respective manufacturing routes, can cause in the process performance on the shop floor.

A literatura revela que existe a oportunidade de se estudar formas de gerenciamento da melhoria de desempenho para desenvolvimento de produtos, sendo uma destas oportunidades a implementação dos princípios enxutos nesta atividade. O objetivo geral desta tese foi propor uma metodologia que possibilite, de forma estruturada, a utilização dos princípios e práticas enxutas no método de desenvolvimento de produto. A metodologia apoiou-se no resultado dos seguintes objetivos específicos: análise das práticas industriais, verificação de seu alinhamento com os princípios e práticas enxutas e identificação oportunidades de melhoria; identificação dos principais modelos existentes para criação de valor em ambientes outros que não o da manufatura; investigação mecanismos de integração para a equipe de desenvolvimento de produtos com base na mentalidade enxuta; identificação de uma plataforma de gestão que auxilie na implementação dos princípios enxutos no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos. O método de estudo de caso foi utilizado em três empresas – A, B e C – para coletar informações a respeito do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos. Seus resultados permitiram verificar o alinhamento de cada uma das empresas com as práticas enxutas, e a conseqüente verificação de sua aplicabilidade. As inferências obtidas foram classificas em função dos seguintes aspectos: entendimento da empresa com relação aos princípios enxutos aplicados ao processo de desenvolvimento de produtos, identificação de valor, fluxo de valor, sistema puxado e perfeição. Pautada nestas inferências, foi elaborada uma proposta de metodologia para implementação de princípios enxutos no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos visando a conseqüente melhoria do processo. A metodologia proposta foi aplicada a uma quarta empresa – D. Os resultados foram que a metodologia, de forma geral, mostrou-se consistente com seus objetivos, dentre os quais o principal foi a melhoria do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos. / In the literature, an opportunity appears to study performance improvement management forms for product development. One of these opportunities is the implementation of lean principles in this activity. The general objective of the thesis was to propose a methodology, which enables the utilization of the lean principles and practices in the product development method in a structured form. The methodology was based upon the result of the following specific objectives: the analysis of industrial practices, the verification of their alignment with the lean principles and practices and the identification of improvement opportunities; the identification of the main existing models for weighting creation in environments other than manufacturing; an integration mechanism investigation for the product development team, based on the lean mentality; and the identification of a management platform, which helps in the implementation of the lean principles in the product development process. The case study method was utilized in three companies – A, B and C – in order to collect information with respect to the product development process. The results enabled the verification of the alignment of each one of the companies as to their lean practices and the consequent verification of their applicability. The obtained inferences were classified according to the following aspects: the understanding of the company with regard to the lean principles applied to the product development process, the weighting identification, importance flow, in-depth system used and perfection. A methodology proposal was drawn from these inferences, for the implementation of the lean principles in the product development, having in mind the consequent process improvement. The proposed methodology was applied to a fourth company – D. The results showed that in a general manner, the methodology was consistent with its objectives, of which the main one was the improvement of product development.